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Pentax DCF WP - 1st good binos for me

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blsnelling View Drop Down
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    Posted: June/06/2006 at 21:02
After a good bit of research, I bought a used pair of Pentax 10x42 DCF WP binos off eBay.  I got them for $201.  I picked them up today at the PO and they are in LN condition.  Talk about clear glass!    They didn't come with lens caps or the original case so I called Pentax and ordered them for $43.  How'd I do?
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birdhunter View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote birdhunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/07/2006 at 08:20

You did great!  I wished I could find a pair for that price.  They are the best binoculars you can get for under $500 or so I have read on the message board.  Thanks, bird_hunter

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blsnelling View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote blsnelling Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/12/2006 at 07:43
Were does the original DCF WP fall in relation to the WP II and SP models?  What's changed?
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lucznik View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucznik Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/12/2006 at 10:49

The DCF WP was the first mid-priced binocular to offer phase-correction coatings and by so doing, heralded the current wave of high-quality optics that can be competetive against the best offerings of the "Big Boys" at prices far, far less. This binocular retailed for between $450 (for 8x) and $500 (for 10x.) In its wake other binoculars (Bushnell Discoverers, Nikon Monarchs, Leupold WindRiver Cascades, etc.) have been systematically upgraded to include these (and other) coatings to try to remain competetive.  Other binoculars (Bushnell Legends and Excursions, Leupold WindRiver Olympics and Pinnacles, Steiner Merlins and Peregrines, etc.) were developed to include these advances from the get-go. Pentax also had the DCF HR line which was a somewhat lesser (and non-phase coated) binocular that was intended for the consumer with a tighter budget. 

 

The SP line was intended to both upgrade and replace the WP line and included a price jump to the $600+ range. Image distortions (for example, chromatic abberation) were addressed and reduced and as a result, these binoculars really do all but match the image quality of the very best manufacturers.  Their one primary drawback is that their fields of view are a bit restrictive (330 ft @ 8x and 315 ft @ 10x.) At the same time the HR line was upgraded to include phase correction coatings and was renamed DCF HRII.  There was also a modest price increase for this line but, they still were marketed toward the more budget-controlled consumer.

 

Fast forward a few years and the folks at Pentax have realized that by discontinuing the WP line, they are missing out on a large segment of the consumer market dominated by people who want something better than the low budget HRIIs but, can't quite stretch so far as to buy the company's high end SPs. This resulted in this middle market area being controlled by the Bushnell Discoverer & Legend, Nikon Monarch, Leupold WindRiver Olympic, etc. The reintroduction of the WP line (renamed WP II) is designed to remedy this market gap for Pentax.  They have been reduced in price to around the $350 range to keep them competitive with these other brands/models and to put them squarely in the middle between the HRIIs and the SPs.

 

According to the company's literature the WPII line has been upgraded to include more/better multicoatings so as to improve light transmission over the previous model.  I have yet to see a WPII in any store so, I don't know how dramatic this improvement really is. The original WP line however, was/is very bright, with a nice contrasty image and I suspect the WPII line's improvements will be of only a rather minimal nature. You can pretty much gaurantee that they will not be as good as the SPs as no company is going to sabotage their own high-end line and yet they will likely be rather significantly better than the HRII line so as to entice the consumer to find a way to stretch their budget just a bit more.



Edited by lucznik
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?
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blsnelling View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote blsnelling Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/13/2006 at 10:21
Wow!  Thanks for the insightful info.  That should really help anyone looking for the best deals on mid-range binos.  All nice and concise in one post.
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anweis View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote anweis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/17/2006 at 16:37
Originally posted by lucznik lucznik wrote:

The DCF WP was the first mid-priced binocular to offer phase-correction coatings and by so doing, heralded the current wave of high-quality optics that can be competetive against the best offerings of the "Big Boys" at prices far, far less. This binocular retailed for between $450 (for 8x) and $500 (for 10x.) In its wake other binoculars (Bushnell Discoverers, Nikon Monarchs, Leupold WindRiver Cascades, etc.) have been systematically upgraded to include these (and other) coatings to try to remain competetive.  Other binoculars (Bushnell Legends and Excursions, Leupold WindRiver Olympics and Pinnacles, Steiner Merlins and Peregrines, etc.) were developed to include these advances from the get-go. Pentax also had the DCF HR line which was a somewhat lesser (and non-phase coated) binocular that was intended for the consumer with a tighter budget. 

 

The SP line was intended to both upgrade and replace the WP line and included a price jump to the $600+ range. Image distortions (for example, chromatic abberation) were addressed and reduced and as a result, these binoculars really do all but match the image quality of the very best manufacturers.  Their one primary drawback is that their fields of view are a bit restrictive (330 ft @ 8x and 315 ft @ 10x.) At the same time the HR line was upgraded to include phase correction coatings and was renamed DCF HRII.  There was also a modest price increase for this line but, they still were marketed toward the more budget-controlled consumer.

 

Fast forward a few years and the folks at Pentax have realized that by discontinuing the WP line, they are missing out on a large segment of the consumer market dominated by people who want something better than the low budget HRIIs but, can't quite stretch so far as to buy the company's high end SPs. This resulted in this middle market area being controlled by the Bushnell Discoverer & Legend, Nikon Monarch, Leupold WindRiver Olympic, etc. The reintroduction of the WP line (renamed WP II) is designed to remedy this market gap for Pentax.  They have been reduced in price to around the $350 range to keep them competitive with these other brands/models and to put them squarely in the middle between the HRIIs and the SPs.

 

According to the company's literature the WPII line has been upgraded to include more/better multicoatings so as to improve light transmission over the previous model.  I have yet to see a WPII in any store so, I don't know how dramatic this improvement really is. The original WP line however, was/is very bright, with a nice contrasty image and I suspect the WPII line's improvements will be of only a rather minimal nature. You can pretty much gaurantee that they will not be as good as the SPs as no company is going to sabotage their own high-end line and yet they will likely be rather significantly better than the HRII line so as to entice the consumer to find a way to stretch their budget just a bit more.

 

Geez lucznick, i wish my students would do such thorough research and write so well...

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lucznik View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucznik Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/17/2006 at 18:29
Originally posted by anweis anweis wrote:

Geez lucznik, i wish my students would do such thorough research and write so well...

 

 Well, thanks.

 

What exactly do you teach, anweis? 

What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?
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