Pentax PF-65ED A (not an Aii) for $398 (1 Viewer)

To Those Looking and Waiting on Price:

SpottingScopes.com has just reduced the price of the Pentax PF-65ED Aii body to $398. I previously received a $10.00 credit for a review (pretty negative) that I posted of the old Bushnell Ledgend 20-60x60 spotting scope. I guess they got some in as a closeout? Anyway I paid a total of $388 for my new scope. I'm very pleased with this price as I was tempted at the previous price of $449. Perhaps (?) the price will drop even lower in December/January? That's what I was waiting on, but at less than $400 - I'm happy.

The only reason that I picked the little Pentax scope over the new Celestron Regal 65F-ED is that it is so much smaller and lighter. However the added contrast of the Celestron Regal was very tempting.

FrankD: Thank you very much for your excellent review and thread on the Regal.

bearclawthedonut

You must have been the last lucky one to get it at that price - they say it is sold out now. They have the 65ED A for $449.00

Laura B:

I just (8:30pm PDT) visited their website: spottingscope.com (a "hayneedle" website) via my Favorites and it's still showing $398 and "In Stock"? It's not coming up "Sold Out" on my screen? Perhaps, their site will not be updated until midnight???? Perhaps, like Amazon.com they offer discounts to people who have an item in their shopping basket???? It's been in my shopping basket since they lowered the price to $449. I received an order confirmation at 3:38pm (PDT).

Sorry, I do not know what's up? I don't work for them, just trying to pass along a good deal. I know Adorama is also out of stock, their price was $490. Perhaps, Pentax is considering changes in light of the Celestron Regal???? This is unfounded speculation on my part.

Again speculation on my part: with this economy, there maybe some unusually large discounts on optics in December and January??? Earlier today, I saw Cameraland has Minox HG 8.5x43's on sale for $500.

Just looked again today. Still says it's $398 and "In Stock"???? Maybe this is only available on line? Maybe they still have not updated their website? Mine has already shipped.

Bearclawthedonut

I just checked and it showed $398 and in stock as well.

Laura,

I would grab it if I were you. It is an excellent little scope and at that price for the body you cannot go wrong. Add any 1.25" eyepiece to it and you are ready to go.

Speaking of which I would certainly recommend the Celestron Xcel series. I bought a fixed 25 mm Xcel to use with the Celestron before I sold it. I have since tried it on the Pentax and it is optically superb. With the ED glass design of the eyepiece CA is even further reduced so the image is exceptionally bright, sharp and filled with rich contrast/color. Edge sharpness is also very good. For the $55 I paid for it I believe I would say it is the best value in eyepieces that I have had the opportunity to try.

On a related note I actually had been in the market for this particular scope body. If I had seen this a few days ago I would have bought it instantly. I instead chose to work with Doug at CLNY to get an amazing deal on another 65 mm model. The last purchase of mine for some time.

Let us know how it works out BCLD.

Quite bizarre - I went back to the exact same site and had no trouble pulling it up this time!! It is indeed there for the great price of $398!

3 questions:
What is the difference between the Pentax PF-65ED-II vs. the ED, in terms of clarity, sharpness, etc.?

So many complements on the Celestron Regal 65 & 80 - this is a great price, but would my money be better spent on the Celestron?

Have the Sandpiper 65mm, great for the price, but would I be better served by getting an 80mm in either the Celstron or Pentax, since I have a 65 mm (though not as good as the 2 other 65's)?

Laura,

Lots of great questions. I find that having a 65 mm and an 80 mm scope can be a great combination. There are several times when I found an 80 mm model outperforms a similar 65 mm version. That typically comes at longer ranges or at lower light levels (larger objective "gathers" more light and therefore resolves finer detail) plus most of the 80 mm models have a higher magnification range (15-45x for a 65 mm vs. 20-60x for an 80 mm).

Having said that I cannot really say that there are many situations where I felt at a loss with a high quality 65 mm scope. I feel perfectly satisfied using the Pentax 65 with the XW 20 eyepiece (huge field of view, huge sweet spot/excellent edge sharpness and CA control) for viewing large sections of the sky in search of birds of prey. That is what I use the scope for 50% of the time. The other 50% is typically in search of waterfowl at one of the local quarries or lakes. In that application I do prefer a decent quality zoom eyepiece. A wider field of view isn't as important for me in that particular application. I am more interested in resolving finer detail (plumage differences, banding numbers, etc...). The little 65 ED A with the low power wide field eyepiece and a solid 15-45x zoom suits me just fine.

