New PF-65ED II Scopes (1 Viewer)

henry link · Dec 26, 2006

Just visited the Pentax website. There are new 65mm's here: http://www.pentaximaging.com/produc...PF-65EDA_II/reqID--9394050/subsection--Scopes

Looks like perhaps the ED glass has been upgraded to an ED type with a higher dispersion number and, even better, the lettering of the logo and lens cell has been "upgraded to gold" which "will give a posher impression and feeling of unity".

dipped · Dec 27, 2006

There's a tsunami on its way to the UK caused by the stampede of existing and new pentax buyers wanting to improve themselves and join together!

Swissboy · Dec 27, 2006

I like the idea of promoting a new scope with "giving a posher impression". Isn't that why we all buy new scopes every once in a while? :bounce:
CRAZY!

dipped · Dec 30, 2006

Interesting that the 65mm scopes have been upgraded.

The 80mm straight was the first Pentax birding scope so I would have thought that would have been first for an upgrade. The 65mm scopes were brought out a bit later.
Perhaps there is an upgrade in the offing.

greg g · Dec 30, 2006

Henry,
It is funny that you mention the Pentax because I had narrowed my choice for a birding scope between a Pentax and Swaro. It is hard for me to get into Pentax's head. It appears they have nice 80 and 100 scopes and then PRINT THEIR NAME IN HUGE LETTERS AROUND THE FRONT COLLAR. It would be nice if they were a little more subtle in there brand icon placement/attachment. I have been working on buying myself a birding scope, going thru all the comparisons of different scopes from 77 to 85. During this bird scope selection process my aunt gave me her Celestron C5+ that is set up for astronomical viewing with the automated/head and tripod, but the eyepieces are a couple of Kellner's that I want to replace. I still want to purchase my first birding scope and it seems to make sense that the Pentax scope with their eyepiece selection would be a good fit and I could use the eyepieces with both scopes. I,m leaning to towards the Swaro with an astronomical adapter, use the swaro zoom and a 20x or 30x. For the Celestron buy one good eyepiece, maybe the TV 7, 13 Type 6. Another problem with Pentax is finding someone that has them and actually trying them out before ordering them over the net "cold". Have you ever tried a Pentax 80 or 100? Have you ever been able to compare the eyepieces of Pentax with Swarovski and Televue to form an opinion which had better light transmission and contrast?

medinabrit · Dec 30, 2006

greg g said:
Henry,
It is funny that you mention the Pentax because I had narrowed my choice for a birding scope between a Pentax and Swaro.

I havn,t got a swaro scope ,[ i do have 2 of their binos tho].
I have 3 nikon fieldscopes which are much favored with birders .2 takahashis & a few other assorted scopes .
Also i own all off the 3, 100mm 80mm & 65mm pentax pf,s I reckon the pentax are as good as any of the others except maybe the fs 78 tak .
The pentax eye pieces are second to none .But the zoom is quite large compared to other zooms. As i have said on this forum before , the best thing about the PF,s is the amazing array of different EP,s available .
Get the pentax & spend the money saved on a couple of good EP,s or a nice birding trip .
I dont think you would be dissapointed .
Brian.
ps forget the tak , its about 30 inches long.

greg g · Dec 30, 2006

What do you think of the quality and workmanship on the Pentax 80 and 100 scope? The Swarovski scope workmanship is very good, the warranty is excellent. The eyepieces have good field of view, the eye relief is also very good. On the Pentax what do you think of the workmanship on the 80 and 100, is the workmanship different on each one? Have you had any experience with the warranty? The eyepieces have a great reputation, do they live up to the hype? What do you find that you like about their eyepieces compared to others? Thanks for your help.

medinabrit · Dec 30, 2006

I once dropped the 80 pf about 5 ft onto the deck . I thought well there go,s 800 bucks , but when i picked it up it still worked fine . Cant give it more praise than that .
I sometimes think that if the pentax were more expensive more people would be interested in them.
Brian,

mayoayo · Dec 31, 2006

Pentax warranty

greg g said:
What do you think of the quality and workmanship on the Pentax 80 and 100 scope? The Swarovski scope workmanship is very good, the warranty is excellent. The eyepieces have good field of view, the eye relief is also very good. On the Pentax what do you think of the workmanship on the 80 and 100, is the workmanship different on each one? Have you had any experience with the warranty? The eyepieces have a great reputation, do they live up to the hype? What do you find that you like about their eyepieces compared to others? Thanks for your help.

