Pentax pf-ed65ii questions... (1 Viewer)

I am looking for a mid priced scope as our first scope..for birding and wildlife use only. I can get the Pentax edii 65 with the xf zoom for $500 new which seems like a good deal. I can also get a promaster elite elx with plano zoom for $300 or so...

I have heard mixed things about the xf zooms, and don't know much about the promaster although it sounds like a really good value. Do you have any views on which of the above will perform better for birding, and how bad (or not) are the xf zooms (20-60)?

Thanks!

The XF Zoom is high power..6.5-21mm ,and gives full 20-60x in the 65 mm pentax,whilst most zooms are 8-24mm and grant 15-45x in 60-65 scopes(nikon EDIII and swaro 65 are also 20-60x but by means of longer focal lenght in the scopes)..The main problem of the XF zoom is the very short eye relief..maybe even shorter than the Nikon fieldscope..and this makes it hard to use,..VERY hard / Impossible at high magnification if you have eyeglasses..But image quality ,FWIR was pretty decent...
The other problem of the XF zoom at 60x is the bad quality of the view granted by the SCOPE..I havent seen any pentax 65 (I have owned two and tested three)that can hold 60X due to poor correction
I have now a Celestron Regal 65 ,and I like it a lot..the price is very good and the Zoom is EXCELLENT..the new,lighter version or the regal should be a great value too,not much more than the Promaster and definitely less than those 500$..Provide you get a good unit,It is a great scope...

I'm not sure whether that means get the pentax or get the promaster, or look also at the celestron...but I'm still all ears.

cohenfive said:

I'm not sure whether that means get the pentax or get the promaster, or look also at the celestron...but I'm still all ears.

Click to expand...

The answer is, there are so many variables that come to play when purchasing & choosing the right scope. It is really personal, you can read the spec's & try to buy based on some other ones view but until you actually look thru one for your self ....... How much eye relief do you need, is the ocular eyepiece comfortable to use, what power range do you prefer, does it have to be waterproof. Then there is the size, weight being too heavy or light. The focus knobs, one or two & that's not even getting into how you will perceive the view with your eyes, you might not like it while others will. Do not forget to think about re-sale, some will be easier to sell than others. I have owned or own the above scopes. I liked everyone, all for different reasons . I also sold at least of each for different reasons . For example , I purchased another scope recently because of its new upgraded zoom & now makes me like this scope much more over all the others.

Thanks Gwen, just sent you a pm (or two)...

I do not mind taking an informed gamble on one of these scopes. With camera gear, I started small and worked my way up to a full blown kit with a D4...so if we get a good deal on a middle of the range scope and some day go for a really great one, that would be fine. We are doing more wildlife/bird viewing these days, and while I usually have my camera and 500vr strapped to my eye, my wife would like a scope that is more powerful than the binocs we have...

I just ordered a scope, ended up buying the Celestron Regal M2 65Ed for $378 shipped, brand new in the box. That sounded like the best value for our first scope. I appreciate all the advice and asssistance here, and I will make sure to post a 'novice' review once we have taken it for a spin to the wildlife refuges here in northern California.

Thanks!

Late to this post. After much researching I opted for the Pentax PF 65 ED and the XW14 fixed eyepiece that just arrived in the mail. The XW14 eyepiece gets high marks from reviews. I was looking at the moon last night with the eye piece (80mm Pentax). And I was impressed buy the sharp image.

I ended up 'upgrading' to the regal m2 80ed since the 65ed was backordered for at least 6 weeks. Got a good deal on it, and the dealer I purchased with (Opticscamp.com) was really terrific to deal with in getting to the bottom of some of the questions I had. It is in transit, very excited to try it out. In northern California, the birds are all here now...packed wildlife refuges!!

DOnt know how much you paid for the 80mm ,but the 378$ deal for the Celestron M2 is amazing.----That is a great scope for the price,....
Now the bad news..(not so bad)...Celestron does not have a No-Fault warranty any longer..that was the topping on top of an already great deal...Still ,THEY OFFER ONE MONTH RETURN FOR MISCOLLIMATION AND OPTICAL PROBLEMS .This is written in one disclaimer that they printed last year..
so test your scope and make sure you get a good one