Scientific Explorer 26mm 62 Degree Eyepiece Meets A Pentax PF65 -EDAII Spotter (1 Viewer)

Explore Scientific 26mm 62 Degree Eyepiece Meets A Pentax PF65 -EDAII Spotter

Hi every one. I thought this would be interesting for all those fellow Pentax owners here who have in some way contributed to discussions relating to the large range of eyepieces this little scope can use ...... For awhile now, I have been looking for the perfect low power eyepieces(15-20x) for the little Pentax PF ED 65mm spotting scope. My criteria was First , it had to provide a sharp, crisp & clear view. Secondly, it must have a reasonably large ocular with at least 18mm of eye relief. Thirdly, if possible be water/fog proof. Lastly the cost. If the eyepiece had all the qualities I just mentioned I always kept cost in mind. You get what you pay for. Now that I have said all this, I finally was able to get my hands on the latest 62 degrees 1.25" Explore Scientific 26mm eyepiece. This eyepiece meets all my above requirements and still will not break your wallet with a price here in the states $119. shipped from many dealers. The ocular lens size I measured to be around an inch or about 25mm across. The eye lens ocular size combined with its nearly 20mm of eye relief gives a very easy relaxing view. With my glasses on or off I experienced no blackouts. Eye placement was easy. As you can see with the eyepiece on the little Pentax, the overall length is around 12" and its soft stay on carry case will zipper up with room to spare. Last thing I would like to mention. The 26mm has all the qualities of the Explore Scientific 68 degree eyepieces , being closest physically(smaller) to its larger brother the 24mm but with a little more eye relief.

Looks like a great combination Gwen. How is the view? How would this combination compare with the more expensive Pentax XW20?

I found the eye relief on the ES68/24mm to be too long compared to the height of the eyecup leading to a need to "hover" over the eyepiece. It also had quite a bit of pin cushion distortion. How does this new ES62/26mm compare on those fronts?

FrankD said:

Looks like a great combination Gwen. How is the view? How would this combination compare with the more expensive Pentax XW20?

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Hi FrankD. If you recall I believe it was back in Sept. of 2009, about 5 years after I joined Birdforum that you were the first member here that responded to a question I asked about what was the best fixed low to medium power eyepiece that would work on a Promaster Infinity Elite ELX 65mm spotting scope. It was that time the Pentax XW line of eyepieces became known to me. Before that time the only spotting scopes I owned went back to the late sixties(1969) when I was a young man using Kowa's clunkers for stationary viewing to look at the wildlife in our rural back yard. I do not know if the Pentax XW line of eyepieces were even available back then. It was here on the Birdforum many years latter that rekindled my interest in the use of spotting scopes. I am very thank full to Birdforum, you and others members here. ....... The Pentax XW20 was the first high end, low to medium eyepiece I viewed in the little Pentax 65mm. It amazed me then and still amazes eight years latter. I still think its the best eyepiece I have ever had the pleasure to use and the best eyepiece I have ever used in the Pentax 65 EDAII spotter. I have owned five Pentax 65 spotters and as many XW20 eyepieces. I am not sure if its the XW eyepiece itself or when its used on the Pentax scopes. I do know when I permanently attached a Pentax XW20 eyepiece to a Brunton Epoch spotter awhile back, it transformed a so so view into a really good view. Now comparing the XW20 to the Explore Scientific 26mm. Things they have in common....Very relaxing view due to their oculars lens size, nice eye relief, both are waterproof/fog proof and have a high quality look/feel. Both give a open wide view. The 62 degrees from the Explore Scientific is not in the same league as the Pentax XW but it does seem wider than it is. Comparing the 26mm(15x) to the XW20mm(19.5xw) isn't really fair but both give a very sharp/clear and bright view. The Explore Scientific rubber eye guard has a very nice supple feel, easy to fold down and has just enough space for your glasses to rest on without worrying about touching the glass in ocular lens. The Explore Scientific has China on its barrel but if it said Japan or say Germany I would not have thought China. Does the Explore Scientific even come close to a XW20 view optically ? Well I do not know who Scientific sources their glass from but the quality of glass is excellent and holds its own to the Pentax XW. The differences seem to be getting closer every year. Build/quality wise and the immense view the Pentax gives, hands down to the Pentax XW20 but for a $119. eyepiece the Explore Scientific 26mm will please most. .... gwen

Pluraldave said:

I found the eye relief on the ES68/24mm to be too long compared to the height of the eyecup leading to a need to "hover" over the eyepiece. It also had quite a bit of pin cushion distortion. How does this new ES62/26mm compare on those fronts?

