Pentax DCF ED really that much better that SP?? (1 Viewer)

Hello,

Imt trying to decide between these two Pentax models and I wondering if
the $400.00 premium increase from the SP's really provide a HUGE optical
advantage? Is the ED 5%, 10% 20% better than the SD??

I would like to hear from folks here who either own both, or have extensively
tested both model and hear your opinions.

Thanks

Any thoughts??

Well, I hope it is. I had an 8x32SP for about 6 mo, and while a neat little glass, it had noticable color fringing.....and I very seldom see that. So maybe the ED will take care of most of that....but for about $250 more, it should....

Hi ... I have owned the 8x32 SP, Great bino. When I decided to purchase another 8x32, I considered the Pentax ED or the Leupold 8x32 HD. I purchased the Leupold HD, now you can find them dicounted as low as $500-$650. When they came out they were selling for over $1000. I did not even want to try the pentax after what I saw Leupold offered. I posted my thoughts on them a few days back ...... gwen

Unfortunately I am unable to answer your question on a direct comparison between the SP & ED. But I do compare them to Leica HD almost every week. I have posted about the excellent performance of the Pentax ED in the past.

They come close (within a few percent of performance) to the top glass such as the Leica HD I am comparing them to, in most but not all conditions. There are occasional conditions the HD beats the ED but not many (Pentax ED 8z43 compared to Leica HD 10x42) The color – flare control – sharpness etc are all there on the ED. CA is almost non existant. Construction, fit and finish is excellent. Nylon case with hook and loop closure are good Very durable waterproof ED binocular. It seems to me no shortcuts were taken in the design. The image is the best feature of this binocular. We have had the Pentax out in extreme cold and hot damp jungle conditions with no problems at all. Pentax warranty and turn around time are excellent.

I have seen guides using them in Cape May New Jersey 3 weeks ago while looking at endangered Red Knots on thier several thousand mille migration http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/science/25migrate.html?scp=1&sq=7000 birds&st=cse (Pentax was outnumbered by Leica’s – a major sponsor in Cape May).

Close focus is good. Focus rotation is about 1½ turns end to end. Focus speed is about the same as Leica HD.I like slower focus - its easier for me to be more exact. Rubbery armor is very good. Has a more plastic feel than the rubber feel of the Leica’s. I suspect the Pentax skin will wear better. In my opinion they do NOT suffer from flare problems that have been complained about on the Zens (I have not held the Zens – just from reading). CA is minimal if you can find any at all. I find nothing lacking on the Pentax ED.

I still compare the Pentax ED with the Leica HD often. my “significant other” owns the ED. If I was starting over with binoculars I would have more trouble justifying the cost of the Leica HD having the Pentax ED option available. But I am not about to give up the HD which cause extreme joy every time I pick them up!

I have not seen every binocular that is available - but it might be worth it to look at the ED and let your eyes decide in a wide variety of conditions. Any binocular will perform well in one or even some conditions. The better binoculars perform well in most conditions (but not all). You will have to decide if the $200 to $300 price difference is worth it for you. You live in driving range of one of the the top spots for birding in the USA - If your willing to pay more for top performance you might want to consider the ED. What the Pentax ED lacks in snob appeal they make up for with performance.

If you are a fellow suffer of "upgraders disease" it might be cheaper to go for the EDs from the start.



Enjoy

Thanks for that detailed explanation, tvc15! I appreciate your thoughts.

Have you ever looked through the Nikon porro Premier SE or the Nikon roof Premier LXL?
I am also considering one of these models and wondering how they would compare to the
Pentax ED.

Thanks again

I had an opportunity to compare the Pentax ED to the Nikon Premier (8X42 roof prism) which I think used to be called the LXL

I thought the Pentax ED and Nikon Premier were very similar in view. It would take me a day in the field to find the real differences and check back lighting situation etc. But on a several min check out on a beach (not much color available at the time) they looked about equal to me. My quick check was not a good measure (but at least its not a bad report). I am sure there is a lurker here who can provide a better comparison. How they fit in your hand, eye cups and other decision points may come into play if you find them close in image.

