65ED vs 65EDII (1 Viewer)

Hi guys, newbie here with very newbie question. Have the option of getting a good deal on the 65ED but wondered if the EDII was vastly improved in any ways? I have been reading as much as I can about this size scope and seems to be the one that suits my price range.There isn't a lot on comparisons between the two versions I can find( so far, though being a newbie I am sure I'll learn more).

I am not a hardcore birder and this will be a starter piece for me to also use for general hiking and looking at scenery.

Lastly I I live in the Australian tropics where mould and fungus gets into cheap equipment pretty quickly, so any opinions on pentaxes ruggedness and seals?

`I am not a hardcore birder and this will be a starter piece for me to also use for general hiking and looking at scenery.`

the differnce was mostly an optical one: a reduction in chromatic aberation.

As a casual scope user the version 1 would be fine. Its a very good value scope, even better @ second hand prices. imo £160- 180 would be a good price......anothything over 240 is bit steep: am talking body only btw.

I had the first version for a few years,angled,..I remember having owned at least a second one briefly at some point ,but I am not sure if it was a PF65EDII ..What I remember ,because the topic was interesting to me at the time,Is having read quite a few reviews of people that tried both versions,and found that there were(or they could not see) no differences between the two models..Some people seemed to like the first version better,for some reason..some the second..Pentax stated optical improvements in the second version and woodhornbirder is probably right about the improvement in CA being the aim of the modifications.The first version showed quite a lot of false color in the star test ,and some yellow fringing was present at high power in the image and even showed a bit in the edge of the image at low power..but nothing to complaint too much about .I always used it with zoom eyepieces so a bit of that color aberration must have been created in the eyepiece.With a premium Pentax XW eyepiece (or any other good fixed power of the MANY options you have for the scope) the scope seems to improve the view.It is a fine scope.It is rugged,fully waterproof,pretty compact..If you have a good deal on one,dont hessitate.I am sure you will love it

Thanks gents ! I will be putting some money down tomorrow on it. Is there a decent 8-24 zoom commonly used or recommended for this scope? From what limited knowledge I have from reading reviews seems some of the aftermarket zoom eyepieces do not always compliment the scope they are on. I am trying to stay around $150-200 for the eyepiece but may adjust that up or down depending on peoples experiences.

`Is there a decent 8-24 zoom commonly used or recommended for this scope? `

yes, baader hyperion

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Baader-Hy...yepiece-8-24mm-HYP-ZOOM-2454824-/121115930368

However i strongly recomend you go for fixed wide angle ep.

imo start with this set of 4 and upgrade them over time:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140613665821

chk this thread for some ideas on eps

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=255769

I seem to remember the Baader zoom did not reach infinity focus in the Pentax scopes. Or at least without some modification?

When I had My Pentax 65ED I used the Vixen zoom. Scope is long gone, but I still have the eyepiece.

Well I took the plunge and bought the pentax XF zoom as the same shop here had one going quite cheap. From what I can gather it should tick the boxes I need being compatible, decent quality, not overly heavy/expensive, and also some degree of weatherproofing . Woodhornbirder I may also look at that set you recommended. Thanks again for the advice all.

The Pentax XF is a high power eyepiece,..grants 20-60X in the 390mm Pentax..so the FL is 6.5-19.5mm..besides having short eye relief ,is a good eyepiece.It is actually an overkill for the optics of the Pentax 65 ,that has not the correction to take advantage of 60X ...Pentax took the effort to design three eyepieces including a dedicated 20-60x zoom, an 8.5mm granting 45X and finally a more reasonable 12mm that gives 32x..and all for a 65 mm scope that most users agree not to do very well at any power past 40x.That scope would have done beautifully with a wide angle zoom 16x-32x..or 16x-40x,but I guess they wanted to create a less expensive range of eyepieces ,and less expensive things HAVE to be wrongly or Not-very-well designed..right?..this way when something is well designed it HAS TO BE PRICEY!..Hmmm

The Vixen 8-24mm that RJM points is the best option for a standard zoom , I used one too with the pentax and worked very well..15x-45x, plenty eye relief , inexpensive .....

If you want to get a good fixed power eyepiece ,a really good one, I mean , Pentax own XW eyepieces are the best or among in their price range..they can be found for 225-250 US ..the XW14 and XW20 are often mentioned as the best options for the scope

Thanks very much for the detailed reply. I had heard the problems of this lens were short eye relief and yes being a bit too much for 65mm;s light gathering abilities at high power. Will use it just as a starter as it was going for a deal with the scope.