Tvc15_2000
Well-known member
Can any one provide feedback or point me towards a review of the Pentax DCF ED 10X50.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
-
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Pentax DCF ED 10X50 Reviews? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Tvc15_2000
- Start date
tammyhomma
New member
Hi, I posted my impressions about Pentax DCF ED 10x50 here.
I use it everyday for both birding and stargazing.
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthre...page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/2/vc/1
Tammy
Tvc15_2000
Well-known member
Thank You. This was a help. Unfortuanatly I don't own the Cannon binocs so I am not sure about the comparisons. But favorable impressions are always a good sign.
I do own a couple of Leica Ultravids and have see lots of Swaro's and Nikon LXL.
If anyone has done a field comparison of the Pentax EDs to the Ultravids, Nikon LXL or Swarovskis I would be very grateful.
Even at this age I am still wondering if it is possible to get the same top quality as the best for less money...
I do own a couple of Leica Ultravids and have see lots of Swaro's and Nikon LXL.
If anyone has done a field comparison of the Pentax EDs to the Ultravids, Nikon LXL or Swarovskis I would be very grateful.
Even at this age I am still wondering if it is possible to get the same top quality as the best for less money...
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Tvc15_2000
Well-known member
My girlfriend purchased a pair of Pentax ED 8X43s yesterday from B&H (mail order) and they arrived today!
By the time we got home to check them it is late in the evening and very overcast. But who could wait. I am comparing them to a Leica Ultravids 10X42.
We need a lot more conditions to compare them under. Binoculars often look great in one condition and not so great in another. It was so overcast I could not check on flare. Looking at binoculars to me is like looking at a TV show room. In a similar price range None are perfect. I may see several TVs I like but I will prefer one over another even though they all look pretty good. They all put their "touch" on the image presented.
The good news is at half the price of the Ultra the EDs look VERY good. There is excellent performance for the price. To put this in perspective today's prices at B&H for the 8X42/43 are
Leica Ultravid $1895
Swarovski $1800
Zeiss FL $1650 12% less than Ultravids
Nikon LXL $1300 31% less than Ultra
Pentax ED $910 30% less than Nikon 52% less than Ultra
The EDs are noticeably smaller than the Ultravids when placed side by side. Construction is excellent. In my hands they feel great. I wear a large size glove.
The focus on the ED seems a bit faster than the Ultravids but in reality an end to end knob twist on the vids is 1.25 turns and on the ED its 1.5 turns!
The view comfort was noticeably better on the vids but again I am very used to them. I pick up the vids and glance in and it all looks great and my eyes are happy. My eyes knew I was looking into a different optic when I looked into the EDs because of the way they felt to my eyes. Not bad - but a different feel. I would probably be used to the EDs in a short time of use. More time is needed.
The 8x43 EDs are about an F stop brighter than the vid 10x42 vids. This is probably due to he magnification of the 10x42. But brighter they are in a pleasing way, and the brightness is welcome. Its not excessive.
In my opinion the greatest advantage of the extra cost of ED glass is color. And from what I saw in dwindling light the color is excellent and true to life with a touch of brightness but not over done. The delicate shades of color were there even in low light. I am anxious to see them in full contrast sun to see how they perform in harsher conditions. All binoculars "interpret" color to an a point due to differences in the glass and coating (in my opinion). I find the EDs and the vids differ but both are very pleasing. The vids colors seem to be a bit more saturated but this could be due to the magnification difference making the vids a bit darker. As you can tell I am not an expert.
The EDs show virtually no CA and to me seem similar to the CA control on the Zeiss FL. The vids have a lot more CA in comparison under tough condition testing - like looking at a dark branch on a bright overcast sky. I would hardly call the vids a high CA binocular but when compared to the EDs the EDs have suppressed CA to a level similar to the Zeiss FL. Sharpness was excellent (more testing is needed).