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Hi .. I found the ES68/24mm eye relief worked well with my glasses, giving me no problems when using it with the rubber eye guard folded down. I saw no pin cushion/distortion. I like the eye piece on 26mm the best. With the 1mm or so more eye relief the rubber eye guard on the 26mm seemed to sit closer to the inside of the ocular lens with the rim of the ocular being shorter in height making it easier to use with my glasses on. My eyeglasses & facial features work well with the 26mm. Others may not have the same experience. This is where ... Try before you Buy, comes into play. Optically I found the 26mm gave a better view to my eyes than the 24mm 68 degree eyepiece. Maybe its the 62 degree design over the 68 with the 26mm giving 15x power on the Pentax compared to the slightly over 16x power with the 24mm eyepiece. Maybe some other member here might have more insight on how different ocular designs might play a part.

Gwen, Frank, have either of you ever tried the BST eyepieces? I have a 12mm and a 15mm and think they are brilliant.

Ron

giosblue said:

Gwen, Frank, have either of you ever tried the BST eyepieces? I have a 12mm and a 15mm and think they are brilliant.

Ron

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Hi Ron ... No not that brand but I did try a few of the Smart Astronomy eyepieces (Flat Field), the 19mm & 27mm. The BST looks like the same eyepiece. .... gwen

I think he means the BST Starguider/Explorer which are sold in the US as Orion Epic II ED, Astrotech Paradigm, and Agena Astro Starguider. I've used the 5, 8 and 12mm and would say that they are just as good as the more expensive Explore Scientific 68 degree eyepieces but not as good as the Pentax XL/XW eyepieces (but when you can get 5 Starguiders for the same price as one XW you wouldn't expect them to be). Before I owned Pentax eyepieces the 12mm Starguider was my usual choice. It's a nice lightweight eyepiece with a comfortable twist up eyecup and easy on eye placement. There is a 25mm which might compete with the 26mm ES62 although I have read that the 25mm isn't quite on par with the rest so the 12, 15 and 18 are probably the best ones to try.

gcole said:

Hi .. I found the ES68/24mm eye relief worked well with my glasses, giving me no problems when using it with the rubber eye guard folded down. I saw no pin cushion/distortion. I like the eye piece on 26mm the best. With the 1mm or so more eye relief the rubber eye guard on the 26mm seemed to sit closer to the inside of the ocular lens with the rim of the ocular being shorter in height making it easier to use with my glasses on. My eyeglasses & facial features work well with the 26mm. Others may not have the same experience. This is where ... Try before you Buy, comes into play. Optically I found the 26mm gave a better view to my eyes than the 24mm 68 degree eyepiece. Maybe its the 62 degree design over the 68 with the 26mm giving 15x power on the Pentax compared to the slightly over 16x power with the 24mm eyepiece. Maybe some other member here might have more insight on how different ocular designs might play a part.