I do appreciate a solid backup scope though and since I enjoy one 65 mm then a second one is certainly not out of the question. The little Sandpiper you have would be a very solid backup to either the 65 mm Celestron or the 65 mm Pentax ED II.

I have compared the two versions of the Pentax 65 on two occasions. I could tell practically no difference between the two models. The newer model might display just a hair better CA control (reportedly from an extra element added somewhere internally if I remember correctly) but other than that I could tell very little difference between the two.

I did enjoy using both the Celestron models. If I had to have just one scope then I would probably choose either of them over the Pentax because of the ever so slightly better image quality (contrast again primarily). However you do have to consider their heavier weight. They are both noticeably heavier than the Pentax. Actually, with the little Pentax on a very lightweight Bogen Manfrotto 718B tripod I barely notice when I am carrying the scope. The setup is that light and reasonably stable in all but windy conditions.

Cost of Pentax scope body ($398)
Cost of inexpensive fixed power ED eyepiece ($60)
Cost of inexpensive zoom eyepiece ($80)
Cost of Bogen-Manfrotto tripod ($80)

Total cost of an excellent all around setup: $618

The pentax is a nice scope,I used to own one,for quite a few years..and I have had other units for short periods of time after that...a 65mm is agood compromise,..Maybe since You already have a 65,the 80mm route is the way to go..The other route is EVEN smaller...For 385$ for the pentax is a steal, but for a little bit more I'd rather have a nikon ED50...!!!!!

lulubelle said:

Quite bizarre - I went back to the exact same site and had no trouble pulling it up this time!! It is indeed there for the great price of $398!

3 questions:
What is the difference between the Pentax PF-65ED-II vs. the ED, in terms of clarity, sharpness, etc.?

So many complements on the Celestron Regal 65 & 80 - this is a great price, but would my money be better spent on the Celestron?

Have the Sandpiper 65mm, great for the price, but would I be better served by getting an 80mm in either the Celstron or Pentax, since I have a 65 mm (though not as good as the 2 other 65's)?

Click to expand...

Thank you both for your replies. I have actually tried the Nikon Ed50 and I liked what I saw, liked the size & weight, but wearing glasses and looking through felt a little awkward. I also like that both the Celestron & Pentax have the option of a multitude of EP's, where I don't have that option with the Nikon. The weight of the Celestron is a slight concern - I have helped carry a friends Swaro and while I certainly enjoyed the view, it killed my shoulder to haul it the distance that I did. My viewing will be sky and lakes mostly, some rather large lakes though. I would like to be able to use it when it I go to the Texas coast for seawatching, but that would only be once or twice a year (more if I could manage it!!). I would like to be able to ID within reason, rafts of ducks, loons, grebes, etc. on the lakes or offshore (I spotted a raft of Surf Scoters last time i was in Galveston!). I think for the price, it is a must have, especially considering I just missed a deal!

I really appreciate the advice!! I hope you both are having a great weekend!

Hi
The Pentax has more comfortable viewing than the Nikon, brighter and more eye relief, but is about 2 pounds heavier (over twice the Nikon) and noticeably more bulky. Still, if you add in the tripod, the difference in weight is relatively less. It is also not as easily available as the Nikon (Pentax was on special order only at B&H in NYC).
The Nikon with a Grip It case and a monopod seems a uniquely flexible field scope, truly portable whereas the other scopes with tripod are only luggable. The Nikon's astronomy performance however is limited by its modest aperture, maybe a factor for you.

Laura B:

I can tell you why I selected the Pentax PF-65ED Aii.

I wear eyeglasses. The three most important aspects of Real Estate are: neighborhood, neighborhood and neighborhood! For myself, the three most important aspects of an optical instrument are: eye relief, eye relief and eye relief! Without at least adequate eye relief it is almost impossiple for me to enjoy using binoculars or spotting scopes. Good, very comfortable eye relief ranges between 19 and 20 mm - for me. Therefore the ability to use (most) 1.25" telescopic eyepieces is a necessity. Luckily, there are a great many 1.25" telescopic eyepieces available with 20 mm of eye relief.

That brought the selection of a scope body down to a choice between the Pentax and two Celestron lines (the Regal being their premium line). This of course does not take into account telescopes, such as the Tele Vue T-85, which although beautifull and posessing wonderous image quality it is rather bulky and very, very heavy as well as having an inverted image. My life is already too confusing, so I do not need an inverted image.