When I was at the Cape May Bird Observatory store Pete Dunn was helping a buyer and was going over the different levels of bins for a new birder. I quickly elbowed in to listen. He highlighted the Monarch as a good “starter” bin and the Premier as a good advanced bin that wont hold anyone back. Above that price he noted a large increases in price and smaller gains in quality. In my case sanity looses to lust. But lust has its own rewards (no regrets). Pete’s Picks are listed here. I am not sure when it was last updated. Some of the newest bins are not listed http://featheredgeoptics.com/petespick-binoculars.htm

The Cape May Observatory has great outdoor views to test scopes and bins in all price ranges if that’s an option. The scopes are lined up in front of a slide open window pointed at a distant pond with real – birds- on the shore and on the water. Great place to check a lot of expensive glass. Leave the credit card with a responsible person before entering. I don’t recall seeing Pentax there but they have a dazzling array of great glass and they understand birding that’s for sure. This beats standing in a store and reading labels and signs which even crummy bins can do well. Photo of SOME of the scopes at CMBO.

Once you know what your short list is, if availability for comparison is a problem maybe you can order them from a mail order place that has a good return policy and send back the looser/s Nothing will beat a day in the field.

Enjoy

I think Tvc15 hits all the highpoints but I can confirm that the Pentax 8x32 ED is remarkably close to alpha territory. Side-by-side with a Zeiss 8x32 FL it's almost a draw. In fact, the Pentax may have a slight edge in terms of color and contrast--although color is a bit subjective. The Pentax is a bit warmer/redder and things seem to jump out a bit more. Zeiss has a slight edge in terms of sharpness but you really have to go looking for it. Even though the Pentax is aspherical, the edges aren't any better than the Zeiss.

The eye relief on the Pentax is 17mm but it feels just a bit cramped with my glasses because of fairly deep eyecups. The Zeiss has 16mm but the eyecups are much shallower and give me an easier view.

One thing I really like about the Pentax is the tethered objective caps. They fit inside the housing not over it. You can see that in the pictures. You sort of pinch them a bit to get them in, they are very secure, and they add no bulk at all. Nice touch.

I also have the Nikon 8x32 SE and that is in a league of its own. It's better than either the Zeiss or the Pentax in terms of sharpness both at the center and straight out to the edges. The color is rich and just draws you in. It's my very favorite bin and first choice in good weather.

As for the SP/ED debate I can't say. I haven't seen the SP. I'll say this, however. I'll never again buy a bin without ED glass (except maybe porros which generally don't suffer from CA the same as roofs). ED glass adds considerably to the view.

Nikon Premier

Thanks for all your thoughts.....


I decided to order the Nikon Premier LXL 10 x 42 after all. I just placed the
order and will post my thoughts and comments when it arrives to me!

The Nikon has the more narrower minimum PD of 56mm, which I know will
work for me since I have relatively close set eyes. Both Pentax models
have a minimum PD of 58mm, so that would have been borderline close
to working for me.

Hopefully, this will be a binocular that will last close to a lifetime!

Thanks

Good choice. Any and all of the Nikon Premiers deliver.

I agree. Good choice. Please do report back once you have had a chance to use them a bit.

As unlikely as it seems, I have come to realize , getting the best quality binocular (that I can afford) from the start is the least expensive path. The half step upgrades I used to take, to try and save money, always ended up costing me more in the end. You will have them broken just in time for the spectacular fall migration. http://www.hawkcount.org/sitesel.php?PHPSESSID=c27fab4bd8868bf0fabeba3e36e498df

Free North American Raptor silhouette download (printable)
http://hmana.org/silhouette_guide/

Direct link to printable silhouette download PDF
http://hmana.org/silhouette_guide/HMANA_Hawks_Guide_09.pdf

Enjoy.

