16 replies to this topic

[tmichaelbanks]

The topic of compact binoculars comes up often in this forum.  They are lightweight, small, and easy to carry.  There are excellent models available from Zeiss and Swarovski at the high-end and many of these have been reviewed by CN members.  There are also a number of models at the low- and mid-priced levels.  My personal take on compact binoculars is that I prefer “full-size” models starting with 6.5x32 and up, but would be willing to carry a compact for casual hiking, kayaking, and to keep in my car’s glovebox or center console.

 

But their small size has me thinking, “Well, I certainly won’t lose track of my 15x56, but what if I misplace those expensive-and-way-to-cute-but-little 8x25s, or what if they wind up at the bottom of the lake when I fall out of my kayak (yes, it’s happened)?"  What I’d like is a compact binocular that has good eye relief for my strong eye glasses prescription, is made well, has decent daytime views and can be used at night in a pinch.  But I don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for it in case it gets lost, stolen, or damaged.  Not too much to ask, right?

 

I’ve been satisfied with my Pentax 20x60s in term of construction, eye relief, and the quality of the views.  Yes, yes, the TFOV and AFOV are very narrow, but they serve their purpose for zooming in on specific targets.  Some research on low-cost compact binos led me to the Pentax AD 8x25 WP.  Typical of Pentax binoculars, eye relief is generous at 21 mm but a TFOV at 5.5 degrees is a bit narrow for this class of instruments.  However, reviews on B&H were encouraging so I ordered a pair for about $96 with tax and free shipping.  The price has since gone up about $10.  They arrived two days later (thanks B&H).

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[tmichaelbanks]

First impression out of the box is that the construction is of good quality.  The armor fits snugly at all points and the hinges move smoothly.  There are separate eye piece caps that fit too snugly to quickly remove them and there are no objective caps.  There is a nice cordura case and a shoelace-width strap that attaches to the edge of the bridge behind the focuser.  They fold down to a very small size, but the case will only hold them in the fully-folded position.  The case has a belt loop and a small cutout flap at the top through which the strap can be put to carry the binos in the case using the strap.

 

         

 

 

         

 

[tmichaelbanks]

Eye relief is very generous and I can see the entire field stop wearing glasses.  Normally, I have the eye cups all the way in or folded down on any binocular I use, except my Pentax 20x60 where I sometimes have to back the eye cups out one position to avoid blackouts.  This tiny Pentax is similar but the eye cups, which have only fully in or out positions, move with enough stiffness so that they can be positioned at any point between all the way in or out, and they stay where you put them.  The focuser action is OK, with a bit of sponginess but no play.  We’ll see how it holds up over time, but at this price level I’m not expecting any miracles.  The focuser is fast but a bit stiff.  Depth of field is on the shallow side, so during the day you’ll be using the focuser a lot.  The interior of the barrels do not appear to be blackened, but there are ridges just behind the objectives and on the focuser carriage, which itself is maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the barrel length.

 

         

 

 

 

[tmichaelbanks]

Erik Bakker made a comment in his review of the Zeiss Terra 8x25 that it has to be folded completely to fit in its case.  The Pentax is also a double-hinge design and the case is only big enough to fit it the binoculars if they are in the folded position.  Setting the IPD each time is a minor annoyance, and I can see the utility of a single-hinge design like the Zeiss Victory that has a case big enough to hold the binoculars in an extended position.  When I adjust the Pentax for my IPD, I find myself unconsciously extending the left-side hinge fully and then adjusting the right-side hinge to match my IPD, essentially a single-hinge approach.  With so much use of the friction hinges on the Pentax to adjust with each use, we’ll have to see how they hold up.

 

[tmichaelbanks]

The daytime views really are surprisingly good.  Looking at a brick wall, I can only discern a little distortion and views are sharp out to about 75-80% from the center.  There is very little false color in daylight.  My casual test is to look at the power lines that run through the easement in my back yard.  There is only the barest trace of color when viewing power lines of various thickness against bright white clouds on a bright sunny day, and just a tiny bit of purple and green around the black-bodied grackles that sometimes perch there.