I chose the little Pentax, because it's small at 10.5" (body only) and fairly light weight at 37.5 oz. Positioning an eyepiece will add another 2 to 3.5" in length and 5 to 10 oz in weight. Thus your looking at a scope/eyepice combination approximately 13.5" long and weighing about 3 pounds. Not small and light weight, but small-mid sized. The Celestron Regal's body/eyepiece combination is about 16" long and weighs about 4pounds. Not a huge difference, but that lighter weight and smaller size with approximately the same image quality (the nod goes to the Regal re: contrast) is why I selected the Pentax PF-65EDA. The A, because an angled ep is easyer for me to approach wearing my eyeglasses.

If I wanted an 80, then I would select the Celestron 80F-ED, even though it weighs about 4.5 pounds. An 80 is an 80, big, heavy and inconvenient, which is why I wanted a 65.

Now I slightly disagree regarding eyepieces. Get the best ep's that you can afford. The Celestron Xcel eyepiece serries has 20 mm of eye relief, but there are contrary reviews out there, regarding Kidney Bean effects with some of their ep's? It probably depends on which ep you select with more problems in the shorter focal length ep's. But the Xcel's might be a very good, inexpensive first ep. The body is a given regardless of your selection: Pentax or Regal. The better the ep, then the better your image quality will be. I purchased ($239) a WO Zoom about 6 months ago, prior to my purchasing a scope body. For three reasons: a. They were out of production and getting very hard to find and b. they have pretty good eye relief (20-18mm) for a zoom 17-52x and c. with a minor modification they work (focus to infinity) with very good image quality in the PF-65.

Last month, I purchased a Bogen 718B tripod/head combination from Adorama for $80. I sent it back. It just was too light and too flimsy - for me. Now I know I'm an old fossil, back in the day when I was into photography, any tripod was considered good as long as it weighed at least 15 pounds! 15 pounds, my God - why am I concerned about the difference between 3 and 4 pounds in a scopes weight???? Well, a tripod is all about stability and the wider the leg spread (within reason) and the more it weighs, then the greater the stability. I'll save my pennys and look for a Bogen 055XB with a 128RC head. Right now that combination costs about $240, ouch. But that will yield the stability that I seek.

Laura good luck, I do not think you can go wrong with either the Pentax or Regal 65.

bearclawthedonut

Just to clarify on a couple of BCTD's comments.

One, I only have experience with the 25 mm Xcel ED eyepiece. That particular unit is very satisfying to my eyes. Contrast, color represenation, CA reduction, edge sharpness, overall sharpness, etc... are all excellent in the Pentax scope. It produces approximately 16x so it is a fairly low power combination that is definitely not suitable for all applications. I use it primarly for watching the feeders in the backyard and as a backup to the XW 20 mm when hawkwatching (scanning large areas of the sky). I might eventually consider something more in the 10-15mm range for more magnification with an reasonably priced ED glass fixed power eyepiece. When I do then I will post my experiences. There are other options in the fairly inexpensive range for fixed power ED eyepieces (Vixen NLV for example) but my financial situation is very tight right now and $60 is all I could afford.

As for the tripod, I can understand BCTD's perspective. The 718B would certainly not be my first choice if I was looking for ultimate stability. I use that tripod with the Pentax when ultimate portability is the primary concern. When I first bought the Pentax I knew I wanted to use it for a good deal of digiscoping so I asked for suggestions on a tripod and eventually went with the B-M 3130 head and 3001 BN legs. These combination is a good compromise between portability and stability with the nod going more towards stability. What I found myself doing though was using the spotting scope alot more for hawkwatching.

The fluid head with that scope was excellent for that application but hauling it up and down to the hawkwatch became tiresome. I then decided to get something lighter in weight (of decent quality) that would work well in a semi-collapsed (tripod) condition. You see I sit on the ground and have the legs partially extended and the column fully retracted.

After using this setup for the last month and a half I find I often just leave the Pentax on the lighter tripod because it is easier to tote around. I can live with using it fully extended (legs and column) as I am 6'4" but would probably take the heavier tripod/head combination if I knew I was doing more dedicated (standing up-long distance) viewing.

Just wanted to clarify my position on those two issues. One thing I have certainly learned in the optics industry is that everyone is different and what works for me may not suit your needs as well.

After a day of sea watching, and my gf failing to see a Northern Fulmar due to the tripod being too high raised (i was using it), I really need a backup scope. I probably will go for the Celestron 80mm, and a fixed eyepiece around 30-40x. What piece would you guys chose?

etudiant said:

Hi
The Pentax has more comfortable viewing than the Nikon, brighter and more eye relief, but is about 2 pounds heavier (over twice the Nikon) and noticeably more bulky. Still, if you add in the tripod, the difference in weight is relatively less. It is also not as easily available as the Nikon (Pentax was on special order only at B&H in NYC).
The Nikon with a Grip It case and a monopod seems a uniquely flexible field scope, truly portable whereas the other scopes with tripod are only luggable. The Nikon's astronomy performance however is limited by its modest aperture, maybe a factor for you.