Pentax dcf ed 8x32

The Pentax 8x32 ED is a spectacularly good binocular: the image is satisfyingly sharp, colours are accurate and well saturated, CA is virtually non existent and everything about it adds up to a highly practical binocular that is a delight to use. The question isn't whether to pay an extra 200 for the ED compared with the non ED version, but whether to pay an extra 500 for Zeiss, Leica or Swarovski. I wouldn't!

vaughan8 said:

The Pentax 8x32 ED is a spectacularly good binocular: the image is satisfyingly sharp, colours are accurate and well saturated, CA is virtually non existent and everything about it adds up to a highly practical binocular that is a delight to use. The question isn't whether to pay an extra 200 for the ED compared with the non ED version, but whether to pay an extra 500 for Zeiss, Leica or Swarovski. I wouldn't!

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Fully agree with the above quote; in that the true comparison is with the alpha range. Now I have not even seen the SP,; I have a fantastic sample of a 8x32 ED. It is everything that the above quote have said. On mine the focus is like fine virgin olive oil and the picture is superb.

I have spent hours comparing the ED to my 7x30 Swaro SLC-which it (the ED) does beat the SLC by quite a bit. And I have spent a lot of time looking thru 2009 Swarovski 8x30 SLC and Swarovski 2009 8x32 EL and also the newest versions of the 8x32 Nikon SE and 8x30 EII's and also an 8x32 Meopta Meostar and a 8x42 Vortex Viper-comparing all of the above to the Pentax ED and the ED more than holds its own.

In my back yard on my deck I can look 300 to 400 yards down to the River and I can also look a couple miles across the Valley at the south facing hills across the valley. I watch Eagles, Osprey, other birds, elk, deer, moo cows, horses, the river rapids, vegetation, bark,etc. as test subjects. I also take the my binos out in the field to lots of places in the state.

I thought to my eyes my ED in almost all levels of optical performance the Pentax Ed was better than the meopta 8x32 and was also better than the 8x30 SLC. The Pentax ED was just tons better to me when compared to the Viper. The ED did very well-almost neck and neck to me to the 2009 8x32 EL, with possibly a very slight edge to the EL.

As far as the 8x30 EII and the SE, they are a little different animal when comparing a porro to a roof because of the overall great view of the porro's. But optically as far as resolution, sharpness and color saturation, CA etc., the ED does very well when compared to these fine porro's. The ED's are very bright and have a great pleasing view. The Nikon porros may have just a touch better detail resolution, but it is very, very close. It is almost like splitting hairs. In low light of sunrise and dusk, these ED's really shine.

I have to say and I do not know why ( I guess it was because I did not have much previous experience with other Pentax binos except for a pretty fair 16x50 porro), -but I was somewhat shocked by the way this Pentax ED roof compared to all these very fine optics.

IMHO based on my experience with an ED, if I was looking in this price range or the alpha range I would not hesitate to strongly consider the Pentax ED. To me at $799 new at most places for the 8x32 ED- I consider it a real bargain, if not a steal.

Even tho' I'm forcing myself to be done with optics purchases (and I imagine it's like a Weight Watcher forcing him/herself to lay off the brownies, or an AA member stayin' away from the schnapps), it'd be interesting (and fun) to have all the better 8x32's lined up on a table in the shade on my favorite nearby lakeshore for a tryout. I have the SE, and recently traded off an SP, but would like to have an EDG, LX L, FL, EL, Pentax ED, RenZay (if they make an 8x32), and Leica BA and UD for a couple hours of comparo. I'm still a Pentax fan (esp the scopes & ep's) and would really like to see if the ED glass makes a big difference and eliminates the fringing I saw in the SP. The guy I traded it to didn't see any aberrations at all, and he loves it.

I'm not at all surprised how well the Pentax ED competes with the big boys. The 10x43 I looked through had spectacular glass.

my problem with pentax in their narrow FOV, for a high price, ED glass bino, i would expect more than 33' @ 100 yards in the 8x43 DCF ED

would really like to see if the ED glass makes a big difference and eliminates the fringing I saw in the SP.

