Pentax 20x60 Zoom Eyepiece for PF80EDA Spotting Scope

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Pentax has been a leader in the photographic field for many years. Many Pentax innovations have become standards in the industry. Pentax's enthusiasm and devotion towards the development of high-quality products have thrived over the years and continues to be stronger than ever. PRODUCT FEATURES: Utilizing Pentax XL telescope eyepieces, renowned for sharpness, field of view, contrast, and freedom from aberration; Extra Low Dispersion (ED) optics for optimum optical resolution; Large 80mm objective lenses for bright viewing under all light conditions; 20mm eye relief; Accepts all standard 1 1/4 inch interchangeable telescope eyepieces; Waterproof nitrogen filled; Famous Pentax Super-Multi-Coating maximizes light transmission, clarity, and contrast; Lightweight magnesium alloy housing; Extended eyecup allows for variable adjustment to accommodate eye relief for individual user; Built-in lens shade; Magnification: 20x - 60x; Lens Structure: 6 elements 4 groups; Real Field of View: 1.9-1; Apparent Field of View: 38-60; Field of View at 1000 m: 33 - 17m; Field of View at 1000 yd: 108- 56ft; Exit Pupil: 4 - 1.3mm; Eye Relief: 20mm; Relative Brightness: 16 - 1.7; Eyepiece Size Lens & Outside Diameter: 5.7 x 2.7in. (144 x 69mm); Weight (Eyepiece): 19.2 oz. (550g).Pentax 20x60 Zoom Eyepiece for PF80EDA Spotting Scope Review
I am a astronomer that uses a wide assortment of telescopes....8" and 11" SCTs, 85mm TV APO and 152mm Officiana Stellare APO very high end refractor. This eyepiece was designed to work with their spotting scope but I heard many reports of its outstanding qualities for astronomy so bought one about 8 years ago. First the negatives...it is tall and heavy. Zoom is a bit stiff but OK....it evidently was designed to key into the spotting scope and since the diagonals I use are clamp type it won't hold it quite as solidly so at first when zooming it will rotate...once you break it loose each day it rotates easier...probably stiction in the lube. FOV is fine...around 60-40 degrees depending on the zoom setting but don't expect a super wide FOV...that is not where it shines. Eye relief is OK but not a lot...about 16mm which works fine for me even with my thin glasses.Now the pros. Everything else comes in second to optical performance and comfort and convenience of use. I have owned and/or used a variety of top eyepieces from TV, Zeis, TAK, etc. for both regular night time astronomy as well as Ha solar astronomy including special purpose eyepieces specific for Ha solar viewing. I also now have sold off nearly all of my eyepieces and replaced them with the full Pentax latest line. In short....in many cases the best contrast and resolution is with the zoom Pentax. That goes against standard reason for a zoom with multiple elements compared to a fixed focal length EP but I am not the only one to notice this...in fact a couple of others were so impressed that they added the Pentax zoom to their arsenal. One of them who has a TAK 150 APO refractor rarely uses his other eyepieces. One interesting item is that the top of the eyepiece has a lens that is concave which helps to keep eyelashes from leaving smears on the top and when having public viewing sessions there is less chance of nose and finger smudges.I and others have been amazed at how well it works for use with Ha solar scopes. I haven't seen another eyepiece that can match it for contrast and resolution on those solar scopes!! The ability to zoom is obvious for framing but the fact you can zoom and darken background sky means you can often tweak out a bit more detail.
Yes...it isn't perfect but optically it never ceases to amaze me when compared to any fixed focal length eyepiece. To really see what it can do you need to pair it with a top telescope like a really fine refractor. It works with my SCTs but the difference isn't as obvious with those scopes.
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