Click to expand...

I dont think that the Pentax is more comfortable or bright than the Nikon...It has larger Focal lenght,and aperture,..so It will be brighter at the same given power..Actually IT WILL grant a lArger exit pupil at the same power,..brighter?.This has has to be proven..
I agree the Nikon Zoom is not the most comfy eyepiece to use,But fixe power eyepieces are much more comfortable.What is comfortable Is to put the scope in Your pack and Not even feel it!..or to buy a superlightweight tripod and carry the think Day in day out,and Not care about it,...Now ,Thats comfort!..and try to focus ANY other scope at 7 feet!..(The little nikon is almost a macroscope!!!)
Power is relative,13X,16X 20X 25X 32X 40X 60X..It is always going to be sufficient or insufficient!,...even 60 power is going to be short at some instances..,I have a zoom eyepiece and a fixed 25WA..most of the time I use the 25X,and it would not make any difference it it was a 20X or 18X for that matter..It is like using a 10X or 6.5X/7X...
The Pentax is a nice scope,and the issue here Is if the 385$ price is or not a steal..IT IS!...but If I hade 400$ to buy a scope today,I will push it a little and get an ED50

Mayoayo:

Totally agree; however, I wear eyeglasses. Eye relief, eye relief, eye relief. The Nikon 50ED's that I looked at - always made my heart flutter, until I looked through them. If I had your vision then, I would absolutely get a 50ED. I guess I'm not much of a birder. I generally walk to a park adjacent to where I live. It's only a couple of hundred yards to a small marsh pond with a diverse bird population. I don't go when it's dark or raining, so the Nikon 50ED would be ideal for me. Except I wear eyeglasses. My misfortune. I envy you.

Bearclawthedonut

Kristoffer:

I believe the Celestron Regal 80F-ED has a focal length of about 480mm. Thus a 16mm ep will yield 30x and a 12mm ep will yield 40x. So, if your looking for 30-40x you will need a 1.25" ep with a focal length between 16 and 12mm. 30x will give you an EP of 2.67mm and 40x will provide an EP of 2.0mm. That's very nice potential brightness to magnification compared to a 65mm objective scope.

There are lots of very good ep's in this range. Wide field of view? 20mm of eye relief? Excellent image quality? Magnificent brightness? Excellent edge sharpness? All are available you just have to open your wallet very wide. Now if your like me and price is important and you can make some compromises, then you can get some very good quality ep's for a much narrower wallet opening. Remember, if you spend too much - more than you can afford, you may cause another collapse in the world's economy.

For big bucks, Tele Vue and Pentax have excellent reputations. For less bucks, Baader, Orion, Celestron and Meade have very good value reputations. Plus there are many more including merchant ep's also with good reps. Check them out, read the reviews. You need to decide what your looking for? If you go forward, then you will learn far more about ep's then you ever wanted to or dreamed possible. Good luck.

Bearclawthedonut

Ok, thanks! Is it a problem to fit the Baader fixed EP on the Celestron Regal? I read something about it not fitting. Can you link to your favorite 30x or 40x ep considering price/performance ratio.

bearclawthedonut said:

Kristoffer:

I believe the Celestron Regal 80F-ED has a focal length of about 480mm. Thus a 16mm ep will yield 30x and a 12mm ep will yield 40x. So, if your looking for 30-40x you will need a 1.25" ep with a focal length between 16 and 12mm. 30x will give you an EP of 2.67mm and 40x will provide an EP of 2.0mm. That's very nice potential brightness to magnification compared to a 65mm objective scope.

There are lots of very good ep's in this range. Wide field of view? 20mm of eye relief? Excellent image quality? Magnificent brightness? Excellent edge sharpness? All are available you just have to open your wallet very wide. Now if your like me and price is important and you can make some compromises, then you can get some very good quality ep's for a much narrower wallet opening. Remember, if you spend too much - more than you can afford, you may cause another collapse in the world's economy.

For big bucks, Tele Vue and Pentax have excellent reputations. For less bucks, Baader, Orion, Celestron and Meade have very good value reputations. Plus there are many more including merchant ep's also with good reps. Check them out, read the reviews. You need to decide what your looking for? If you go forward, then you will learn far more about ep's then you ever wanted to or dreamed possible. Good luck.

Bearclawthedonut

Click to expand...

BCTCD, Kristoffer, Mayoayo & Frank -

Great advice from all and I thank you so much!

