Comments on: Pentax 62216 Papilio 8.5×21 Porro Prism Binocular

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:52:39 +0000

Better than anticipated
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I recently found out about these binoculars through a local butterfly conservation group. These binoculars open up a whole new world. They are fantastic for viewing insects as advertised, but also are wonderful for examining plants, birds, and other wildlife in the field. They are like looking through a very strong magnifying glass at a comfortable distance. I also use them around the farm for observing my animals up close (as health checks, and for fun). I can’t say enough about how they bring to focus all of the details of nature that would only be visible to the human eye if you could be within 3 inches of the subject. And since I am closing in on 60, I couldn’t even focus on the details if I were that close! Lightweight, small in size, and a real bargain at the price – I can’t wait to take them on an eco-vacation.

By: Kimberly A. Brown

Kimberly A. Brown — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:45:37 +0000

My Husband is tickeled!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My husband asked for a pair of binoculars to watch the birds in the yard with for Christmas. I had no clue as to what to buy. I checked out the reviews on this product. I’ll admit, I was a little concerned that they could do what they said. (I know the pair we have now claimed to do so much, but they really don’t). So I ordered them and then waited for Christmas morning to see what my husband thought. He absolutely Loves them!! Seeing the birds clearly close up, as well as the deer and turkey at a distance is absolutely no problem for them. They are worth every penny. I highly recommend this product, if it for a gift, you can’t find better…if for yourself, what a treat!!!

By: cas

cas — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:38:37 +0000

Great pair of binoculars
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I lost my original pentax binoculars which I had been very happy with for many years. After doing some online research I decided I would go for another Pentax. The feature that attracted me to them was the ability to focus on something fairly close to you (butterflies etc.). When I received them I was amazed at how wonderful they are. I am extremely happy with them and definitely recommend them for this price range.

By: Heliomphalodon Incarnadine

Heliomphalodon Incarnadine — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:19:51 +0000

A long-distance dissecting microscope for the field!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This binocular is a wonderful instrument! Its close-focusing ability is nothing short of astonishing.

Carrying one of these in the field is like having a long-distance dissecting microscope in your pocket.

I purchased mine prior to a hike to Paradise Park on Mt Hood in Oregon, and I could not be more pleased with its performance.

For example, an unusual-looking fly alit on a wildflower in the meadow, and I was able to observe both in great detail.

The anatomy of the fly was quite clear — its palps, its eyes, the veins of its wings, even the hairs on its body — all were crisply presented.

Similarly, every structure of the flower was revealed — a better view, in fact, than I might obtain with a magnifying glass in close proximity.

It was also easy to get a good image of distant objects; for example, to observe features on the mountain, or to identify birds in the trees at a range of roughly 50 meters.

For distance viewing it is certainly no match for a full-sized binocular, in part because the small separation of the objectives cannot support the enhancement of depth that a large binocular offers.

On the subject of size, this instrument is surprisingly small. With the eyecups turned down and the eyepieces at maximum separation, it measures 4.25″ wide by 4.5″ deep by 2.25″ thick.

With the eyecups fully extended and the eyepieces at minimum separation, these figures become 3.5″ x 4.75″ x 2.65″ respectively.

The included eyepiece cover and case fit the binocular best with the eyepieces at full separation.

The eyecups are rigid (not roll-down) and rotate as they extend, with click-stops at zero-, half- and full-extension.

The instrument alone masses 296 grams (~10.5 oz); with the strap, eyepiece cover and case included, this increases to 371 grams (~13.1 oz).

I found the binocular to be very comfortable to carry “bandolier-style” under my right arm, all day long.

There is no cover for the objectives, which are in fact located behind a flat pane of optically coated glass.

The front of the housing sports a “rubber” hood that serves to shield (but not cover) this glass plate.

The eyepiece cover, strap and case are ordinary, but seem adequate and of good quality. Both the instrument and the case carry the now-ubiquitous “Made in China” label.

The eyepiece cover is of black plastic (PE 2) and resembles a pince-nez. In its “relaxed” state it fits the eyepieces at full separation, but its C-bridge is flexible so it can be used with the eyepieces in any position.

The strap is of black nylon webbing, 0.75″ wide where it rests on one’s neck, but unpadded.

The case is of black vinyl with a soft lining and a Velcro closure, but, like the strap, it is unpadded.

There is a belt loop (sadly, not a hook) permanently attached to the back of the case. This should fit a belt up to 2.25″ wide.

