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Eyepiece recommendations for Pentax PF 80EDA? (1 Viewer)

M

Mr. Hicks

Member
Good evening. My family recently purchased a spotting scope for my Mom; however we (well, I!) clearly don't know a lot about these things and I managed to select this model sans eyepiece. Needless to say it was a bit of a let-down!

I'm wondering if you folks could recommend eyepieces for the primary use of the scope, which will be bird watching. My parents live on a small lake near Haliburton, Ontario and there is always lots to see!

It's conceivable that they will eventually get into digiscoping; however since this is their first scope, I think the near-term outlook is primarily spotting.

I have the impression (I really don't know much I'm afraid) that a zoom lens would be the route to go. The Pentax 20-60x eyepiece goes for (ugh) $500 in these parts. I'd be much more comfortable with something in the $300 range ($CAD or $US). Is that naive?

Any input would be most appreciated. Please keep in mind that I'd rather not make this too complicated as we are all new to this hobby and keeping things *reasonably* simple (read: no involved methods to make eyepiece "A" work with this particular scope) would be ideal!


Thank you kindly,

Jason
 
Mr. Hicks said:
Good evening. My family recently purchased a spotting scope for my Mom; however we (well, I!) clearly don't know a lot about these things and I managed to select this model sans eyepiece. Needless to say it was a bit of a let-down!

I'm wondering if you folks could recommend eyepieces for the primary use of the scope, which will be bird watching. My parents live on a small lake near Haliburton, Ontario and there is always lots to see!

It's conceivable that they will eventually get into digiscoping; however since this is their first scope, I think the near-term outlook is primarily spotting.

I have the impression (I really don't know much I'm afraid) that a zoom lens would be the route to go. The Pentax 20-60x eyepiece goes for (ugh) $500 in these parts. I'd be much more comfortable with something in the $300 range ($CAD or $US). Is that naive?

Any input would be most appreciated. Please keep in mind that I'd rather not make this too complicated as we are all new to this hobby and keeping things *reasonably* simple (read: no involved methods to make eyepiece "A" work with this particular scope) would be ideal!


Thank you kindly,

Jason
Click to expand...


Hello Jason,
I run both the PF-80 and 65. When
I first started. I observed the comments made
by the membership ref. Zoom v fixed eyepiece.
The overwhelming opinion was in favour of the
fixed eyepiece. This I totally disagreed with,as
(by my logic!!!). If one had a zoom say 20-60x
one would have the equivalent to all the eye
piece magnifications in between as well as the
min/max. I was wrong,they were right. After
spending out over £200 for my pentax zoom. I
now find that I always use my Baader Hyperion
17mm (fixed eyepiece) costing £65. This gives
me a delightful 29/30x image.

Kind regards,
young Ian.
 
Second the above post. I use Nikon EDIII (60mm) and bought both 30x Wide and 20-60 zoom early on. Sold the zoom 18 months later as it had not been on the scope once the novelty wore off.

30x Wide gives really great bright view. A real plaesure to use. Not much difference in price from zoom in uk, tho.

Take her to a dealer and try them.
 
I'd go for the fixed wide angle. I've got an Opticron 60mm scope that came bundled with a 22x wide angle eyepiece (equivalent to a 30x eyepiece for a 80mm scope. I went mad and bought a zoom eyepiece for it but it just sits in the box. I always use the 22x WA.

Mike
 
Another vote here for the Baader Hyperion 17 mm. Even if you get something else (a zoom, or higher magnification fixed) as well, get this one.

--AP
 
The Vixen 8mm - 24mm Lanthanum eyepiece is very popular for use with Pentax scopes, especially the PF-65. I have one on my 65 and it works great, with superior eye-relief throughout the zoom range. If you do a search on this forum, you will find more info about it. It is much better than the standard Pentax XF zoom (and a little less expensive), and much less expensive than the Pentax XA zoom.

See it here:
http://www.adorama.com/VXLAZ.html
 
Thank you so much for all of your advice! It is VERY much appreciated. I will continue to do some digging and go into a reputable store in the area to get a look at their wares (and more advice). :)

I suppose (being new to this) I was thinking that the ability to track say a bird that is flying... would be more easily done if one had the ability to manually focus with the zoom?

Methinks as mentioned I would benefit from trying out a few options hands-on so that I can make this decision based less on theory and more on practice...

Again, thanks to all for their comments! Once I move forward on this I will post the decision and findings.