 

The color rendition is good to my eyes.  During the day I compared various objects using my Nikon HG 10x42 as a reference.  The Pentax could easily distinguish between subtly different hues on the lilac bush blossoms in my yard.  The Pentax is noticeably less bright than the HG, even though in the bright daylight my pupils are probably stopped down to 3 mm or less.  The HG’s higher-quality optics are probably at work here.

 

Close focus is about 6 feet, maybe a little less, but I find that merging views from the two barrels is very difficult.  No doubt the Pentax Papilio is superior here with its objectives that adjust as focus distance is reduced.  Another pleasant surprise, bright sky washout appears minimal, just a small crescent of veiling along the bottom of the view while looking at dark green arborvitae trees with a bright blue sky just over the treetops.

[tmichaelbanks]

An 8x25 binocular isn’t optimal for observing at night, but if it’s all you have with you what can you see?  Given the lousy weather we’ve had during the past several weeks, I was fortunate to be out on a moonless, reasonably dark night last week under my white-to-red suburban skies.  I also had my 8x56 and 15x70 for reference.  As a general rule, the nighttime views through these 8x25s are dim.  However, on such a clear night (for my area anyway), you could make out several of the brighter asterisms and see quite a few other targets of interest.  Here’s a sampler:

 

Coat Hanger:  easy to locate, but I needed averted vision to see one of the fainter stars in the straight portion.

 

Ptolemy’s Cluster:  you have to know where to look because it’s at low elevation and my skies are grayish to the south, but you certainly can make out individual stars and the cluster appears significantly better using averted vision.

 

Vega/Summer Triagle:  easy to spot and distinct, only one double visible in the Double-Double ( );  Vega is just a little spiky but not bad.

 

Cygnus:  all the familiar sights were visible but dim;  individual stars were distinct but it was extremely hard for me to detect the presence of star clouds;  I could not locate the Cooling Tower, even knowing where to look.

 

Scorpius:  the main stars were easily visible, and the orange color of Antares was prominent, but there was not much else; again, this constellation is low in my southwest sky, so light pollution washes things out.

 

Satellites:  saw a couple of satellites making their way through Cygnus, but they were visible for significantly shorter periods than usual in my other binoculars.

 

I have yet to look at the Moon (thankfully absent the past few nights), but given the result of my power line testing I would expect some false color on the limb.  TBD.

[tmichaelbanks]

Overall, I think these will be a good choice for their intended use, which is mostly for kayaking duty.  Also, keeping them handy in a laptop case or in the car seems like a no-brainer.  Especially for kayaking, they appear much more convenient to carry and handle than a typical 8x32 with regard to size and weight.  And at a C-note, I won't be crying (too much) if they wind up in the drink.

[ECP M42]

Hi Michael,

this binocular looks like definitely suitable for glasses, low cost and reminds me of old models of good quality. But is the field of view as narrow as stated? (96m - 288ft)

 

The topic of compact binoculars comes up often in this forum.  They are lightweight, small, and easy to carry. 

 

 

There are excellent models available from Zeiss and Swarovski at the high-end ...

I think we should make a clear distinction between "compact" and pocket binoculars ... and we could also rightly add Leica among the best manufacturers of binoculars (both pocket and compact).

 

But speaking of more serious things, the specification (JIS cass 6) of this Pentax binoculars, I think is not enough for your kayaking excursions. At least JIS class 7 or 8 would be preferable.

 

 

[dufay]

I have one (or actually two) of these, as my compact summer (sunglasses) binoculars. As mentioned by the OP, the eye relief is huge for this size of binoculars, exceeding that of most full-size instruments. To achieve this level of eye relief in a compact packet, FOV has been sacrificed. It is narrow even by Pentax's standards. 

 

This binocular and its 10x25 sibling have also been branded by other companies (Minox and Opticron comes to mind), but I think Pentax is the only one that currently sells it.

[ECP M42]

FOV has been sacrificed. It is narrow even by Pentax's standards. 

The 10x25 format has a slightly wider, almost decent AFOV (50°).

Perhaps Opticron still resells some similar models, but they cost more.

Edited by ECP M42, 10 June 2021 - 05:37 PM.