I cannot detect any odor from the case, eyepiece cover or strap. I do note a faint, rubber-like odor from the hood on the front of the instrument itself.

There is a provision to mount the eyepiece cover on the strap, so I plan to leave the case behind next time I take to the field.

The mounting system for the strap is excellent — secure, yet quickly and easily removed. The mounting points on the strap pivot freely in the mounts. The strap carries the instrument eyepieces-up.

The tripod hole in the bottom of the body is located near the objective end, on the center viewing axis.

The Owner’s Manual recommends using the “optional Pentax Tripod Adapter”, but I encountered no difficulty in mounting the binocular directly on an ordinary tripod.

The rubber-like “armor” provides a secure grip. The knurled central focusing wheel moves smoothly. Three turns of the wheel span its full range of focal adjustment. There are no marks on the focusing wheel.

The knurled diopter adjustment (on the right eyepiece) has 40 click-stops spanning its full mechanical range. I cannot report its optical range, which is not specified in the Owner’s Manual.

Zero is marked on the diopter ring. I wear contact lenses, and the zero-correction setting works well for me.

At 8.5 power, the exit pupil is small (2.47 mm) but I had no difficulty getting a unified stereoscopic image.

The range of separation of the eyepieces accommodates an interpupillary distance of approximately 2.25″ to 3″.

Others have mentioned troublesome sun-flash under certain conditions — while I didn’t specifically test for this, I encountered no such fault on a sunny day at altitude.

I could do without the inset purple “Papilio 8.5×21″ logo, but at least the even-less-welcome butterfly-hologram sticker was easily removed and left no mark.

Still, my overall impression of the instrument is one of high quality. I certainly feel that it offers excellent value for the money.

The Pentax warranty states, “… Pentax will repair or replace it to the original owner at our option (even if damaged by fault) for a charge of $19.95 …” which sounds pretty good to me!

All things considered, I am very pleased with this little jewel — especially considering the price. The near-field focusing ability of the Papilio line is, to the best of my limited knowledge, unique.

If you need a close-focusing, compact binocular, your only real choice is whether you prefer the Papilio in 8.5 power or in 6.5 power.

While my experience is solely with the 8.5 power model, surely the 6.5 power version is otherwise identical. I would not hesitate to recommend either.

By: Science Teacher

Science Teacher — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:55:40 +0000

Pentax Papilio 8.5 X 21 Porro Prism Binocular
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This binocular is surprisingly powerful for its size and weight. Its image is sharp, magnification is ideal for bird and wildlife observation and width of field sufficient for most applications. I consider it a good value for its price, and an ideal gift for a bird watcher. Its only drawback would be that its not water resistant, so should not be used in boats, especially in a saltwater environment.

By: Nestor Sanchez

Nestor Sanchez — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:15:23 +0000

Excelente
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Mi mamá es entomologa y los compré para ella… mas que usarlos podría decir que los ha disfrutado…! la imagen es excelente y han sido muy utiles para ella..!! Los recomiendo mucho!

By: L. Saul

L. Saul — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:51:47 +0000

Great for all-around nature study
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
These binocs are perfect for anybody who is interested in all creatures, not just birds. We used them at the Everglades and were equally pleased with the views of birds, alligators, crabs, insects, etc. They have gotten me interested in butterflying, and for this purpose they are superb. I expect that in time, you will see rave reviews on butterfly websites. Being able to focus to 20 inches or so allows me to watch insects & spiders with as much detail as if my eye were just a couple inches from the object (if the naked eye could focus that close). The view is gorgeous. At close range, it is somewhat like looking through a dissecting microscope. Amazingly, the quality of the image is very good (for both near & far objects). I tried some truly bad binoculars ($100 cheapies, zoom binocs, etc.) while shopping around and the Papilio is definitely at a much higher level of quality. To me, the quality is not noticeably different from that of the $350 birding binoculars (8x32, etc.) that I have tried. Perhaps a trained eye could find a difference, but I don't notice any. A potential concern with close-focusing binocs might be eyestrain, but the Papilio is very easy on the eyes even at close range. I have been using these binocs intensively for three weeks, and I am still delighted with them. I was also concerned about the small (21 mm) objectives, but I have not found the image to be noticeably dark.

