Telescope Reviews: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40

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Equipment Discussions >> Binoculars

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brianc99
member

Reged: 11/27/12

Loc: Southern NH

Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

#5614342 - 01/09/13 07:25 PM

I once had a pair of Pentax 8x40 PCF WP binoculars, I don't remember whether they were the "II" version. Unfortunately, they were stolen about 3 years ago. Now I see these on sale locally for $99, which is $40-50 dollars cheaper than my old ones.

Are the new binos by Pentax as good as they were 6 or 8 years ago, when I bought the old pair? The price seems attractive, but Pentax is a ckmpany that offers some stunningly great products, and some stuff that's barely department-store grade. I didn't get a chance to try them, and now I'm out of town for the week. I'm hoping to check them out this upcoming weekend.

Thanks,

Brian

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charen
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 05/28/05

Loc: New Zealand

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

[Re: brianc99]
#5614854 - 01/10/13 02:45 AM

From my experience the Pentax have remained reasonably consistent with their optics. As you know over the past decade or two most optics are now Chinese sourced and like most mass produced Chinese optics they are made to a price point. The more high end optics from Pentax, Nikon and others still tend to be Japanese sourced. However Chinese mid to top end optics have improved over the years and as with most mass products prices have continually dropped - such is the consumer driven market.
Yes, avoid 'departmental' optics.
Pentax’s Q. and A. appears to be consistent and I don’t believe you will notice any major change from your old series. If anything with ongoing improvement with coatings you should see incremental improvements over time.
The current PCF WP 11 range are good, mid range cost effective binoculars and they usually gets good reviews here on C.N.'s
Others may have different opinions.

Chris

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hallelujah
Post Laureate

Reged: 07/14/06

Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

[Re: brianc99]
#5615282 - 01/10/13 11:13 AM

Quote:

I once had a pair of Pentax 8x40 PCF WP binoculars

Now I see these on sale locally for $99, which is $40-50 dollars cheaper than my old ones.

Brian

http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-65807-8x40-PCF-Binocular/dp/B00076QVPU

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Binojunky
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/25/10

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

[Re: hallelujah]
#5615310 - 01/10/13 11:25 AM

I have a pair of these and a similar pair of Nikon Action Extremes, I prefer the Pentaxes, for the money they are hard to beat, well made, good optics, the only down side is that they have a farly narrow FOV, however compared to my Nikons I find the view crisper and a tad brighter.DA.

Post Extras:

brianc99
member

Reged: 11/27/12

Loc: Southern NH

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

[Re: Binojunky]
#5616000 - 01/10/13 06:22 PM

Thanks for the info, everybody. I'll take a look at them this weekend, and hopefully the store will let me try them out before purchasing.

Thinking back last night, I remembered that on my old pair, I had to put the diopter to the very end of its range to get my right eye in focus. My eyes have only gotten worse over the last few years, so I hope I can get these to work. Otherwise, I'll need to go visit Kittery Trading Post or somewhere that they have a large variety in stock, so I can find a pair that work with my eyes.

Brian

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brianc99
member

Reged: 11/27/12

Loc: Southern NH

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

[Re: brianc99]
#5620998 - 01/13/13 02:57 PM

Well, I'm somewhat disappointed. The Pentax 8x40s are now down to $89, which is a terrific price for a nice pair of binoculars. Unfortunately, the diopter didn't have enough adjustment to it so I could get both eyes in focus.

I did try a pair of Leupold Rogue 8x42s while traveling this week. They were more expensive, but there was plenty of room to spare on the adjustment. So, those will work. Unfortunately, no one around here sells that exact model.

The Pentax binos, if anyone in Southern NH or Northern MA is interested, are at the Salem, NH Sports Authority. I visited a couple other Sports Authority stores, and they didn't have them. Seems like the stock and the pricing vary quite a bit from one store to the next at that chain.

Brian

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Binojunky
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/25/10

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

[Re: brianc99]
#5624199 - 01/15/13 11:11 AM

Having owned the Nikon and Pentax and Rogue in the same size I found the Rogue prone to internal reflections, the Nikon is far better, not enough diopter adjustment, can you not use the Nikon or Pentax with your glasses on?, their is sufficient eye relief to do this.DA.

Edited by Binojunky (01/15/13 11:12 AM)

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brianc99
member

Reged: 11/27/12

Loc: Southern NH

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

[Re: Binojunky]
#5626651 - 01/16/13 05:34 PM

Thanks for the information about the Rogues. I never tried the Pentax with my glasses, so that may be a possibility. I have historically preferred to look through eyepieces without glasses, but maybe I need to adjust my habits.

I also noticed some positive comments here about Atlas Radians. I'm planning to give Eagle Optics a call and ask about the diopter. I purchased my little telescope from them long ago, and their service was impressive. Guess that's one reason they're still in business.

Post Extras:

hallelujah
Post Laureate

Reged: 07/14/06

Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 new

[Re: brianc99]
#5626708 - 01/16/13 06:08 PM

Quote:

I also noticed some positive comments here about Atlas Radians. I'm planning to give Eagle Optics a call and ask about the diopter.

Eagle Optics sale items:

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/hot-deals?query=Intrepid+ED

Post Extras:

Binojunky
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/25/10

Re: Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 [Re: hallelujah]
#5627935 - 01/17/13 11:51 AM

I had the Radians, very nice for not a lot of money, also the Sky Kings which were similar to the Radians though with a metal body, optics wise I couldn,t see any difference, I later plunged for the Intrepids, a lot more money but very nice, the Radians and Sky kings were sold to pay for the Intrepids, however when you get into the $250- $300 range it offers a lot of other choices such at the 10x50 Fuji clones sold by Orion as the Resolux, and by Garret,Stellarvue, Oberwerk etc, DA.

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