[astroneil]

Hello tmichaelbanks,

 

Enjoyed your report of these pocket binoculars. They seem very similar to the Opticron Aspheric LE 8 x 25, which I found to be a very nice, elegantly designed glass. The overall design seems very similar to your Pentax glass except that its eye relief is exceptional ( 21mm vs 16mm). My wife uses this little Opticron a lot and loves it. Like the Pentax AD, it has a fairly narrow field of view of  91m@1000m(5.2 angular degrees) but it is very easy to look through and has very nice optics for the money( similarly priced I believe to the little Pentax AD). It is pin sharp across most of the field, thanks to the aspheric ocular elements and has really excellent close focus (down to ~ 1.6m if I'm not mistaken). Contrast is good, as is glare suppression. It also has a good 10 year warranty.

 

There have been a few incarnations of the Opticron; the first generation was not water proof but the next generation did receive waterproofing and  N2 purging 

 

https://www.opticron...eric-le-wp-8x25

 

They were discontinued as of July of last year but then Opticron re-released them under the name Aspheric 3 WP 8x 25

 

https://www.opticron...aspheric-3-8x25

 

That said, they seem identical to the second generation except for the name, which is a bit confusing. I attach a photo of the second generation instrument below. 

 

Anyway,  I hope you enjoy your little Pentax glass as much as I enjoyed the Opticron. I think they both represent very good value in today's market.

 

Best wishes,

 

Neil.

 

Ps I did once enjoy a slightly larger Pentax binocular: the DCF LV 9 x 28; another quality glass for a decent price but now sadly discontinued(see image attached below)

 

 

 

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[nowhere]

Overall, I think these will be a good choice for their intended use, which is mostly for kayaking duty.  Also, keeping them handy in a laptop case or in the car seems like a no-brainer.  Especially for kayaking, they appear much more convenient to carry and handle than a typical 8x32 with regard to size and weight.  And at a C-note, I won't be crying (too much) if they wind up in the drink.

Glad to hear you like them. For quite a while my only binoculars were inexpensive Pentax DCF-NV 8X36's that I bought after my Fujinon 7X50's were stolen. That was kind of traumatic so I didn't want to spend much money at the time. The little Pentaxes were pretty good optically for the money and I'm still impressed by the look and feel of them. Whenever I put them in the case I always spread them out to maximum IPD setting as they fit better that way. My IPD is narrow so those binoculars have had years and years of repeatedly exercising the hinge and it's still smooth and free of play. Whichever factory in China made them did a good job. Now that I have more binoculars on hand they've been moved to my car so I always have binoculars handy when I'm out and because they were inexpensive I don't worry about them.

[tmichaelbanks]

Hello ECP M42,

 

Regarding your question about the 5.5 degree TFOV, yes it's true.  However, I knew that before making the purchase.  I have found that Pentax designs often trade increased eye relief for a narrower-than-the-rest-of-class TFOV and AFOV.  Like the Pentax 20x60, which has copious eye relief but a very small TFOV of 2.2 degrees, this Pentax 8x25 has a narrow TFOV than most 8x25s and an AFOV in the 40s.

 

But there are some advantages for wearers of thick prescription glasses like myself.  Especially in daylight and in a constantly moving kayak, holding eye position with binoculars having eye relief in the 13-14 mm range is difficult for me.  The Pentax 8x25s have eye relief in abundance and seeing the hard field stop is no problem in daylight.  I have yet to go out kayaking using these binoculars, but I'll add a short note on their usability when I do.  Also, I think the narrower TFOV has resulted in a sharper and less distorted view than I would have expected in this price range.

 

As you know, with binoculars it's all about tradeoffs.  There are some exceptions of course.  My Nikon HG 10x42 has enough eye relief for me to see the entire field stop and it still has a 6.9 degree TFOV and a very flat, sharp view.  But my personal opinion is that the ease of viewing and maintaining eye positioning when using binoculars adds a tremendous amount of comfort to the experience.  Trading off eye relief for other parameters is something I consider with every binocular purchase I make.

 

Mike

[ECP M42]

...about the 5.5 degree TFOV, yes it's true.

Trading off eye relief for other parameters is something I consider with every binocular purchase I make.

