Not quite the same, but I got a miyauchi 22x60 as a spotting scope substitute;
but later got a spotting scope-the zoom ep trumps two eyes, at least for me
edj
I had the 20x60 PCF V and WP models. Liked the Japanese-made PCF V better, although I think there were some produced in China too. Just seemed sharper to me, but that could have been sample variation.
Great astro bins. Best view of the Double Cluster ever. But for birding, I found the narrow FOV somewhat limiting (you need a "finder bin" to locate your target an then "zoom" in with the 20x60s). The Pentax showed a fair amount of CA in high contrast situations whereas except for the moon and Jupiter, that was not an issue for stargazing.
I do like the comfort of using two eyes and the increased contrast that affords, but if you can buy a good quality ED scope, it trumps the Pentax 20x60 for birding.
I used two Zeiss Diascopes on Sunday at Bald Eagle State Park's annual "Big Sit" for Bird Watcher's Digest. The diehards were there at 5 am and stayed to 5 pm.
What I wanted to see was a Bald Eagle. Saw them in captivity, and spotted one far off circling over the ridge across the lake last year, but not close enough to make a positive ID (the diehards did since they know what to look for at that distance, but I wanted to see some closer details).
Bald Eagles returned to the park about seven years ago and have been nesting there for the past few years.
As 3 pm approached, I was ready to pack up but thought I'd sweep the near side of the lake to our left, which nobody else was watching. I spotted a large bird circling and pointed it out to the sleepy die hards. One thought it was a turkey vulture due to its black wings and wide wing span, but through my trusty 10x35 EII, I could see the bird had a white tail and white head, not pink.
So I leaped up and went to one of the nearby Zeiss scopes, this one had a 30x EP, and I got the bird in view and made a positive ID. Well, I couldn't see the "bald spot" but I'm sure it was a Bald Eagle.
Earlier, I used the other Diascope, which had a zoom EP. The view didn't seem cramped even with the zoom EP at lower power. Usually zooms at lower power have a rather narrow AFOV but the view looked expansive. The EP itself is HUGE. Even with the shield up, some side light got through so I had to turn the brim of my hat. The image also held up well at high power.
I was looking over a lake so the images were steadier than I would have seen looking out over a field or a treeline. Back home, I'm looking over a field, trees or houses so even 10x shows some shimmer.
I also saw some yellow warblers and bluebirds in the trees near the shoreline, and some black ducks flying across the lake with my EIIs. Found them with the eights and ID'd them with the tens.
The 8x and 10x EIIs were a perfect combo for close and medium distance. When it comes to birding, "wider is better". The wide FsOV (8.8* and 7*) really helped find birds both in the bush and in the sky.
When combined with the scope, I had all my bases covered for the "Big Sit" (called that because it's an international birding event and because you have to remain within a 15 ft. circle as you count species.
Before I left, the count was 33 species. There is a $500 prize involved, which is sponsored by Swarovski (wish they had an HD scope as a prize, I would have been out there at 5 am myself!).
If I could afford a high end scope with wide EPs, I think I might overcome my monovision phobia, but unfortunately, it would be limited to early morning and late afternoon birding due to the heat waves and air turbulence in the valley.
Both of the scopes were angled, which was much more comfortable than having to crank my neck to look through a tripod mounted pair of binoculars.
If you prefer binoculars and have a rubber neck, a better choice than the Pentax might be the Minox BD 15x58 ED BR. I've read good reviews though I might personally find those oversized eyecups uncomfortable. Some BF members posted comments on this bin. Check out the Minox forum.
The 15x ED BRs were very reasonably priced last year at Camera Land. You might find one for sale on eBay.
Brock