Mayoayo, you have a great point - at some point whatever scope you have may not be enough for the current birding situation! As far as the Nikon 50ED, I have to agree with BCTD - I need more eye relief. Plus, I really find the idea of multiple EP's appealing and the choices are limited with this scope, as appealing as it is overall. I do agree that the portability of this scope cannot be beaten and I don't gain much by choosing the 65mm over the 50mm, but I don't want any more eye strain that I already deal with. So that leaves the 50ED out.

FYI, Shopwise2000 has the Nikon 50ED straight body for the $409.00 - that is a great deal if you shop for EP's on Adorama! They are no longer offering the angled body, but when they had it, it also was sold for the same price.

I want to make sure that whatever tripod setup I choose is sturdy enough to take brisk winds off a lake - so the tripod advice is much appreciated. The overall weight of the scope/tripod combo is of concern, but if I look at my birding habits since I had Vertigo last year, I don't go on many lengthy field trips any more. I hope this will change in the future & I think there are a couple of backpack setups that are made to carry tripods & allow for quick setup that will be helpful to me.

There appears to be a whole world of EP's to choose from, along with a greatly varied price range, which is an awesome thing for those of us with narrow wallet openings!!! Luckily enough, I can benefit from the experience of those on this forum who have used many of them and the 30 day return policy of many vendors! The knowledge base on this forum is quite extraordinary!!

Adorama has the 65 Regal, with zoom EP, for $419 ($439.00 on Spottingscopes.com) and & Spottingscopes.com has the Pentax for $398 (no EP). Regal is 61 oz to the Pentax 37.7. Regal has better contrast. Both have excellent views, especially with better EP's attached. The 80mm of either brand are heavy & both right at $600 on Spottingscopes.com/ the Pentax 80mm is almost $200 more on Adorama. Spottingscopes.com has a 30 day return policy vs. 14 for Adorama. Hmmmm...may try both from Spottingscopes.com and have more time to decide.

2 last questions - in other posts, I have seen the comment that certain EP's don't focus at infinity on certain scopes - what exactly does this mean & how will I know this?

Comments have been made on the QC of Celestron - for those of you with Celestron experience, has this been a huge issue with the Regal line?

Thank all of you again for for time and valuable advice.

Laura & Kristoffer:

Re: Eyepieces (ep's), Adorama has an excellent selection and very good prices, but for general research I like to visit optcorp.com, click Eyepieces & Barlows, then click Eyepieces by Manufacturers Series. (I do not know how to insert the proper link) Then click on whatever manufacturer that your interested in or start at the top and work your way down. Optcorp orders their products in a well organized manner. Read the description,the specifications and the reviews. Then check Adorama, Opticsplanet, Smartastronomy, Agena, etc... for prices.

I've never looked at 16-12mm fixed ep's, so I do not have a favorite. I'm thinking about the 9mm Vixen NLV (used), 17mm Baader Hyperion and perhaps a 7mm Pentax XW (used). Each will be for a specific purpose that would not translate to an 80mm scope or for your needs. (ie... the narrow AFOV 9mm for 100 & 200 yard range spotting for .223) Well, perhaps the 7mm would. Astromart.com is the best place to look for used ep's that I visited. In order to purchase you have to join, cost is $12 - I think?

Do all 1.25" ep's fit into all scopes that accept 1.25" ep's? They should, but all 1.25" ep's may not come to focus at infinity in all scope bodies. It has to do with the design of the scope body conflicting with the design of the ep. It seems (to me) to most often happen with longer focal length (>20mm) ep's and of course zooms. Check on bird forum, ask the merchant, that certainly is a good reason for sending it back.

Re: Quality control, Celestron Regal is made in China and the Pentax PF-65 is made in Japan, but quality control issues are universal. Nikon certainly gets excellent quality control on their Monarch line of binoculars as does Vortex and many others whose bins are made in China. However, quality control of spotting scopes is harder due to larger objectives and higher magnifications - or so they say? If you not pleased with the product that you receive - send it back. I agree it's a pain.

Bearclawthedonut

BCTD,

Was looking at tripods and found this combo for sale at Optics Planet:

http://www.opticsplanet.net/bogen-manfrotto-3180n-tripod-and-head-kit.html

and this one

http://www.opticsplanet.net/bogen-manfrotto-055xb-128rc-tripod-and-head-kit.html

Is this what you are looking for? I was considering ordering either one tonight. It would seem that the 055 type & 128RC combo is a decent way to go from what I have read on the forums.

Back to not being able to focus at infinity with certain EP's - what exactly does this mean and how would I know if I have EP that cannot reach infinity?