My Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 reverse porro has just about everything right, optically I find it amazingly clear and sharp, 131m/1000m FOV is very very nice, the 6.5x mag is quite good with no handshake, the feel in my hands is excellent, the 3.2 mm exit pupil gives adequate brightness and is easy to align to my pupils. The depth of field is really good. Ergonomically, I like the stubby shape, the focus wheel is quick and smooth, the weight (300 g) is a tremendous relief compared to my other bins.
I've shortened the strap to make the bins sit high on my chest.
The light weight makes them almost unnoticeable, I can wear them all day without problems, can raise them quicker to my eyes than any other bin, can raise them many times, without fatigue at the end of a day's birding ( with my heavier bins I became unwilling to lift them after long hours in the field), plus I can hold them much longer to my eyes.
They have a plasticky feel, but seem to be sturdy enough; today they dropped off the couch on a tile floor, I had them beside me and when I stood up I kind of catapulted them off the couch caused by relieving the couch pillow from my bodyweight which counteracted as a catapult to the adjacent pillow the bin was lying on. Pyooooow!
The bins rolled under the coffeetable, when I picked them up I cursed myself for not paying attention, but they were fine; no visible damage on the outside and alignment was unharmed. No cracks or loose bits inside, everything was OK fortunately.
I use them as my main birding bins, even at long range they are quite satisfying.
To my eyes, these are the sharpest bins I've had in decades. The only thing I would like to see improved, is waterproofing, though the optical window in front of the moving objectives should keep out moisture and dust.
Oh, and the focus range goes from very close (0.45m) to well past infinity, quite impressive.
Best regards,
Ronald
