Reviews & Ratings for Pentax 8x21 UCF-R binoculars - 62209 — 1 review — Page 1

Purchased as a present, but I had to check them out. I knew from previous experience that Pentax makes very good binoculars, but I was nonetheless very surprised at how good these things are. They come very close to the optical quality of a set of European 8x20's that cost about five times as much. Definition & clarity is very good, and when price is considered -- excellent. The UCF is also an eight power, but has slightly more magnification than my Euro 8x20, so either my set is really closer to 7x, or the Pentax is closer to 9x. The view in the Pentax is also slightly brighter, moreso than I would have expected with an objective lens that is just one more millimeter in diameter.

The Pentax seems to have very good build quality, and feels solid in the hand. The only downside I could find is a slight amount of backlash in the focus wheel. Not enough to detract from the viewing experience, and a whole lot less than a pair of Steiner travel-sized binoculars that I couldn't stand.

Be aware that the case is a rather homely plastic affair that is without belt loops. I would have preferred a nicer case, but I don't see how they could do that without upping the price. Given the overall performance for the dollar spent, I can forgive the rather cheap case.

These binoculars outperform every small Steiner, Nikon, Olympus, and Bushnell binoculars that I've ever looked through. They are very good overall, but I would consider them to be excellent when the price is conc...
Read More...