Hi there...i have the pentax 65,i have used different eyepieces on it,of course, right there is where your quality sits...better eyepiece, better image..but the objective is a good ED one,i used to couple it with the swaro astro zoom ,and it was amazing.....the little 65mm objective delivered a nice bright,and resolved 52x image ,that was really amazing..also star test proved decent..Anyway...in the process of changing eyepieces,and because of an error ,i took apart the compression ring of the scope ,a plastic cheap repleaceble part,probably the cheapest part in the scope,indeed...and as i said,by accident ,cracked it..it still compresses,BUT..i want it replaced...so i called Pentax and ask for the part...their response(dry and without options)was"we dont send or carry or stock parts,you have to send the scope in for a full service"...You dont have this part in stock????????????????????????????????????????????????HOW come?...WHO DOES THEN?..I think they said that they will order the necessary parts after evaluation......from japan?
I have to pay a lot of money to send my scope insured,it always take a while to properly pack it, i need to expose it to the mercy of this or that carrier,and then trust that they dont mess or scratch or drop a ,except for the ring,perfectly fine scope......That is for the pentax warranty,(really ,they wouldnt listen to me) ...also bothers me that they didnt extended their new,no fault warranty,to all of their premium products,and only apply it to products purchased after may2006(or whenever it is)...........

lhouseman · Jan 13, 2007

Pentax PF80ED

greg g said:
What do you think of the quality and workmanship on the Pentax 80 and 100 scope? The Swarovski scope workmanship is very good, the warranty is excellent. The eyepieces have good field of view, the eye relief is also very good. On the Pentax what do you think of the workmanship on the 80 and 100, is the workmanship different on each one? Have you had any experience with the warranty? The eyepieces have a great reputation, do they live up to the hype? What do you find that you like about their eyepieces compared to others? Thanks for your help.

Hello Greg,

I was browsing this forum because I'm considering selling my PF-80ED. I have both the PF-80ED and the PF-65ED. Obviously the 80ED is better (brighter and a little sharper), but the 65ED is my current preference because of the light weight. I like to carry the scope with me when backpacking in Colorado and the 80ED just never seems to make the trip. I bought the 65ED and it is a little handier, although not quite the same optically (particularly at dusk and dawn). Drop me an email if you want more info. Lon Houseman

PaulJacobson · Feb 24, 2007

According to the press release for the PF-65ED II scopes:

High image performance
The new 65mm spotting scopes have been improved over our previous models by modifying all optical systems and improving lens quality and layout. This new optical design enhances the overall performance of the spotting scopes but specifically assures high quality results when attached to a PENTAX digital camera.

So it looks like there have been more changes made to the optics than just upgrading the ED glass. They seem to have been pretty successful as I haven't been able to detect any apparent CA so far.

I'm sure that they use gold lettering on all their other optics, so it's probably cheaper for them to produce the new posh badge than less posh silver

PaulJacobson · Feb 28, 2007

I've just come across a post comparing the PF65 HD (sic) to the PF65 HD (and again, sic) II, over here:

http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/DIGI.html#1172632659

This seems to be from the Yahoo groups digiscopingbirds forum, and from what I can see the page linked above holds only a short term archive. I'll quote the comments below for future reference. I've stripped out original posters names etc to protect the innocent. I believe you'll need to join the digiscopingbirds group to view the images referred to.

cheers
Paul

I just received the new PF65 ED ll with the XF Zoom 20-60x eyepiece. I
don't know how it was improved but it was. The two attached shots were
taken today in my back yard of a Yellow-rumped Warbler using the PF65 ED
ll Scope and XF zoom eyepiece. I removed the eyecup from the eyepiece
and added a 43mm to 52mm step ring and then attached my Nikon CP 8400.
I used no other adaptor than the normal 52mm tube that we use for this
camera. F/5.5 AT 125th ISO 100

This scope and eyepiece are amazing equipment it weighs just 37 ounces
or 1050 g and is just 10.6 inches or 270 mm in length. I can put it in
a cargo pocket of my hiking pants. AND just look at the detail of these
photos.

