Customer Reviews

Pentax 65808 PCF II 10x50 Waterproof Binocular

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These are my first pair of "nice" binoculars and I love them so far.
I'm using them for astronomy and their views are clear as a bell. Well worth the extra bucks. The rubber coating is thick and makes them feel sturdy and easy to hold. The focus knob, exit pupil adjustment, and tripod mount cover all turn smoothly. Focusing does take some effort because of the seals but in my experience all waterproof bino focus knobs take some work to turn.
I tried Nikon, Swarovski, Leupold, Celestron, Mead, Bushnell, and Jason. The Pentax are a great bang for your stargazing buck.

These Pentax Binoculars are a very fine piece of optics . They are very clear , smooth in focussing and look/feel very tough.

I use them for night sky watching and they work very well for that. I looked up for Comet Holmes and the Binocular once focussed gave a crystal clear view of the night sky--- no fuzzy objects. Some distant star clusters come out really sharp on these binoculars. And it is fog proof and dew proof. I am very satisfied with it.

Compare this with a Nikon - I think Pentax will be equal in performance to Nikon. Pentax is little better on price. Till now I had only used Nikon.

I only wish that Pentax had been little more generous in giving better lens caps and eye piece covers. These ones are of a very cheap quality especially the one for the eye pieces which is just one whole cover which does not stay in place. Pentax should learn some thing from the Nikon in this matter.

I purchased these while serving in Iraq for off-duty star gazing and on-duty tactical observation. These things are absolutely amazing. Their ability to draw in light is unbelievable for the price. No matter the weather conditions, I always have a clear view becuase not only are they fully multi-coated, but they're also fog proof. The rubber outer coating is easy to clean (believe me, in Iraq that is important). Do yourself a favor; buy these and quit looking at the more expensive Canons and Nikons. With the money you save by getting these you can purchase a tripod adapter and a monopod or tripod for long distance observations.

I bought these binoculars after studying reviews for a few weeks and for the price, I really can't complain! I'm using them primarily for astronomical purposes.

PROS: Great price (I found prices ranging from about $250 down, and this was the best price I could find); solid construction; great optics.

CONS: The focusing knob isn't the smoothest...requires a bit of pressure; the lens caps/case/strap that comes with the binos are a bit cheesy, especially the ocular lens "shield" (I'll probably search at some point for a better - tethered - set of aperture/ocular lens covers).

They work gorgeously both during the day and for looking at the stars. I'd recommend a tripod adapter and a tripod for these if you're looking to study double stars/star clusters/etc, since you get about 1/2 magnitude brighter stars when the binos are stabilized. They do wiggle a bit.

I have a pair of the original Pentax PCF 10x50 binoculars. As best I can recall I purchased them while in high school, which means no later than 1980. In the course of 30 years I've used them quite a bit for sports and general use, lost the lens caps, and had to clean my kids fingerprints from the lenses innumerable times; but I find that after all that time they still work as well as they did when new. Great light gathering capability, good balance (if a bit heavy) in the hand, clear optics. A great purchase then and now.

These are great for the price!

I read a few professional reviews and these binoculars were best for the money when I bought them two years ago. They outperform everything in their price range, but come in a far second to binoculars that are three and five times the price (Fujinon FMT-SX 10x50 and Nikon SE 10x42). You get what you pay for, but in this case you get a lot.

I'm very happy with mine, but they do require a stable mount for star viewing. They also have a limited focal range, so I must use my eyeglasses.

Terrestrial viewing is outstanding, but these are relatively heavy at 2.1 lbs, and they have a fairly small field of view. I find a very light and old pair of 6x30 Alpin Lux more comfortable for wildlife viewing without a tripod.

After doing a good deal of research, I picked these up as an introduction to star/moon gazing. I've been extremely pleased! My first night out, I spotted Saturn quickly. The view is clear nearly to the edges and I was able to see MANY stars invisible to the naked eye. Trying to view something that small steadily isn't easy when hand-holding, so I got a tripod mount and got a great steady view. Still, I have found that when trying to spot formations or craters on the moon, I can do fine by hand. Recently while vacationing, I tried them out for daytime bird and boat watching on Ponce Inlet and was very impressed by the bright and clear view. My friends who own a few binoculars and a telescope were impressed as well.

My only regret is that I then took them to the beach. I was able to get amazing views of distant piers, ships and dolphins, but despite my careful efforts, a little sand got into the carrying case. I tried to get rid of it and cautiously clean the binocs, but a grain seems to have found its way into the focus ring on the right eyepiece. The view is still great and they work like new, but I hear and feel a faint little grind when I turn that piece. Hopefully this won't lead to issues down the road.

I do agree with others that the protective covers for the lenses could fit better and be made of a better material. That's my only complaint!

Last year, I bought the Pentax PCF II 20x60 binoculars. I was primarily interested in stargazing, and my logic was "bigger is better". I couldn't have been more mistaken. Although the 20x60's are good binoculars, they are impossible to hold steady. You need a very solid tripod to use them. A cheap, light-weight tripod won't really work either, as you will see any little shake or vibration magnified 20-fold... especially when stargazing!

Since that time, I did some homework, and learned that 10x power is the practical maximum for hand-held binoculars (although some users differ, and say that 12x is the ceiling). In any case, after reading many 10x50 reviews online, I settled for these Pentax 10x50's. I am very impressed with the quality of the optics and construction, especially for the price.

My only minor complaint is that the lens caps fall out very easily.

My old PCF's died a few months ago. Purchased in the 1990's, they were bright, tough and made in Japan (High End these days) with amazing clarity. I sent them into Pentax for repair and was hoping to get them back. Instead, they replaced my beloved PCF's with the new model. Made in China, i was questioning the quality right off the bat, so much so that I listed them for sale immediately... A few days have passed without a nibble and I decided to open them up and take a peak... figuring the kids or wife could use them as a backup pair. Quality was good and they had a nice heft. I focused the adjustable and got a nice clear image. WOW, they are actually better than my old pair although the eye relief seems a little tricky at times. VERY HAPPY and now a keeper. I have borrowed Swarovski, Zeiss and a few other higher end binoculars and these compare favorably.

The caps that came with the binoculars are not good at all, but the rest seems to be excellent. I just tried once, in a rainy night but aiming to some distant light points in the street seems to give an excellent and bright view. Its weight is perfect, easy to carry and hold still. They're my first pair, so I don't have much of experience, but it seems really nice.