Thanks for the field of view answer. I don't have a problem with narrow eyepieces either and sometimes they are even better, but this is really tight for an 8x: I thought it was a writing mistake.

 

After some research I have seen that this Pentax is the best for hi eye relief, among pocket or compact binoculars. All of this is certainly positive, especially for thicker glasses. I always check the binoculars with sunglasses. Also because I always use them during the day.

 

But have you checked the "waterproof link"?

 

https://www.buytwowa...resistance.html

 

 

Henry

Edited by ECP M42, 12 June 2021 - 10:28 AM.

[tmichaelbanks]

Brief update on viewing the moon with the Pentax 8x25.  After a sudden thunderstorm and the accompanying downpour yesterday, the air last night was very clear.  The waxing moon was perched on the chest of Leo with a good portion of the moon bathed in Earthshine.  With a dimming twilight sky the 8x view was pleasingly crisp to my eyes, and you had to look very hard to see only a trace of false color on the limb.

 

Glare from the moon didn't seem to be a problem.  You could easily see Al Jabbah (n Leo), mag 3.45, to the upper right of the crescent moon.  Later, when the moon was much brighter I didn't see any prism spikes or ghosting out of field when looking at the moon and Al Jabbah was still easily visible.  Looking directly at a streetlight you could see prism spikes.  As I panned down from a target high in the sky toward a streetlight, I eventually got a seriously washed out view.  However, that didn't happen until the streetlight was just outside the field of view.  Dim as they are for binocular astronomy, the little 8x25s have surprisingly good resistance to glare, day or night.

 

I suppose that's all for now.  I have an entire summer of daytime and occasional nighttime viewing ahead.  We'll see how the Pentax holds up over time.

[tmichaelbanks]

OK, I lied.  Just one more thing.  I was out last night after the moon set and the skies were very good for my area.  Looking to the south with my 15x70 I spotted the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae.  I wondered...could you see their nebulosity in the 8x25s?

 

Yes, you can.  OK, it's not enormously asthetically pleasing compared to a 15x70 view for sure.  But, I thought it was remarkable that you could pick out these two nebulae in my light-polluted skies with an 8x25.  I leaned back in the zero-g chair to look at Cygnus and you could barely, but definitely, detect some star clouds.

 

You know the old adage, there's no substitute for dark skies.  Again, it's a somewhat dim view, not surprising given the aperture, but tucked away in your backpack and pulled out after you've set up your tent and had dinner, you could see quite a bit if the skies were cooperative.  Makes me cogitate about the Zeiss Victory 8x25.    But then I think of my glasses and that eye relief issue....

[tmichaelbanks]

Minor end of summer update on the too-cute Pentax 8x25s, likely my last entry unless they break or I have some quality issue.

 

They have served me very well for their intended purpose this past summer.  I have taken them out kayaking and bicycling several times and their light weight and easy eye positioning have been a real advantage, especially in a bobbing kayak.  You can wear them around your neck for hours without fatigue.  While bicycling I tuck them inside my t-shirt while not in use so they're not swinging about.

 

My most recent kayaking trip was on a river close to the ocean and the 8x25s had numerous salt water spots on the case and glass.  After wetting the lens salt spots with fresh water and blotting to dry, I began my usual Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol cleaning routine.  Interestingly, the alcohol beaded up into very small beads on the objectives and eye pieces.  This made is somewhat hard to clean the glass, as you had to be quick or you would have myriad tiny spots of residue when the alcohol dried.  The glass cleaned up fine, just took longer as I had to do smaller areas at a time.  Funny that none of my other binocular lens surfaces exhibit this effect.  The salt spots on the armor cleaned up quickly with just cold water.

 

On vacation at the Rhode Island shore in July, I used them frequently to scan the water for boats of all stripes and sizes.  No CA issues to speak of despite the bright backdrops.  I also used them at night along with my Fuji 10x50 on the one night when skies were clear, just for fun.  Under skies dark enough to see the Milky Way naked eye they did quite well, a bit on the dim side but picking out objects I normally need my 10x42 for when at home under white/red transition zone skies.

 

If you're looking for an inexpensive, lightweight, decent quality compact with copious eye relief that you won't have to worry about damaging or losing, you could do a lot worse.