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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Pentax PF ED II 65mm? (1 Viewer)

neil calabro

Active member
Hi everyone,
I am looking hard at buying a new scope. My primary criteria are that the scope be light, compact, very rugged, very waterproof, & produce a nice image without distortion. I would prefer not to overpay if possible. I am leaning heavily towards the Pentax PF ED II 65mm AN Spotting Scope (70967) with 20-60x Zoom (70530). Will this scope meet my needs? Are there any quirks to this scope or flaws that I should be warned about before buying this scope? Please let me know.
Thanks,
Neil
 
Hi Neil,

I had the Pentax scope and eyepiece you are considering and found it to be a wonderful performer, sharp right up to 60x, although somewhat dimmer than other 65 class "alphas" I have seen.

My only concern for you would be your "very rugged" requirement. My scopes' body broke during an easy 3 mile backpack hike to a glassing point. My scope was in its case and in my backpack. Pentax replaced with the small fee "No Worries" warranty, but it still left me without a quality scope for over two months.

Maybe my scope was an anomaly, but I have similar requirements to you, and I have not regretted selling the replacement Pentax and getting a Zeiss.

Good luck.
 
Neil,

The eye relief for this eyepiece ranges from 11mm to 15mm depending on the setting.

If you wear eye glasses this will probably be an issue for you.

I think the consensus is that there are better zooms out there for this scope.

I have a PF-80ED and the bigger SMC zoom which has better eye relief than the XF zoom that you are looking at. I also have several of the Pentax XW fixed focal length eyepieces. I find that the XW's spend much more time on my scope than the zoom does.

Mike
 
Hi jmepler,
Thanks for your reply. I will look into getting a different eyepiece. Many people like you have had negaive things to say about the zoom.
Best,
Neil
 
Hi Bitterroot Birds,
Thanks for your reply. Your experience with your Pentax scope leaves me concerned. Just to be clear, at no point was your scope dropped or banged prior to cracking? Please let me know.
Best,
Neil
 
Ditto on the scope failure.

Where did it break?

Why did it break (i.e. what part was the proximate cause of the failure?)

Random speculation: like the Nikon ED50 that fell apart during an EP change I suspect it's enclosure screw mounts have sheared due to a previous drop or tripod tumble (even though it looked like it survived).

Love to hear more about this.
 
Hello Neil, I have 2 Pentax 65 scopes (w/o eyepieces), one angled and one straight, and three XW eyepieces I'm interested in selling. PM if interested in any of this.
 
Hi Neil and others,

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but I was away from my computer for a few days.

My Pentax was purchased new from an authorized US dealer. My scope did not take any hard knocks or falls. It was inside my pack for a few hikes (40-50 miles total). One day I got to my glassing spot and pulled it form my pack. I could not get it to focus. I removed it from the view-through case, and discovered the body had broken right at the leading edge of the rotating tripod collar. I was dumbfounded. I went back through the three mile approach hike, and I never sat down or rested against a tree. I really couldn't tell you what happened.

I don't know if it was just my particular scope, or if the Pentax was just more fragile than others. However, I knew it would forever be on my mind if I stuck with Pentax, so I went for the Zeiss.

That was my experience, but others may have found the model quite durable.
 
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Hi Bitterroot Birds,
Thanks for your follow-up reply. Your experience with your Pentax PF65 is very concerning. I am sorry to hear it happened & is giving me some second thoughts about my prospective purchase.
Best,
Neil
 
It had to be some kinda defect on that particular scope! I know several people, myself included that have never had a problem like that with Pentax scopes! And mine has been tortured!!! I have never read anything that would suggest that the Pentax scope wasn't durable! I do remember a thread where this happened to a Nikon ED 50? That could have been a fluke as well! But, I will say my ED65A is more robust than an ED 50! I wouldn't base my decision on one freak instance! Let other things be the determining factor in your decision to purchase a scope! If you like fixed wide EP's and a compact scope hard to beat the Pentax 65 ED! If you prefer a zoom scope there are better alternatives! Bryce...
 
Neil,

I hope my experience was a "fluke." I really did like the performance of the scope, especially with astro eyepieces. I hope I did not offend anyone with the recounting of my experience. Scope failures and warranty service should always be considered when choosing a scope.

Good luck in your search, let us know how it goes!

-Matt
 
That's an interesting report and a rather odd place to fail (rubber coating means I can actually see on my one how it's put together but that's just at the front edge of the prism housing.

Have you talked to Pentax yet?
 
First outing ever with my pentax pf65 scope, and I somewhow managed to drop it from my shoulder onto a concrete floor.
It landed with such a bang that I thought I had surely broken it before even using it.
However it was fine, and I have managed to drop it twice since then but with no damage at all.Id say that generally they are tough rugged little scopes, even for a clumsy old man like me
:t:
 
Hi Punkman, Kevin, Bitterroot, & Stereo,
Thanks very much for your detailed follow-up. I think I am going to buy the PF65 EDII Angled. Does anyone want to recommend a vendor that is cheap for Pentax?
Best,
Neil.
 
Hi Punkman, Kevin, Bitterroot, & Stereo,
Thanks very much for your detailed follow-up. I think I am going to buy the PF65 EDII Angled. Does anyone want to recommend a vendor that is cheap for Pentax?
Best,
Neil.

Can't go wrong with CLNY, Eagle Optics, etc... Try Doug at CLNY first, he usually has demo's that you can't tell from new ones! Same warranty and all, just save's some money for EP's!!! Bryce...
 
Hi Stereo,
I'm not familiar with CLNY. I could not fid them on Google. How can I contact them?
Thanks!
Neil

Neil, it's Camera Land in New York. They are also a sponsor on here! cameralandny.com, I have purchased optics and photo gear from them plenty of times, good people to deal with! Bryce...
 
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I bought my Pentax scope from Adorama in NY and got a good deal. I'D also look at B&H Photo. I did get an angled body, but if I had it to do over again, I would have a straight scope. I try my hand at digiscoping on occasion and a straight scope has advantages for that purpose in finding birds quickly and in adapting cameras for digiscoping. I never seriously considered digiscoping until I got the scope - now I wish I had the straight bodied scope. One final thing, you might be drawn to Baader eyepieces for use with your scope - I'd avoid the Baader zoom as it will not focus to infinity on the Pentax. Baader fixed length eyepieces are fine (and reasonably priced).

Greg
 
(now I wish I had the straight bodied scope.)
Greg[/QUOTE]

Greg, I have a straight bodied pf65ed that is in great condition if you are interested in a trade. Let me know. Thanks. Trever
 
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