We also are the proud owners of a new Pentax 65. We opted for the SW14
eyepiece. It gives an incredibly sharp and bright image, at about 30X. Haven't

tried it yet for digi-scoping, but for general birding it may represent the
best bang for the buck out there in the world of compact scopes. The SW14 has good eye relief, so should work fine with many digi-cams. Price for there combo was about $850 US.

Very nice, crisp images! When you say you "don't know how it was
improved but it was," do you mean that a (the?) new edition of the PF
65 ED scope is improved over an older version of same scope? If so,
what experience do you base your judgement on?
Thanks in advance,

I used the PF 65 HD for 6 months before getting the PF 65 HD ll.

jeepnut · Feb 28, 2007

pf65-ed II -- have I missed something?

Have I missed something?

I have looked at the Pentax site a number of times since the PF65-ED II was announced. Other than the stated cosmetic changes and "Newly designed optical structure using ED (Extra low Dispersion) glass on the objective lenses", the big news seems to be a $50 price reduction. They are quite vague regarding the "improved optics". The PF65-ED used a design that was "optically improved" from the PF80-ED and PF100-ED scopes.

I just don't see a major improvement to get excited about. The real improvements may be reduced manufacturing costs, let's hope for improved quality control. Many critics of Pentax products point to quality control as the major problem.

It appears to me that Pentax is working on a market share strategy. This could be good for everyone. More competition, more bang for the buck.

PaulJacobson · Feb 28, 2007

jeepnut said:
Have I missed something?

see post #11 above which quotes from the press release for the PF-65ED II.

the full press release can be found at http://www.pentaximaging.com/footer/news_media_article?ArticleId=9517223

Based on the changes described in the press release (quoted above), which would amount to substantially more than a marketing makeover, I'm not really surprised that there are reports of improvements over the earlier model particularly with digiscoping.

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the PF-65 ED "I", so I can't make any informed comment on the validity of the comparisons. What I can say is the "II" is a great looking scope which managed to impress several Kowa owners and some innocent bystanders who looked thru it on the weekend.

cheers
Paul

jeepnut · Mar 1, 2007

"Improvements"

Paul,

It is good that Pentax has introduced and improved PF65-ED II. I just wish they would share the nature of those improvements in some kind of quantified manner.

Happy Trails, jeepnut

PaulJacobson · Mar 2, 2007

I haven't yet seen a manufacturer quantify properties like CA, so perhaps it isn't so straight forward to put these things in terms like "25% reduction of CA"?

Unless some tests the original PF65 and the II back to back, it seems like we might have to rely on comments such as those posted above to confirm that the changes have lead to "improvements" and that the "improvements" are apparently obvious in use.

I guess this is only really going to be an issue for those considering purchasing a PF65 while the both original model and the "II" are available, and have to decide whether the improvements are actually worth the premium over the clearance stock of the original model.

cheers
Paul

jeepnut · Mar 2, 2007

clearance stock?

Paul,

Have you seen PF65-EDs adverstised at "clearance prices"?
If so, were?

Thanx --
Jeepnut

PaulJacobson · Mar 2, 2007

A number of places online... typically $459.00 body only, tho' they are listed at $429.00 on Adorama.

adampaul picked one up at this pricing a couple of days ago:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=79255

Seems on the pricing I've seen the II is going for $50 more than old pricing, ie $599.00. I noticed Adorama had a price of $449 on a PF65-ED II last time I checked, but I suspect this is an error. Guess the only way to find out would be to order one.

Paul

jeepnut said:
Paul,

Have you seen PF65-EDs adverstised at "clearance prices"?
If so, were?

Thanx --
Jeepnut

PaulJacobson · Mar 2, 2007

I contacted Pentax USA to see if I could get any more information on exactly what had been changed on the "II"'s.

Paul,

Basically, the optical design was slightly modified in the PF-65EDII to
improve the image resolution and color accuracy. However, this was the
only change, besides adding the roman numeral two to the name. The
previous PF-65ED scopes were definitely good (especially for the price),
but the new version is even better.

Thank you,

John Carlson
Product Manager
PENTAX Imaging Company

cheers
Paul

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