I am so used to the vids my opinions are biased in favor of the vids. BUT I will say this, I plan on picking up a pair of 10x50s before the end of the year and at first glance the EDs moved to the top of my list for price performance. If I had unlimited funds I would go for the Ultravids but I don't have unlimited funds.
To put it bluntly I have not seen this optical quality at this price before.
I have looked at the Nikon LXL, and the Zeiss FL and I think the EDs are easily in the same class of high quality optics (but I don’t have access to them to do a side by side comparison as I did with the Ultravids).
Working from memory (we all know how reliable that is) I would say the EDs are competitive with the Nikon LXL, and Zeiss FL and not far away from the Ultravis (side by side) at a FAR lower price - In my opinion the EDs are a must consider when looking at top glass. At first glance under low light, overcast conditions - no flaws in the first 30 min of viewing. Just excellent views.
By the time we got home to check them it is late in the evening and very overcast. But who could wait. I am comparing them to a Leica Ultravids 10X42.
We need a lot more conditions to compare them under. Binoculars often look great in one condition and not so great in another. It was so overcast I could not check on flare. Looking at binoculars to me is like looking at a TV show room. In a similar price range None are perfect. I may see several TVs I like but I will prefer one over another even though they all look pretty good. They all put their "touch" on the image presented.
The good news is at half the price of the Ultra the EDs look VERY good. There is excellent performance for the price. To put this in perspective today's prices at B&H for the 8X42/43 are
Leica Ultravid $1895
Swarovski $1800
Zeiss FL $1650 12% less than Ultravids
Nikon LXL $1300 31% less than Ultra
Pentax ED $910 30% less than Nikon 52% less than Ultra
The EDs are noticeably smaller than the Ultravids when placed side by side. Construction is excellent. In my hands they feel great. I wear a large size glove.
The focus on the ED seems a bit faster than the Ultravids but in reality an end to end knob twist on the vids is 1.25 turns and on the ED its 1.5 turns!
The view comfort was noticeably better on the vids but again I am very used to them. I pick up the vids and glance in and it all looks great and my eyes are happy. My eyes knew I was looking into a different optic when I looked into the EDs because of the way they felt to my eyes. Not bad - but a different feel. I would probably be used to the EDs in a short time of use. More time is needed.
The 8x43 EDs are about an F stop brighter than the vid 10x42 vids. This is probably due to he magnification of the 10x42. But brighter they are in a pleasing way, and the brightness is welcome. Its not excessive.
In my opinion the greatest advantage of the extra cost of ED glass is color. And from what I saw in dwindling light the color is excellent and true to life with a touch of brightness but not over done. The delicate shades of color were there even in low light. I am anxious to see them in full contrast sun to see how they perform in harsher conditions. All binoculars "interpret" color to an a point due to differences in the glass and coating (in my opinion). I find the EDs and the vids differ but both are very pleasing. The vids colors seem to be a bit more saturated but this could be due to the magnification difference making the vids a bit darker. As you can tell I am not an expert.
The EDs show virtually no CA and to me seem similar to the CA control on the Zeiss FL. The vids have a lot more CA in comparison under tough condition testing - like looking at a dark branch on a bright overcast sky. I would hardly call the vids a high CA binocular but when compared to the EDs the EDs have suppressed CA to a level similar to the Zeiss FL. Sharpness was excellent (more testing is needed).
I am so used to the vids my opinions are biased in favor of the vids. BUT I will say this, I plan on picking up a pair of 10x50s before the end of the year and at first glance the EDs moved to the top of my list for price performance. If I had unlimited funds I would go for the Ultravids but I don't have unlimited funds.
To put it bluntly I have not seen this optical quality at this price before.
I have looked at the Nikon LXL, and the Zeiss FL and I think the EDs are easily in the same class of high quality optics (but I don’t have access to them to do a side by side comparison as I did with the Ultravids).
Working from memory (we all know how reliable that is) I would say the EDs are competitive with the Nikon LXL, and Zeiss FL and not far away from the Ultravis (side by side) at a FAR lower price - In my opinion the EDs are a must consider when looking at top glass. At first glance under low light, overcast conditions - no flaws in the first 30 min of viewing. Just excellent views.
