The Binocular Site

Pentax Binoculars

Overview

The company that is now Pentax was founded in 1919, and was originally named Asashi Optical Joint Stock Co. In 1952, the company introduced the SLR camera and became a pioneer and technological leader in the industry. Pentax continues to create state of the art products, both new and of better quality. They collect market research from around the world in order to make products to fit any situation in any country.

All of the binocular products from Pentax are made with the highest quality optics and mechanics. They're very serious when it comes to the quality of their products, including safety, and work toward meeting all the required standards. They also keep track of the performance of their products to help improve or find potential issues.

All of the binoculars Pentax offers are grouped into the compact or full size category. Once a size is decided on, there are several series of binoculars in each category to choose from, and each series includes binoculars best suited to the many uses one might have for binoculars. The compact category includes five groups of binoculars, DCF, UCF, MCF, FB, and Papilio, with one or more models of binoculars included in each. The full size category has three groups of binoculars, PCF, XCF, and a full size series of DCF binoculars, with DCF having both full size and compact models available.

Ranges:

Pentax's compact binoculars include DCF, FB, MCF, UCF, and Papilio series. The FB, Papilio, and MCF Jupiter II are their own series, but the DCF and UCF each have their own ranges within. The DCF series is further broken down into the DCF LV, DCF MC II, DCF SW, and DCF XP. The UCF series includes the UCF R, UCF WP, UCF XII, and the UCF Zoom II. All DCF models are ideal for viewing sports and outdoor wildlife. All the UCF models are ideal for sports, like the DCF models, but are better suited for hiking and traveling.

The full size Pentax binoculars include the PCF, XCF, and DCF series. The XCF and PCF WPII are their own series and, as with the compact versions, DCF have several ranges under the DCF series group. The DCF full-size range consists of the DCF ED, DCF HRc, DCF HS, DCF SP, and the DCF WP II.

Magnification:

Pentax binoculars have various levels of magnification available. Their Papilio series has a magnification of 6.5X, but other magnifications available on other binoculars are 7X, 8X, 8.5X, 9X, 10X, 12X, and 12.5X. Only three models have a 16X magnification: a UCF X II model, an XCF model and the UCF Zoom II. The UCF Zoom II has a magnification from 8X to 16X, "zoom" in the name denotes the variable magnification. 16X is not the highest magnification available though. One PCF WP II model reaches 20X.

Objective Lens:

Pentax offers a fairly standard range when it comes to the objective lenses of all their binoculars. Both models in the FB Lite series have the lowest objective lens size, measuring just 17mm, but one has a higher magnification than the other. Only one pair of binoculars in the Pentax product line reaches the highest objective lens size of 60mm: the PCF WP II 20X60. Overall, the sizes are evenly spread out over the entire binocular base. The average objective lens size of them all falls around the middle of the 17 to 60 range.

Field Of View (F.O.V.):

With all of Pentax's binoculars, you'll get just over 100 ft. of view at 1000 yd. with their highest F.O.V. reaching over 400 yd. at the same distance. The lowest F.O.V is found on the PCF WP II 20X60 model, with a view of 114 ft. at a distance of 1000 yd. The highest is found on the XCF 8X40 model, giving a view of 429 ft. at 1000 yd.

Product Offering:

There are approximately 45 types and models of binoculars available from Pentax, grouped into either the compact and full size category, with each category sporting their own series of binoculars, except the DCF which has both compact and full size models.

Pentax makes more than just binoculars, so if you're happy with those products, maybe they make something else you might find useful. Other sport optic products Pentax makes are spotting scopes, rifle scopes, astronomy eyepieces, and accessories to go along with them. They also have their own lines of cameras, CCTV, business printers, medical scopes and mobility products.

Price Range:

You can find pairs of binoculars Pentax offers for as little as $60 or as much as over $1,000. The least expensive model available is Pentax's 8X21 UCF R Binoculars for $59.99, and the most expensive model is the Pentax 10X50 DCF ED Binoculars which can be found for $1,149. The majority of Pentax binoculars are in the several hundred dollar range, with only a few models very highly priced.

Warranty:

The binoculars are grouped into Pentax's sport optic line of products along with rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and astronomical eyepieces. All sport optic products have a worry-free warranty that applies to any product purchased from an authorized Pentax sport optics dealer in the United States after March 1, 2006.

Pentax will fix or replace any sport optics product under the specified conditions to only the individual who bought the binoculars, even with accidental damage from user error, but only of the damage interferes with the operation of the equipment. For example, if the binoculars are scratched up from misuse, but otherwise work fine, you can still use them and they won't fix it. If a replacement is due, but the model is no longer available, a similar model will be issued. Stolen or misplaced binoculars are not covered. The only charge on the worry-free warranty is the shipping and returning costs.

Popular Pentax Binoculars:

The popular pair of binoculars in the Pentax line up is the 9X28 DCF LV model. The 9X28 DFC LV model is a compact and lightweight pair of binoculars, yet durable and comfortable to use with the helicoid eyepieces. The color quality and brightness are increased with fully multi-coated lenses and the exterior is made from rubber for a good grip that helps protect the internal components.

It costs $250.00, in the lower level of the pricing scale, and it comes with a case, strap, and eye lens cap. Its nitrogen-filled waterproof to handle and be used in extreme weather conditions and can even be submerged in water 3.3 ft. deep (1 meter).


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