Customer Reviews

Pentax DCF SP 8x43 Binocular

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

 

 

I love, love, love this binocular. It's waterproof, fogproof, rugged, well-balanced, and easy to handle (I can hold it one-handed and still adjust the focus easily). I'm rough on equipment, but haven't managed to do any damage to it despite constant use under some pretty yucky conditions (tossing in the car, taking out in heavy rainstorms, dangling from the backpack on hikes, etc.)

No problem with or without glasses--the eyecups have nice, firm intermediate settings between the plain "in" and "out" options of most binoculars.

The image quality is fantastic, even in dim dusk or dawn light. IMO, you can't do better in roof prism binoculars until you get up into the megabuck Swarovski range, and even given the slight image quality improvement (for two or three times the price), I'd still prefer the Pentax DCF for its handling and quick focus.

I bought these as a backup pair to keep in the car. I've been birding for 20+ years and have other much more expensive bins.

Positives: lightweight, quick & easy focus, feel great in the hand, good color, sharp image, bright, reasonably close focus (I use these for butterflies), sturdy, weatherproof.

Negatives: some edge effects (little halos of color on lower edge of distant objects, like hawks) that I don't get in my $1600 bins. FOV a little bit narrow.

If there are better bins at this price I'd be amazed. I bird with these about 90% of the time now, and actually prefer them for long trips because they are so lightweight. I can use them for 8 hours at a hawkwatch without fatigue.

I heard about these particular binoculars from my paddle guide in Thailand. I could see Great Horned Bills better out of these than through my cajillion dollar camera lens. They brighten everything up so you can easily find birds etc.. Great pair, esp. for the price.

I bought these for a trip to Costa Rico and found them to be excellent for birding as well as general use. Since then I have used them in Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. They are not bothered by rain/humidity or fog, are easy to focus and use. I have a small face and found other high quality binoculars were too wide. My native guide thought they were excellent. Recommend. Only complaint-the bag they come in is pitiful.

I like the images produced by these binoculars very much indeed. Sharp and crisp to the edges they provide the excellent details one needs for identifying difficult birds and are very "user-friendly". I find the way that the eye-pieces click out and click in to accommodate the use of glasses - either optical or sunglasses - very ingenious and convenient. Also convenient are the attached covers which do not seem to get in the way but are always immediately available to protect the glass at both ends. The binoculars are heavier than I expected but have a solid and assuring feel to them, and I do not find the weight excessive - just not ideal for cycle-touring! In all, I am most satisfied with them and consider them to be excellent value for money, comparing favorably with much more expensive binoculars.