Click to expand...

To my eyes the Pentax ED is virtually fringe free - none to minimal chromatic aberration. The color transmission is great.

308CAL said:

my problem with Pentax in their narrow FOV, for a high price, ED glass bino, I would expect more than 33' @ 100 yards in the 8x43 DCF ED

Click to expand...

The FOV for the Pentax ED is 315' @ 1000 yd for the 10X43 and 330' @ 1000 yd for the 8X43.

When I consider the Pentax ED costs $1000 less than the Ultravid HD I don’t miss the 20 feet or so of FOV! The Pentax ED separates itself from the rest of the binoculars by being half the price of the top glass, while delivering about the same top performance.

The Pentax ED comes from an optics company with a long history of optics design and manufacturing. Pentax has a research and development department and does not come out with a new model every month while they learn at the customers expense. The company not only offers a lifetime warranty, they actually have a USA repair facility! Pentax will be around long after the "store front" for Asian makers are gone. For some buyers that is important – for others it is not.

There is certainly a benefit to having bottom dollar cost effective ED bins available. There are some good brands out there at the $500 range that deliver great quality for the price. In my opinion they are not delivering the same quality/price performance you get when you move up to the Pentax ED. I

My point is - they are worth a good look under trying conditions!
Good Birding!

spyglass said:

Even tho' I'm forcing myself to be done with optics purchases (and I imagine it's like a Weight Watcher forcing him/herself to lay off the brownies, or an AA member stayin' away from the schnapps), it'd be interesting (and fun) to have all the better 8x32's lined up on a table in the shade on my favorite nearby lakeshore for a tryout. I have the SE, and recently traded off an SP, but would like to have an EDG, LX L, FL, EL, Pentax ED, RenZay (if they make an 8x32), and Leica BA and UD for a couple hours of comparo. I'm still a Pentax fan (esp the scopes & ep's) and would really like to see if the ED glass makes a big difference and eliminates the fringing I saw in the SP. The guy I traded it to didn't see any aberrations at all, and he loves it.

Click to expand...

Hi Spyglass .............
I too had or have that problem. Just purchased 3 discounted Konica minolta 8x42 D WP XL's at a insane price & they will likely end up on Ebay. I too am a big fan of the Pentax SP line, owning all 4 at one time. That being said I sold off all my 8x32's after having the pleasure of seeing what it is like looking thru a pair of Leupold's 8x32 Golden Ring HD, it blew the socks off the Pentax'. Just amazing .... gwen

Tvc15_2000 said:

To my eyes the Pentax ED is virtually fringe free - none to minimal chromatic aberration. The color transmission is great.



The FOV for the Pentax ED is 315' @ 1000 yd for the 10X43 and 330' @ 1000 yd for the 8X43.

When I consider the Pentax ED costs $1000 less than the Ultravid HD I don’t miss the 20 feet or so of FOV! The Pentax ED separates itself from the rest of the binoculars by being half the price of the top glass, while delivering about the same top performance.

The Pentax ED comes from an optics company with a long history of optics design and manufacturing. Pentax has a research and development department and does not come out with a new model every month while they learn at the customers expense. The company not only offers a lifetime warranty, they actually have a USA repair facility! Pentax will be around long after the "store front" for Asian makers are gone. For some buyers that is important – for others it is not.

There is certainly a benefit to having bottom dollar cost effective ED bins available. There are some good brands out there at the $500 range that deliver great quality for the price. In my opinion they are not delivering the same quality/price performance you get when you move up to the Pentax ED. I

My point is - they are worth a good look under trying conditions!
Good Birding!

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Iam a cats hair away from pulling the trigger again just to see how they measure up to the 8x32 Leupold HD Golden Ring. I can not believe their is anything out there , that could be any better in the $500 to $800 price range .....gwen

20'??

meopta meostar 8x42 has 400' @ 1000, thats 70' and the same price class!B