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Thanks for these comments.:t:
I have a pair of Meade 5000/60 26mm on my binocombo http://www.pt-ducks.com/cr-telescopes.htm#CR-binoviewing and was thinking of trying these new ES62/26 to enlarge a bit the AFOVs/TFOVs...
However, my fears might be true and, from CN, the idea passing is that these ES62 eyepieces are a new version of the Meade 5000/60... That's not necessarily a bad thing for daylight use since, like you, I enjoy these eps design and the ES62 might benefit from improved coatings and are waterproof. For me is a bit disappointment since someone mentioned at CN that the ES62 were designed by the same technician that designed the ES92 - I have an ES92 12mm and is a revolution on wide AFOV eps, being one my preferred eps for birding...:king:
I had a pair of Televue Panoptic 24 for my binocombo but sold it since the eyerelief was short for use with eye-glasses and the TFOV is a bit smaller than the Meade 60 26mm (the Pan 24 also showed quiet a lot pincushion distortion but that didn't bothered me...). Since you find that the ES68 24mm have eye-relief enough for eye-glass use, I might give a try of these. By the way, on my searches for the binocombo, some years ago, I found that the Baader Hyperion 24mm had a TFOV similar to the Meade 60º 26 (so a bit wider than the Pano 24), but to see all AFOV I had to press too much my eye-glasses against the eps... I might test these again since I will invest again on improving my binocombo...
Since at least 2012, I'm planning to do a comparing test of larger FOV 1.25" eps for birding but meanwhile I focused on the >90º AFOV eps of my monoview birding combos http://www.pt-ducks.com/cr-telescopes.htm#Test%20of%2082%C2%BA,%20100%C2%BA%20and%20102%C2%BA%20AFOV%20zooms ... I might do it this year...
By the way, the existing 25mm eps of 60º are nice (The Meade version is also waterproof), but I also prefer the older Meade 5000/60 26, since have more light and a bit, but noticeable, TFOV. I also add that I didn't invested in the past on a pair of XW20 because these have lower TFOV than the other solutions. Having presently a XW20, I'm also considering getting another since love their AFOVs and easy to look through, also because I'm planning to accomplish a lower minimum focal length of my binocombo, so the lower TFOV of the XW20 will be compensated by that...o

DRodrigues said:

Thanks for these comments.:t:
I have a pair of Meade 5000/60 26mm on my binocombo http://www.pt-ducks.com/cr-telescopes.htm#CR-binoviewing and was thinking of trying these new ES62/26 to enlarge a bit the AFOVs/TFOVs...
However, my fears might be true and, from CN, the idea passing is that these ES62 eyepieces are a new version of the Meade 5000/60... That's not necessarily a bad thing for daylight use since, like you, I enjoy these eps design and the ES62 might benefit from improved coatings and are waterproof. For me is a bit disappointment since someone mentioned at CN that the ES62 were designed by the same technician that designed the ES92 - I have an ES92 12mm and is a revolution on wide AFOV eps, being one my preferred eps for birding...:king:
I had a pair of Televue Panoptic 24 for my binocombo but sold it since the eyerelief was short for use with eye-glasses and the TFOV is a bit smaller than the Meade 60 26mm (the Pan 24 also showed quiet a lot pincushion distortion but that didn't bothered me...). Since you find that the ES68 24mm have eye-relief enough for eye-glass use, I might give a try of these. By the way, on my searches for the binocombo, some years ago, I found that the Baader Hyperion 24mm had a TFOV similar to the Meade 60º 26 (so a bit wider than the Pano 24), but to see all AFOV I had to press too much my eye-glasses against the eps... I might test these again since I will invest again on improving my binocombo...
Since at least 2012, I'm planning to do a comparing test of larger FOV 1.25" eps for birding but meanwhile I focused on the >90º AFOV eps of my monoview birding combos http://www.pt-ducks.com/cr-telescopes.htm#Test%20of%2082%C2%BA,%20100%C2%BA%20and%20102%C2%BA%20AFOV%20zooms ... I might do it this year...
By the way, the existing 25mm eps of 60º are nice (The Meade version is also waterproof), but I also prefer the older Meade 5000/60 26, since have more light and a bit, but noticeable, TFOV. I also add that I didn't invested in the past on a pair of XW20 because these have lower TFOV than the other solutions. Having presently a XW20, I'm also considering getting another since love their AFOVs and easy to look through, also because I'm planning to accomplish a lower minimum focal length of my binocombo, so the lower TFOV of the XW20 will be compensated by that...o

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David .... You mention the Baader Hyperion 24mm, I wonder if it would focus properly in the Pentax PF-65 EDAII. I have seen very little discussion on the forum about the Baader 24 and none about it being used in any of the Pentax scopes ??

I never tested the Hyperion 24 on a Pentax, only on my Optolyth 100... I liked it except the not enough eye-relief for my eye-glass use.
The Hyperions are supposed to be more or less parfocal (except the zoom...), but the 24mm has a different design of the shorter versions and I'm not sure if it's really parfocal.