New Pentax 65-EDII (1 Viewer)

[GeorgeL]

Just took delivery of a new 65-EDII straight. I paid $379 for it. Seems like new, old stock as it did not come in the newer Ricoh/Pentax box. Among the paperwork it included a notice of Hoya being the new parent company of Pentax.

I’m really liking this scope so far, tack sharp using my collection of Explore Scientific 82 degree EP’s which include 24, 20, 14, 11, 8.8, & 6.7mm. Now trying to see which one of these will be the primary EP for this scope. It’s between the 20 and the 14mm....and I can hold it pretty steady on the monopod.
I also have the 80-EDIIA which I’m also happy with. I don’t think I have a preference over angled or straight viewing, I like them both.

 

[gcole]

Just took delivery of a new 65-EDII straight. I paid $379 for it. Seems like new, old stock as it did not come in the newer Ricoh/Pentax box. Among the paperwork it included a notice of Hoya being the new parent company of Pentax.

I’m really liking this scope so far, tack sharp using my collection of Explore Scientific 82 degree EP’s which include 24, 20, 14, 11, 8.8, & 6.7mm. Now trying to see which one of these will be the primary EP for this scope. It’s between the 20 and the 14mm....and I can hold it pretty steady on the monopod.
I also have the 80-EDIIA which I’m also happy with. I don’t think I have a preference over angled or straight viewing, I like them both.

Hey George .... Smart purchase and you now have one of the best Quality to price purchases of all the 65mm scopes still available. I have owned many and still own one customized PF 65 AII which I will be selling because I do not use spotters anymore. Have fun experimenting with all the types of eye pieces your scope will be able to use.

 

[GeorgeL]

I hike with my scope & monopod and I was looking for a lighter alternative for an eyepiece in the 14mm range. The 14mm EP’s I’m using on this scope are rather heavy and bulky, especially the 14XW.
So, I was reading about these cheap SvBony eyepieces on Cloudy Nights the other day and they were getting some decent feedback from users so I decided to try one.
Anyway, I just got this 15mm/68* eyepiece, $35 from Amazon. It’s a clone of the Orion Expanse eyepiece. Perfectly ’tiny’ at only 66 gram, decent contrast and sharpness, but a bit soft at the field stop. Eye relief, not bad at all.

 

[PlayFreeBird]

Rather in the same boat. Started out with a Nikon ED50 and 27x wa. Used an old Slik Sprint Pro aluminum travel tripod with ball head. Great combo - I can sling it across a shoulder and hike for a couple of hours without noticing it, while it triples the reach of my binoc's.
Then I saw a great price on the PF80EDa with the SMC zoom. Splurged on a "The Birder" tripod with a heavy duty Kingjoy video head. Thing is rock solid with moderate weight. I have a ski backpack - breast and waist belts, low profile sack, ski straps on the back. Slip the scope in the bag, and strap the tripod across the back and it's quite manageable.
Next came a sale on the 65 and a sales tax holiday in Massachusetts, so I purchased it on a lark thinking I could share eyepieces and extend my options. Now I'm not so sure=:-o First up was deciding on a tripod and head. Really impressed with the heavy duty Kingjoy, so ordered their lighter model from China. Then dithered a bit and decided on a Benro CF tripod, as a reputed value standard. Mixed feelings about it. It's a wee bit heavier than the Slik, and bulkier, but because of the space taken up by the clamps noticeably shorter and less wide. It is stiffer. Put your hand on the Slik and the legs splay an inch in every direction. The Benro won't, but does still bend if you pan and tilt with any speed. The Slik won't handle the video head and 65, but is just fine for the 50. Haven't figured out eyepieces yet as research shows there are only limited possibilities for double duty.

I took put the SMC zoom in and took the combo to the shore for a test run. Disaster! Between the cold, the dampness, and the COVID mask, I could not keep my eyeglasses clear. Then the Kingjoy panning proved unusable. And of course the honking zoom is not well matched with the 65. Fortunately before I listed the whole thing on Ebay, I found reviews of the Kingjoy head which explained the hidden hex bolt which could be loosened to allow the panning to work the way it is supposed to.

Now I have to decide - buy the XF eyepiece pair and experiment with switching (which the Pentax is nicely set up for) - or spend a bit more for a superior XW14 useful on both scopes? And will it supplement the 50 or be redundant?

 

[gcole]

Rather in the same boat. Started out with a Nikon ED50 and 27x wa. Used an old Slik Sprint Pro aluminum travel tripod with ball head. Great combo - I can sling it across a shoulder and hike for a couple of hours without noticing it, while it triples the reach of my binoc's.
Then I saw a great price on the PF80EDa with the SMC zoom. Splurged on a "The Birder" tripod with a heavy duty Kingjoy video head. Thing is rock solid with moderate weight. I have a ski backpack - breast and waist belts, low profile sack, ski straps on the back. Slip the scope in the bag, and strap the tripod across the back and it's quite manageable.
Next came a sale on the 65 and a sales tax holiday in Massachusetts, so I purchased it on a lark thinking I could share eyepieces and extend my options. Now I'm not so sure=:-o First up was deciding on a tripod and head. Really impressed with the heavy duty Kingjoy, so ordered their lighter model from China. Then dithered a bit and decided on a Benro CF tripod, as a reputed value standard. Mixed feelings about it. It's a wee bit heavier than the Slik, and bulkier, but because of the space taken up by the clamps noticeably shorter and less wide. It is stiffer. Put your hand on the Slik and the legs splay an inch in every direction. The Benro won't, but does still bend if you pan and tilt with any speed. The Slik won't handle the video head and 65, but is just fine for the 50. Haven't figured out eyepieces yet as research shows there are only limited possibilities for double duty.

