Pentax Whitetails Unlimited 10x25 DCF WP Binoculars

by Pentax

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 1.4 x 4 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001DNH6G4
• Item model number: 88037
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,347 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 30, 2008

Product Description

Whitetails Unlimited 10x25 DCF WP binoculars have a powerful 10x25 roof prism construction, high resolution wide-angle design, and Compact and rugged full metal body with rubber armoring for a sure grip. The waterproof construction is perfect for use in inclemnt weather conditions. Multi-coated lenses increase light transmission and color quality. The binoculars have fold down eyecups for viewing with or without glasses. They have the highest quality BaK-4 prisms for maximum light transmission. Includes the Pentax lifetime worry-free warranty.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I expected..., September 30, 2008

By 

R. Phillips (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pentax Whitetails Unlimited 10x25 DCF WP Binoculars (Electronics)

First the good news...

A nylon neckstrap and case are included that weren't mentioned in the description. The case has a belt loop that will only work with a pretty narrow belt. The case also has a strap which isn't long enough to wear "purse style". I guess you're just supposed to wear it around your neck and it seems bulky that way... The strap is sewn on and can't be removed if you're using the belt loop.

There is a diopter adjustment not mentioned in the description... I was hoping for that.

The build is very sturdy and better than the photo makes it look. They are all metal construction. The focus knob operates easily and there's no "play".


Now the bad...

The image quality is not good at all. I know you can't expect the best image quality from the smaller 25mm objective lenses, but I expected a little more for the price and due to the Pentax brand name. They need good light. The color accuracy is OK, but the contrast is poor. The detail, clarity and sharpness are about as poor as I've seen through any pair of binoculars. They also seem EXTREMELY sensitive to the angle you hold them at. You have to be looking EXACTLY straight though them to see anything at all... The eye pieces have to be adjusted the PERFECT distance apart. The overall experience I get looking through these is that objects are brought much closer... but it's like I'm not wearing my glasses. Images are not sharp enough that I would even consider these useful for much.

The warranty is NOT lifetime as claimed in the Amazon description. A one-year warranty slip was included in the heat-sealed plastic package. That was also disappointing.


All in all...

The waterproof and sturdy all metal construction is nice, but it also makes them kind of heavy for a smaller binocular. Might as well go with 10X50, let in some more light and get better image quality for less money if you don't really need waterproof. I've seen better image quality through some cheap, Walmart brands of binoculars with 25mm objective lenses. Maybe they were 5x25 or 8x25... I don't remember... Maybe 10x is just too much magnification to ask for with the smaller 25mm objective lenses. Maybe they tried for too wide a field of view with the smaller objective lenses and 10x magnification.

Anyway... I wouldn't buy these again. My next pair of binoculars will be 10x50 or 12x50 and I'll probably stay away from Pentax just in case after this rather disappointing purchase.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cannot get clear view....., September 30, 2008

By 

J. Guo - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pentax Whitetails Unlimited 10x25 DCF WP Binoculars (Electronics)

I expected Pentax has good binoculars....I was wrong.
I can get clear scenery through this product even though I followed the guideline. I won't recommend my friends to buy this product.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Falsely described, has very short eye relief and sloppy focus, September 5, 2009

By 

OldAmazonian (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pentax Whitetails Unlimited 10x25 DCF WP Binoculars (Electronics)

This item is described as
# Waterproof for use in inclement weather conditions
# Compact and rugged full metal body with rubber armoring for a sure grip
# High-resolution wide-angle design
# Pentax Lifetime Worry-Free Warranty

Not true. The warranty is only one year according to the paper enclosed with the binocs, NOT lifetime as claimed on this page. The warranty specifically excludes water damage. Does that make sense for a thing touted as waterproof?

Eye relief is not listed on this page, and it is easy to see why. Eye relief is especially poor at only 9.3 mm. This makes these binocs worthless for use while wearing eyeglasses.

Other Pentax DCF-series binocs have eye relief about twice as long. Naively optimistic buyers may assume these have the same excellent optics as other Pentax DCF binocs, but they most certainly do not.

Other Pentax DCF-series binocs also have precise focusing mechanisms with no evident slack. These "Whitetail" binocs have internal focus that does not move AT ALL during about twenty degrees of rotating the focus wheel back and forth. That HUGE amount of slack in the focusing mechanism makes precise focusing a royal pain.

Nothing on the binocs themselves says "Pentax" or "DCF". It's no mystery why the marketers of this stuff want to keep a once-valuable trade mark off such mediocre goods. Even the cardboard packaging has the word "Pentax" printed only on the back, and the series designation "DCF" is nowhere to be seen.

Glad I paid only ten dollars for these. They'll be a nice toy for my grandson.