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geoffrey
sage
Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 358
Loc: North West England
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Hello All
Has anyone used these please? They seem like a good deal £136/£180 in the UK. They have 20mm eye relief.
Thanks
Geoffrey
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Celestron Nextstar 8SE
6.25" F7.6 Dob
Skywatcher ST80
Opticron imagic BGA PC ASF T 8x42
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Erik D
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/28/03
Posts: 2573
Loc: Central New Jersey, USA
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There are two reveiw articles of the Pentax 20X60 PCF right here on CN. One is the PCF V and the other the WP. All of the reveiws I have read indicate the Pentax PCF series have very sharp optics for the moneny. Nearly as good as the Tak 22X60 which cost several times the price. The only down side is the relativly narrow 2.2 deg FOV for a 20 X bino. Many 20X80 models have nominal 3.5 deg FOV. That means 2.5 times the viewing AREA. You'll probably want to use a red dot finder for binos with less than 2.5 deg FOV.
See more coments about this pair on <excelsis.com>
Erik D
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12601
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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It is true that they have a very narrow field of view. but almost all the 20x80s with a "nominal" 3.5° field of view, really have only a 3.2° field of view. So the difference is not quite as great. Still 2.2° Tfov is small, really small for a 20x binocular.
I have the Pentax 16x60s. They have 2.8°, and that's small. However the optics and mechanics are outstanding.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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geoffrey
sage
Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 358
Loc: North West England
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Thank you gents. Opticron do a 20x70 with long eye relief, so that is a possible option as well.
As I have said before, i am struggling with the tension between binos and/or a new scope. I could seen myself getting a pair of large binos and making do with them.
I know alot of people here have decent scopes as well as binoculars, but I wonder how many of you use /and prefer binos (planets and fuzzies excluded?) - and if starting again would tend to use binos?
Again, thanks for your comments.
Regards
Geoffrey
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Celestron Nextstar 8SE
6.25" F7.6 Dob
Skywatcher ST80
Opticron imagic BGA PC ASF T 8x42
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10163
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Geoffrey,
I read your hypothetical question with interest and imagination , and must say I am still sitting on the fence between the two options.
Much as I like binoculars I have to keep reminding myself and others that for one in the 20x mid -price range,one REALLY must be prepared to spend around the same amount on a sturdy , smooth -operating tripod / mounting set -up , and even then, with straight -through eyepieces ,extended viewing can be considerably uncomfortable for targets approaching the zenith , which is usually where the best
( if not only worthwhile ) views tend to be from northern England.
The flexibility of a scope with an assortment of modestly priced eyepieces , complete with tripod , EQ3 mount for example , and with supplied 90 degree diagonal can appear to be a wiser option in theory , and might still be.
But that was exactly my thinking about 18 months ago , and the mistake I made was buying a scope and mount package that was of too low a quality to deliver what I was hoping for -- not just in an optical sense , but also because of poor mechanical components such as sluggish focusser and jerky mount adjusters.
That said , nice as a 20x bino can be ,personally I find a tremendous difference in what can been seen at 40x than at 20x , more so than the difference between the binocular range of 10x to 20x.
As I said , I'm really on the fence here , but from my experiences , IF you are considering a "scope" INSTEAD of a 20x binocular ,in spite of the price difference, I would consider something like a used Televue Ranger or Pronto rather than a 80mm Chinese short -tube.
In my humble opinion ,for astronomy use ,there is no substitute for quality -- especially in an objective lens ,smoothness of focus mechanism, and sturdy mounts.
These things are the basics without which the most expensive eyepieces in existence would be a waste of money.
Regards -- Kenny.
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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geoffrey
sage
Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 358
Loc: North West England
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Thanks Kenny, will reply later. Your comments are interesting, as I have just bought a 40mm eyepiece, and star clusters look very nice in that at x25.
The EQ1 mount on my short tube 4.5 Reflector seems fine, as does the focus mechanism. It's whether I want the "agro"?
Regards
Geoffrey
--------------------
Celestron Nextstar 8SE
6.25" F7.6 Dob
Skywatcher ST80
Opticron imagic BGA PC ASF T 8x42
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