I took put the SMC zoom in and took the combo to the shore for a test run. Disaster! Between the cold, the dampness, and the COVID mask, I could not keep my eyeglasses clear. Then the Kingjoy panning proved unusable. And of course the honking zoom is not well matched with the 65. Fortunately before I listed the whole thing on Ebay, I found reviews of the Kingjoy head which explained the hidden hex bolt which could be loosened to allow the panning to work the way it is supposed to.

Now I have to decide - buy the XF eyepiece pair and experiment with switching (which the Pentax is nicely set up for) - or spend a bit more for a superior XW14 useful on both scopes? And will it supplement the 50 or be redundant?

Pair the XW14 or the XW20 on your little Pentax 65 or the 80mm and do not look back . The XF eyepieces are blown away by the XW’s, yes the XW eyepieces are more expensive but you get what you pay for.

 

[GeorgeL]

Rather in the same boat. Started out with a Nikon ED50 and 27x wa. Used an old Slik Sprint Pro aluminum travel tripod with ball head. Great combo - I can sling it across a shoulder and hike for a couple of hours without noticing it, while it triples the reach of my binoc's.
Then I saw a great price on the PF80EDa with the SMC zoom. Splurged on a "The Birder" tripod with a heavy duty Kingjoy video head. Thing is rock solid with moderate weight. I have a ski backpack - breast and waist belts, low profile sack, ski straps on the back. Slip the scope in the bag, and strap the tripod across the back and it's quite manageable.
Next came a sale on the 65 and a sales tax holiday in Massachusetts, so I purchased it on a lark thinking I could share eyepieces and extend my options. Now I'm not so sure=:-o First up was deciding on a tripod and head. Really impressed with the heavy duty Kingjoy, so ordered their lighter model from China. Then dithered a bit and decided on a Benro CF tripod, as a reputed value standard. Mixed feelings about it. It's a wee bit heavier than the Slik, and bulkier, but because of the space taken up by the clamps noticeably shorter and less wide. It is stiffer. Put your hand on the Slik and the legs splay an inch in every direction. The Benro won't, but does still bend if you pan and tilt with any speed. The Slik won't handle the video head and 65, but is just fine for the 50. Haven't figured out eyepieces yet as research shows there are only limited possibilities for double duty.

I took put the SMC zoom in and took the combo to the shore for a test run. Disaster! Between the cold, the dampness, and the COVID mask, I could not keep my eyeglasses clear. Then the Kingjoy panning proved unusable. And of course the honking zoom is not well matched with the 65. Fortunately before I listed the whole thing on Ebay, I found reviews of the Kingjoy head which explained the hidden hex bolt which could be loosened to allow the panning to work the way it is supposed to.

Now I have to decide - buy the XF eyepiece pair and experiment with switching (which the Pentax is nicely set up for) - or spend a bit more for a superior XW14 useful on both scopes? And will it supplement the 50 or be redundant?

I have both the 65 and 80 Pentax scopes and practically all my my astro eyepieces perform really well on both scopes. I have telescopes so I have a set of Pentax XW’s and several of Explore Scientific eyepieces. The XW eyepieces are fantastic on both scopes, the most comfortable EP’s I’ve ever used.
Also, most all non-premium eyepieces work just as well on both scopes, no problem.

 

[GeorgeL]

And of course the honking zoom is not well matched with the 65.

Are you talking about the physical size of the zoom EP?

 

[PlayFreeBird]

Yes the zoom for the 80 - It's big and the range is reduced on the 65. Not that I could tell the difference as I was cold and miserable and couldn't keep my specs clear.

 

[GeorgeL]

Yes the zoom for the 80 - It's big and the range is reduced on the 65. Not that I could tell the difference as I was cold and miserable and couldn't keep my specs clear.

Yes, it’s a big EP......and 550 grams. The 14XW is smaller and weighs 365g. It gives you 27x on the 65mm and 34x on the 80mm scopes. And there are also many other smaller and less expensive 12/13/14mm astro eyepiece options out there.

 

[PlayFreeBird]

Well my scope got it's baptism last month. I pulled the trigger on the XF zoom. I chose it in part because I didn't want to duplicate the 27x view of my Nikon ED50 and in part because I found Eitan Altman's post on zoom as a tool resonant. And it was slightly discounted It arrived very quickly from Japan. So the next day E-bird announced a King Eider off of South Boston. I stole out at lunch with the new scope, so excited I forgot my binoculars.
I walked the entire breakwater, stopping periodically to check the rocks and the ocean without success. Got the to the fort and it was getting late, but figured I might as well check the fishing pier as I was there. Got to the end of the concrete platform and was setting up when a retiree with a huge telephoto joined me and asked if I had seen anything - had I seen the Eider? I said no luck just as she looked down and exclaimed, "There he is!" About ten yards below, diving and swimming in the shallow clear water. He was so close, I had trouble getting the scope on him=:-o

Having had chances since to make a more sober judgement, it's pretty much what everyone says. The narrowing and darkening of the zoom, and the change in focus and eye relief, is much more noticeable and annoying than with the 80. It's fiddly. It's also half the size of the 80. I took the 80 to the beach the other day and left the backpack at home. Just the walk across the sand with the 80 made we wish I hadn't. The 65 is light and small enough to sling, but it doesn't disappear like the 50. So the 65 has the fair weather reach of the 80, but less comfortably , and the portability of the 50 with less comfort but more reach and condition breadth. Not sure about keeping both the latter, esp. if I add the 14mm for the 65.
The lighter Kingjoy tilt and pan worked well now that the bolt has been adjusted - inexpensive, minimal, and effective. The Benro Slim CF tripod is okay, but the significantly more expensive next step up is probably a better answer. I have to see how much a string bag and a rock will help.