On 12/24/2014 8:14 AM, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
My own Pentax thingies are these, the 8x version
<http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-25-DCF-SW-Binoculars/dp/B0014PTIDK/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1419435842&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=Pentax+8x+25mm+Dcf+Sw+Binoculrs>
Perhaps ...
[Clip lots of useful stuff]
7x35 gives a 5mm exit pupil. Much smaller and lighter and may give you just as much or more light as your eye can use
in most situations.
8x25 (my Pentax thingies) gives 3.1mm exit pupil. This is a significant number since 3mm is about the size of a
typical person's pupil when in full sun. This binocular is very small and light but delivers all the light that the
eye can use under bright conditions. Those 7x35 and 8x50 glasses are just extra dead weight when it's bright.
All so true. And yet, for many years the only makers that put their first quality optics, phase coatings, etc. in
smaller objective binoculars were Leitz and Swarovski (?), for several hundred $.
I remember my frustration in the wonderful science/optics store in Mendocino, CA (AKA Cabot's Cove, ME), checking the
beautiful view through various optics and wishing someone would make a first class pair of something like 8x25s for a
reasonable price. Then Pentax finally did it and the price was even less than I had imagined!
10x25 (Moose's Pentax thingies) gives 2.5mm exit pupil. Trades off a little more magnification for a little less
brightness.
EEEK! NO! How did I manage to link to the wrong thing? I have the 8x25s you link to above. 10x is too much for me in any
binoculars, and esp. in small, light ones. Sweet spot for me is 7-8x.
Purchase one or more according to your needs.
Chuck Norcutt
On 12/23/2014 5:01 PM, Moose wrote:
These are what I carry in my camera bag.
<http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-10x-25mm-Dcf-Binoculrs/dp/B0014PYBJQ>
Yes, they look rather like endless cheap, crummy binoculars sold
everywhere. Yes they are inexpensive.
BUT, BUT, I say, they are really first class optics - in a tiny, light,
under $100 package. I spent endless hours of research and miles of
driving to try out binoculars years ago, and ended up with a pair of B&H
8x42 Waterproof Elites. They are spectacularly good binoculars, as
proved for me in extremely difficult birding situations, for a fair
amount of dosh.
But in decent light, these little Pentaxes are within a fine
hairsbreadth of as good. Phase coated prisms, excellent eye relief,
twist up eye cups, nitrogen purged waterproof, small, light and a really
clear, crisp view. As the light gets dim, they do fall behind the much
larger, heavier 8x42s, but that's not as yet bothered me.
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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