Nikon Fieldscope III ED zoom vs Pentax PF65 ED II zoom (1 Viewer)

S

snarbles

Member

• Nov 13, 2007

• #1

I'm in the market for a nice spotting scope with a zoom eyepiece. I have heard wonderful reviews of the Fieldscope III ED with the 20-60x zoom eyepiece. I am however interested in the Pentax 65 ED II with 20-60x zoom as well since it's about $400 cheaper than the Nikon.

What are the major differences in image quality especially at higher zooms? I really do not have too much interest in non-zooming eyepieces as I already carry too much gear in the first place and pretty much want a one stop solution with as little weight and bulk. I do not like how the Nikon looks vs the Pentax, but overall this is not that big of a deal if the quality is justified.

Is the Nikon worth the extra?

Thanks, I'm a total novice.

 

M

medinabrit

Well-known member

• Nov 13, 2007

• #2

I have them both .They are both exellent scopes .
BUT the pentax has the advantage of being able to use dozens of reasonably priced EPs.
And of course the wonderful XF & XW EP,s.
Brian.

 

S

snarbles

Member

• Nov 13, 2007

• #3

medinabrit said:

I have them both .They are both exellent scopes .
BUT the pentax has the advantage of being able to use dozens of reasonably priced EPs.
And of course the wonderful XF & XW EP,s.
Brian.

Click to expand...

Which is better at 50-60x zoom? If I bought the Pentax I would get the XF 20-60x.

 

T

Texun

member

• Nov 15, 2007

• #4

82ED Fieldscope

Snarbles, you look through a scope, not at it. I had a Pentax 80ED and it was okay. I now have a Nikon 82 ED fieldscope and think that it is the best buy out there. It is an amazing digiscoper with the 30X WDS eyepiece. Here is an image, along with two crops of same. This was taken from 38 feet away. Remember that these have been resized severely, due to the restraints of this forum. By the way the little popgun is my wife's purse companion.

 

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EagleEyed

Well-known member

• Nov 15, 2007

• #5

Medinabrit, Do you actually think the Nikon ED is better than the Pentax ED (XW EPs or not)? The Pentax does have a bigger objective. Thanks, EE

Texun, I suppose this is a little off-thread, but what digiscoping gear (camera, adapters, etc.) did you use to get these shots? I have two Fieldscopes, the 82ED Angled and the 50ED Angled, and am wondering what I should get to turn them into digiscopes. The availability of current Nikon digiscoping kits may be suspect. Thanks, EE

 

Last edited: Nov 15, 2007

T

Texun

member

• Nov 15, 2007

• #6

I used a Canon A640 with a homemade adapter(see my thread in the "Adapters" Forum). These images were made using no zoom.

 

M

medinabrit

Well-known member

• Nov 17, 2007

• #7

EE ,I unlike others i truly cannot say which is better,Then again at 69 maybe my eyes are not as perfect as some .BUT EVEN AT 65 .i couldnt see any difference in the view .
I do prefer the XW EP,s over any others tho .
Given a choice i personally would get the Pentax & spend the $400 odd on a decent bino or tripod & head.
Also remember the availability of so many good lower priced 1.25 astro EP,s you can use in the Pentax.
I have 2 of the big Pentax msc EP,s but prefer the TV or Vixen 8-24 for their
compactness.They cost $150 & 205 & are both very good in all the PF,s.
Good luck in your choice .I think you will be happy with either one.
Brian.

 

M

medinabrit

Well-known member

• Nov 17, 2007

• #8

Sorry i meant to say the $400 odd saved by getting the PF.
Brian.

 

EagleEyed

Well-known member

• Nov 17, 2007

• #9

Thanks Brian, that is good information! EE