Basically, these binocs are a real treat to own and well worth the price. I hope that Pentax (and hopefully other companies) continue this line of product development. If an image-stabilized version of the 8.5x21 came out for $400, I think I would buy it and just keep the other pair around as a spare. Hand-shake is not especially an issue with these binocs (compared to any pair with 8-9 power), but with the gorgeous views you will want to really run your eyes over all the details in the image, so a stabilizer seems like the next step. Fortunately, there is a tripod hole. Actually, you could use these for doing fine crafts, but only if you are least 5'10" or so (i.e. with long enough arms), and even then it would be awkward for long periods. Hopefully they will come out with a model that focuses to a few inches; that would probably require a longer barrel so it would be less portable. It would also be nice to increase the field of view if possible; it is pretty hard to follow a flying insect with these. If you specialize in birding, you may object to the field of view and the smallish objectives.

Anyway, for general nature study, the only real complaint I can make about the Papilio is that, because of the special mechanism that slides the objectives closer together for close-focus, there is a protective sheet of glass right near the end to keep grit out of the mechanism. I am concerned about getting fingerprints on it or hitting it on something. The glass doesn't look very thick so I assume it's more breakable than objective lenses would be. The case is OK, but it is too much trouble to keep pulling them out every time a bird or butterfly shows up. Anyway, at this price, I wouldn't feel too bad just buying a new pair every few years if I should break this pair. In fact, at only around $150, they're cheap enough that you might want to order one even if you haven't had a chance to try one out in a store. Since close-focusing is the special feature, I recommend the 8.5 x 21 to get the big views of insects that you want. I haven't tried the 6.5 x 21 but I imagine it has a bigger field of view and is better for hand-shake.

By: Kenneth Davis

Kenneth Davis — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:57:30 +0000

Pentax Papilio Binocular – Excellent Choice
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This product is excellent value for bird watching and nature gazing. I’m very please with this purchase!

By: Ohm Slaw

Ohm Slaw — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:48:45 +0000

Entomologist’s Delight
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
No doubt there are high dollar binoculars that excell over the Papilio in the ordinary capacity of long distance viewing. No doubt being absolutely waterproof is important for some. But still, these optics are superb for the price; the focus is fine and precise; and If ordinary care to protect them from foul weather and water is of no issue, the Papilio does something few, if any other binoculars can–focus down to an amazing 18″! What a phenominal ability! To be able to gaze the “close-scape” without having to have your nose to a magnifying glass, hovering inches over the subject, is liberating. Whole new, near vistas are revealed from a comfortable distance. They are perfect for insect viewing. Minerals can be examined in the field as with a geologist’s loupe, but at arm’s length. In this capacity, viewing stationary objects, or things not rapidly flitting about, I feel that 8x power is a boon over Pentax’s sister, 6x, offering. They also work great for finding tiny pills dropped on the kitchen floor or small springs that have jumped away in the shop, without having to crawl around on hands and knees. A caution, however: Don’t train them on your carpet without first having given it a through vacuuming! For the ability to get close to your subject, scoping out bugs and lizards and rocks and such (as well as for usual viewing of critters at a distance) these are unmatched, and wonderful.

By: Timothy B. Riley

Timothy B. Riley — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:09:15 +0000

An indispensable pair of binoculars to add to your collection
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you are a serious observer of nature you will probably want to own more than one pair of binoculars. Hunters have more than one rifle, musicians have more than one instrument and birders (and other naturalists) should have not only a back-up pair but also alternative binoculars that are better suited for specific situations. I have high magnification, compact and high definition pairs.

I bought the Pentax 8.5x21 binoculars for a couple of reasons. I like the fact that they are small and compact and for a porro-finder design they are unusually bright and easy to view through. The main reason won't come as a surprise to anyone, I like them because they focus so close. My longer optics (Canon 18x and 15x) will only focus down to 12' or so. This is fine for most applications but not all, especially when trying to look at hummingbirds or any other object that will allow you to get 5' or closer. I often pack these when for birdwatching trips as a back-up. When we come upon something unexpected (like an array of tiny bats on a tree in the Amazon or a huge spider in southwest New Mexico) everyone wants to use my Pentax binos. If you are into butterflies or insects this is the pair for you.

Both of the binoculars in the Papilio series are of an unique "reverse porro-finder" design, meaning that the front elements are closer together than the eyepieces are. It makes for a surprisingly ergonomic feel since the little bit of weight (these are very light binos) is shifted towards the rear, where they will get more support from your grip. I have a little bit of problem with the interocular distance because my eyes are somewhat far set but I got used to it. These are easy to stick in my briefcase or geocaching bag when I don't think that I'll need one, and that always seems to be the time when you wish that you had a pair of binoculars regardless of the magnification. All in all a great choice for an auxiliary pair of close-focusing pair of binoculars.