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Thanks for the excellent read and information. I'd love to find a comparison between the DCF SP and DCF ED lineup as I am curios about the differences in performance since the bino's seem very close in specs and the only thing that seems to distinguish is the ED glass - I am sure many others are interested in this as-well. Do you have any experience with the SP lineup?
Tvc15_2000
Well-known member
Unfortunately I have not had an opportunity to compare the SP with the ED. I did read SP reviews, and we decided to take a chance on the ED. Our original plan was to go for the Nikon’s at higher cost. After looking at the Pentax ED – we are sticking with them due to the image quality that is on the same level as the Nikon LXL and other top glass (in my opinion) I am recommending they be considered I am not recommending anyone run out and buy them on my opinion, without a look first!
In harsh sunlit conditions they look great. In tough backlit condition there was little if any flare on back lit leaves with sun behind them – as good the flare control on the Ultravids (which is excellent).
I would love to know how much of a difference ED glass makes when compared to the SP. Our assumption was its worth the price increase since the major binocular makers are offering ED glass. With my limited experience I have no complaints with the optics in the Pentax ED. They are as good as the rest of the top binocs from what I can see. Personal prefrence and budget would play more of a role than optical qualtiy. Those who enjoy debating which of the top 4 binocular makers are the best may want to add the Pentax ED which makes it the top 5 to debate with more choices!
Before we ordered the EDs I called Pentax and spoke with an enthusiastic technical rep who like me had an interest in Astronomy (he seemed to know glass very well). He cited other improvements besides the ED glass including prism silvering. I did not specifically ask him if those improvements were shared with the SP.
I think the ED glass is worth the extra cost and this binocular brings the cost down.
You could compare the SP to what is available in ED glass at your location such as the Nikons . I think that comparison might give an idea of what to expect when looking through the Pentax ED. They should be similar optical quality with some differences. I actually prefer the ED to the LXL views (based on memory of the LXL from last Oct). None of this takes into account the other factors such as the ergonomics, focus smoothness, objective caps, case, rain cover, eye cups, strap and lust. I am not giving up my Ultravids, but if they vanished the EDs would certainly be an option. Meaning – your not giving up much (if anything) optically and I would not buy anything in that class of binoculars without checknig the EDs to see if they fit my needs at a great price. They are worth a look.
In harsh sunlit conditions they look great. In tough backlit condition there was little if any flare on back lit leaves with sun behind them – as good the flare control on the Ultravids (which is excellent).
I would love to know how much of a difference ED glass makes when compared to the SP. Our assumption was its worth the price increase since the major binocular makers are offering ED glass. With my limited experience I have no complaints with the optics in the Pentax ED. They are as good as the rest of the top binocs from what I can see. Personal prefrence and budget would play more of a role than optical qualtiy. Those who enjoy debating which of the top 4 binocular makers are the best may want to add the Pentax ED which makes it the top 5 to debate with more choices!
Before we ordered the EDs I called Pentax and spoke with an enthusiastic technical rep who like me had an interest in Astronomy (he seemed to know glass very well). He cited other improvements besides the ED glass including prism silvering. I did not specifically ask him if those improvements were shared with the SP.
I think the ED glass is worth the extra cost and this binocular brings the cost down.
You could compare the SP to what is available in ED glass at your location such as the Nikons . I think that comparison might give an idea of what to expect when looking through the Pentax ED. They should be similar optical quality with some differences. I actually prefer the ED to the LXL views (based on memory of the LXL from last Oct). None of this takes into account the other factors such as the ergonomics, focus smoothness, objective caps, case, rain cover, eye cups, strap and lust. I am not giving up my Ultravids, but if they vanished the EDs would certainly be an option. Meaning – your not giving up much (if anything) optically and I would not buy anything in that class of binoculars without checknig the EDs to see if they fit my needs at a great price. They are worth a look.
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