SP & ED– premium roof prisms

More Information  · Supplied Accessories Price $899.00 List Price $1,129.00 Optical Type Roof Prism Field of view 6.3° Field of view 1000 yards 330' Exit Pupil 5.4mm Relative Brightness 28.89 Twilight Factor 18.55 Eye Relief 22mm Interpupillary Distance 58-74mm Close Focus 6.6' Weight 25.2 oz. Height 5.7" Armored Yes Waterproof Yes Number of optical elements 7 per side Warranty “No-Fault” Limited Lifetime

Add to that extra brightness the exceptional color fidelity and sharpness of costly ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass optical elements, and you have an absolutely unique 8x binocular. The use of ED glass for superior color reproduction and the elimination of chromatic aberrations (spurious color) is common in spotting scopes, but very rare in binoculars. Pentax is the first binocular manufacturer to adopt its optical advantages to an entire line of binoculars.

An excellent near focus of 6.6’ makes the 8 x 43 ED excellent for close-in birding in shadowed wooded areas. In these kinds of low light conditions, the 5% added brightness of its 1mm extra aperture can often make the difference between making a difficult identification and missing the bird entirely. Like all the Pentax ED series, this totally waterproof and fogproof 8x binocular uses the latest type of sophisticated aspheric optical elements for excellent resolution, an exceptionally flat field that is sharp and in focus from edge to edge, and low distortion and astigmatism.

Features of this binocular . . .

H-body roof prism with internal center focus.

Lightweight magnesium-alloy body with noise- and shock-absorbing dark green rubber armor and black trim. Many naturalists believe that dark green armor is less disturbing to birds and wildlife than conventional black armor. Shallow thumb grooves molded into the underside of the body help position the hands to balance the binoculars properly for comfortable extended observing sessions.

Sophisticated four lens/three group objective lenses for sharp, high-resolution images.

ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass optical elements reduce chromatic aberrations – the color fringing seen at the edges of dark objects viewed against a light background in lesser binoculars – to vanishingly low levels. Chromatic aberration is essentially non-existent, eliminating the yellow and purple fringes around tree limbs and power lines seen against a bright sky, and making it easier to determine the true color of eye rings, for example.

Fully multicoated optics for maximum light transmission. The external lens surfaces (both objective lenses and eyepieces) also have an additional scratch-resistant hard coating for added protection from scratches, dings, rough handling, etc. A hydrophobic (water-shedding) coating on the lenses helps keep water from forming large beads on the lenses during foggy or rainy observing, improving the image sharpness and contrast.

Hybrid aspherical lens elements in its three-lens/two-group eyepiece design provide a wide field with good edge-to-edge sharpness.

Little more than one and a half turns of the large ribbed focus knob moves from an excellent close focus of 6.6’ out to the horizon and beyond. The 6.6’ close focus and good 6.3° field make the 8 x 43mm Pentax ED a good choice for close-in woodland birding.

Nitrogen-filled and O-ring sealed to be internally fogproof in all temperature extremes and waterproof to a depth of 1 meter. The inert nitrogen filling also prevents the internal formation of fungus in high humidity climates, such as rain forests.

Phase-correcting prism coatings provide high contrast and resolution. This is particularly visible when looking sunwards, where more color and detail is clearly visible in the shadowed areas of backlit or silhouetted birds.

Twist-up rubber-rimmed eyecups retract into the binocular body for eyeglass use. The eyecups have four built-in click stops to more precisely match the eye relief to your eyesight. The eye relief is specified at 22mm. While this is technically correct, the actual usable eye relief will typically measure a few mm less due to the recessing of the eyepieces when the eyecups are in the down position for eyeglass use. A shorter eye relief than specified is typical of all binoculars. Vignetting (if any) will be very minor for most eyeglass wearers.

Objective lens covers are provided to protect the optics. The covers are tethered to the binocular body so they can’t be lost in the field, but can be removed if desired.

A socket is built into the center hinge to let you connect an optional photo tripod adapter for extended tripod-mounted hands-free observing sessions.

The continuously variable diopter ring on the right eyepiece allows you to match the binocular’s optical performance to that of your eyes. It can be locked in place so it can’t accidentally be knocked out of adjustment during use.

A comfortably-large ribbed rubber-coated focus knob makes it easy to focus while wearing mittens or gloves.

An eyepiece rainguard is standard equipment, as is a wide woven neck strap and a lightly padded Cordura-type nylon soft case. The case is designed primarily to store the 8 x 43mm ED when it is not in use, so no shoulder strap is provided.

This Pentax binocular is covered by the Pentax “No-Worry" lifetime warranty. If a Pentax ever requires repair, even if the damage is the owner’s fault, Pentax will repair it or replace it (at Pentax’s option) to the original owner for a charge of only $19.95 to cover handling and return shipping. The “No-Worry" warranty does not cover cosmetic damage, theft, or loss. Replacement may be with a compatible model at Pentax’s discretion if the original model is no longer available.