Nikon Aculon and Pentax Papillon...Thoughts on these Types of Binos Please.... (1 Viewer)

Hey all,

I am looking to get a set of inexpensive binos that I can take hunting, fishing, and so forth and not have to worry about them getting dropped, kicked, wet, and whatever else could happen while out in the field. I'd rather not use the good binos I have now, a Pentax DCF HR2 in 10x42, because it would just be my luck to have them out the first time and I'd drop them on a rock and one of the lenses would crack.

A buddy had a set of this type of binos that he uses and I've looked through them but it's been a while back. He sure is happy with his, I know that. They are also very light compared with the other styles of binos like my Pentax.

So...I'd like to get some recommendations from you all, if you don't mind. If you were going to buy a set of these compact styled binos, which one would you get and why? The only 2 I know of are made by Nikon and Pentax. Both of these companies make versions that are fixed and zoom. The Nikon will zoom to 24X and the Pentax to 21X, I think.

Are there any other companies making these types of binoculars and if so, would you care to list them?

Thank you for your help and suggestions, if you choose to give any, and have a good week!

MUHerd

Hi,

first of all, forget about zoom binoculars - close to 100% of the offerings are unusable and the few exceptions are neither easy to get nor cheap (or small for that matter).

Pentax Papilio II is an ok pair of binoculars for normal use and great for close-up inspection of flowers, insects or other small stuff. In my opinion the 6.5x version is nicer - I owned both and still have the 6.5x.

Cannot comment on Nikon aculon pockets - but in general for very cheap bins porro (or reverse porro like the Papilio) is preferable to roof.

Joachim

Hi MUHerd,

Papillon is a good movie with Steve McQueen. Well worth watching.

The 6.5x21 Papilio II is quite nice.

The small Nikon zoom binoculars are not very nice, even if they work for a while.

The old 8-20x24? Pentax zoom was nice, but only one of the three that I had. The others weren't good.

I would avoid zoom binoculars, although they may be O.K. for occasional use. But they have many problems.

Absolutely avoid 10-70x 21 binoculars and similar junk. Many are sold, only about one or two out of a hundred are aligned at the highest magnification, which is anyway completely crazy. The newspapers and adverts selling these should be held to account. The internet is awash with false adverts.

If one buys a small low price compact, it should be tried first. They vary a lot sample to sample. Some are just bad designs, but some are O.K.

Thank you for your advice. I was mainly going on the talk of my friend that likes the ones he has a lot. I am mainly looking for a compact bino that can fit into a cargo pants pocket and be accessed easily when needed. Also if they get dropped in the parking lot or into a creek or muddy stream, no big deal, I can just get another set if needed. I would have to throw in there that it could end up being a hand me down to my niece who's into photography and the like.

I had read some articles about the Pentax Papillon on several sites and they seem to have the better reputation than the Nikon equivalent type.

I do like the lightness that these binos have too. It wouldn't bother me at all to have a fixed power, lightweight bino that fills the checklist that I have mentioned.

If you think of any others that I should take a look at, I would appreciate it.

Have a good weekend.
MUHerd