Jason
 
Mr. Hicks said:
I suppose (being new to this) I was thinking that the ability to track say a bird that is flying... would be more easily done if one had the ability to manually focus with the zoom?
Click to expand...
Yes, one of the advantages of a zoom over a fixed eyepiece is that you can zoom out to get a wider view, find the subject, and then zoom in for a closer view. I almost always use this technique even for birds that are not moving. With a flying bird, zooming out first makes it much easier to find.
 
Thanks once again for your insight and advice! I have placed an order for two Hyperion fixed eyepieces - the 17mm and 8mm version.

I will post my findings when I receive them and (cough) deliver 'the works' back to my Mom so she can actually USE the dang thing!

I am now (shhhhhhhh... don't let my wife hear this) entertaining the idea of getting into this hobby myself; however I will live vicariously through my parents' scope when I visit to get a better sense of what my interest level is.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.


:)


Jason
 
RAH said:
Yes, one of the advantages of a zoom over a fixed eyepiece is that you can zoom out to get a wider view, find the subject, and then zoom in for a closer view. I almost always use this technique even for birds that are not moving. With a flying bird, zooming out first makes it much easier to find.
Click to expand...

No need to zoom out for the wider view when you used a fixed eyepiece with a wide field (~70 to 80 degree apparent in the nice ones). It's MUCH easier to find and stay on the bird when you aren't fiddling with zooming!

--AP
 
RAH said:
The Vixen 8mm - 24mm Lanthanum eyepiece is very popular for use with Pentax scopes, especially the PF-65. I have one on my 65 and it works great, with superior eye-relief throughout the zoom range. If you do a search on this forum, you will find more info about it. It is much better than the standard Pentax XF zoom (and a little less expensive), and much less expensive than the Pentax XA zoom.

See it here:
http://www.adorama.com/VXLAZ.html
Click to expand...
I can secong that. Get the fixed eye piece, whichever they want, then add the Vixen, which is not very expensive. They may have a few. Make sure the top end adds to the magnification over the fixed one. Mine goes to 49x, but I am limited by light ona 65mm scope.

Once you get the fixed eye pieces you ordered you will have some idea what power you need. One can even be returned.
 
Last edited:
I have fixed (32x wide angle) and zoom (20-60x) for my scope and would say that 90% of the time the fixed eyepiece lives on the scope as it gives a much brighter image than the zoom which I prefer for general work.
 
I suggest a fixed eyepiece that will yield somewhere in the neighborhood of 30X. I use a Pentax XW14 on my PF80 for 36x with an apparent FOV of 70 degrees.
This is a brilliant setup IMO with a very sharp, flat field. The downsides to this EP are it's cost (typically over $300 US) and it's size and weight.

I've had a few scopes and I agree with all who recommend a fixed focal length over a zoom. There are just too many trade-offs with a zoom and seeing doesn't often support magnification much higher than 30-40X.
 
Go for the XW series to get the most out of your scope, your 80mm. If you want more power, some zooms are OK, shop around. You do not need a Pentax zoom and I don't know if it is even the best.
 
Mr. Hicks said:
Good evening. My family recently purchased a spotting scope for my Mom; however we (well, I!) clearly don't know a lot about these things and I managed to select this model sans eyepiece. Needless to say it was a bit of a let-down!

I'm wondering if you folks could recommend eyepieces for the primary use of the scope, which will be bird watching. My parents live on a small lake near Haliburton, Ontario and there is always lots to see!

It's conceivable that they will eventually get into digiscoping; however since this is their first scope, I think the near-term outlook is primarily spotting.

I have the impression (I really don't know much I'm afraid) that a zoom lens would be the route to go. The Pentax 20-60x eyepiece goes for (ugh) $500 in these parts. I'd be much more comfortable with something in the $300 range ($CAD or $US). Is that naive?

Any input would be most appreciated. Please keep in mind that I'd rather not make this too complicated as we are all new to this hobby and keeping things *reasonably* simple (read: no involved methods to make eyepiece "A" work with this particular scope) would be ideal!


Thank you kindly,

Jason
Click to expand...

I am using Pentax SMC XL eyepieces of 14mm and 21mm focal length. They are both exquisite for both visual observation and digiscoping. You can't go wrong with these gems. They are no longer made but are frequently available on the used market. Check out "astromart.com" on the net. Stay away from zoom eyepieces, They become tiresome very quickly.
 
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