Customer Reviews

Pentax 62599 9x28 DCF LV Binocular - Black

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I own Swavorski 8.5xELs,10x50SLCs, Leica Duovids, Celestron 7x50s and now the Pentax 9x28 DCF LV. My day of birding with these instead of the 8.5s was surprisingly fun. Here are the Pros and Cons.
Pros:
Well chosen power of 9x make the binos useful for many situations.
Sharp center field suitable for serious birding and even looking at star clusters and moon. Edge performance not objectionable. These could be used as workhorse binos although 32mm objectives or more are better - all else being equal.
VERY nice click stops eye cups and ample eye relief for eyeglass wearers like myself.
Close focus for butterflies ~6ft
VERY comfortable apparent field of view (don't feel like your looking in a tunnel) and actual field of view.
No eyestrain after hours of birding - for which I'm sensitive.

Cons:
Stiff focus is noticeable and may cause a "misfire" focus from time to time.
Light weight may not be a positive in some birders hands - but this is an issue for all small binos. I found balance and size fine for my hands which are average for a man.

I'll be birding with these binos on bicycle. Seems a shame to leave them in a glove compartment. And they can slip in a water bottle cage. 5 stars.

I read about these in Outdoor Life. They came highly recommended. When I received them they were as advertised. Excellent clarity and light transmission. These are as good as a lot of quality full size binoculars.

Bought these based on a rating in Outdoor Life magazine. I bought them for turkey and archery hunting. Very clear & bright, great little binocular for the money. Definetly recommend them.

Small and light, but a step above most basic 8x25 binoculars. 13oz with strap for all you weight watchers. Well-made and easy to adjust to my eyes. Sharp focus and bright image. No distortion that I could detect. Hope to use these for a long time.
Only gripe-Needs a dustcap for the front lens. They're recessed and maybe Pentax figured they could do without. No biggie....

I bought these binoculars because my old ones, a pair of Nikon Travelights, had gotten knocked out of alignment courtesy of airline baggage handlers. The Pentax binoculars provide better viewing. They are a bit larger, but have a much more brilliant image. They are easy to handle, easy to focus, and feel good in the hands. The extendable rubber eye cups are a definite plus. The only negative thing I found is that there is no belt loop on the carrying case. I would highly recommend these binoculars to anyone else.

I saw these in Outdoor Life magazine a couple of years ago and they were rated both "editors choice" and "great buy". That was definitely with good reason. Excellent clarity, easy focus, fit perfectly in your hands, good low-light performance and great overall quality.

I bought these 9 X 28 binoculars for traveling and sightseeing because they were small, lightweight and waterproof, but I returned them because the Pentax 8 X 25 UCF WP binoculars that I also bought for comparison, proved to be a better product. The UCFs have the same qualities as the LVs, but less tremble and no right and left shadowing of the image like the LVs, and they only cost about 1/2 as much. The styling of the UCFs is somewhat unconventional, but they perform well for their size. The quality of both Pentax products seemed very good compared to the cheaper low end units sold under high end brand names in the sporting goods chains.

First, this is a compact binocular. It weights 12oz and make it remarkably portable than the standard size binos.

Second, it's a roof binocular. For the same weight and size, it outperforms porro binoculars.

Third, the construction quality is very good. The 4-level adjustable eye cup make it fits people with difference glasses.

Fourth, it uses phase coating (a coating that is only available to high end binos). This make the the image of little aberration and very sharp.

Fifth, its water and fog proof.

It worth more than the price. I compared it side by size with a Zeiss Victory 8x20 (3+ times the price tag). The later only slightly outperforms this in color. This Pentax bino is remarkably better than those $100 Nikon compact roof binos.

Overall, unless you want spend $600+ on a Zeiss Victory or Leica Untravid, this is the best compact bino at this price range.

The small size of these binoculars allow them to be carried easily. Purchased in September 2010, I have used these glasses outdoors to look at birds in the back yard and carried on a couple short vacations to look at buildings, sites, and wildlife. The other use of these glasses are for sporting events (football games and baseball games), as well as indoors in concerts. I don't usually get great seats, so bringing the field or stage closer helps a lot.

The 9 x 28 binoculars are not the most powerful, but they are very convenient. Easy to carry and quickly focus. These are very good quality, I think appropriately priced.

The binoculars are provided with a nice canvas / leatherette case (5"h x 4.75"w x 2"d), slightly padded, with a velcro flap (take the glasses out of the case before getting close to wildlife).

I really can't rave about these glasses. They're dim, and have a narrow field of view. That's what you get, at 9x28. I use them in the car, swapping them with my wife to get quick looks at shorebirds. They're small enough not to be a lethal, blunt instrument at close quarters. Eye relief is excellent for me (tri-focals) and easily adjustable for my wife (contacts). They're stylish, small but NOT "compact." I will throw them into the beach bag this summer.