Pentax Papilio

After spending a couple of hours today comparing the 6.5x21 and 8.5x21 Pentax Papilio binoculars I ended up coming home with the 8.5 model. Both were very good making it a tough choice which to purchase with both being excellent performers. After several side by side tests I noticed the 8.5 model has a slightly better corrected view being sharp across the entire field to nearly the very edge of the field of view. Liked the extra bit of magnification of the 8.5's also. The level of sharpness,brightness and contrast for their mere 21mm aperature is truly impressive along with the quality of the up close and infinity images. Collimation is dead on and they are very comforable to view with when the eye cups are down while wearing my glasses with no problem taking in the whole field of view. Very smooth focuser and general very good construction and coatings all around. Very nifty system for quick secure mounting and removal of the neck strap. Bought these as travel binos for a wide variety of applications and from what i've seen today on a variety of targets they certainly will do a great job at a very good price.

Excellent product Pentax!


Best regards. Stan Taylor Vancouver B.C.

I bought the 8.5x Papilios the same day I received my Zeiss 10x42 Victory FT's. That's why I can't honestly give the Pentax glasses a 10 on optics. BUT, they are a great little pair of binoculars and can easily act in an everyday, carry along role - light, small and lots of fun to use. After losing the non-strapped case twice and finding it once, I bought a modest-sized Lowepro carrying case that holds both the binoculars and my Canon A650 digital camera, so I'm ready for most anything. While the Papilios might fall a bit short at night, they can make daily activities very interesting. A friend is buying a pair for museum visits, to get clear closeups of the exhibits. I'm enjoying flower macros on my hikes. These binoculars belong in every car on a trip and every packpack on a trek! And at less than 1/10 the price of my Zeiss Victorys, there's no excuse not to put them there!

Optics - 9/10:
+ very sharp, bright and contrasty
+ smooth, backlash-free focus action
+ infinity focus possible with over 4 diopter short-sightedness
- Apparent FOV of 49 degrees a bit narrow
- minor softening of very outer region given narrow AFOV
- slight non-convergence at closest focus (image still fine though)
- 15mm eye-relief marginal for spectacle wearers like me

Value - 9/10:
+ solid, groovy build
+ firm, symmetrical interpupilary adjustment
+ good twist-down eyecups and click-stop diopter adjust
+ innovative neck strap attachment
+ well padded soft case
- slightly heavier and bulkier than regular compact 8x20s
- not nitrogen-purged or waterproof

Overall - 10/10:
+ Unique, versatile, sensational! 0.5m close focus
+ superb quality instrument at this price

I have a pair of Barska 15x70s for astronomy use, and still feel the need for perhaps a pair of 8x40s for general and low-light applications (can't have too many binos :-), but the Papilios are a lifetime keeper I think. The extreme close-up capability opens up a whole new world in pristine 3D stereo.

I choose the 6.5x over the 8.5x for extra FOV for sports etc, and the exit pupil (nearly double relative brightness). But you wouldn't go wrong with either.

Mark

Is Pentax subsidizing their new Papilio binoculars? It defies the laws of opto-economics that such a precision instrument, with so much new mechanical and optical technology, can be sold at a street price of $110 (which is what I got mine for from Adorama). The sharpness and contrast are superb, starting at infinity and holding detail all the way in, closer and closer. Optically, at least in the central two-thirds of the field where all one's attention is focused, I can detect little difference between the Papilios and my current birding binoculars, Pentax 8x43 DCF SP phase-coated roofs. The Papilios focus on a close-up world inaccessible by any other binoculars. Touted as butterfly binoculars, I maintain that they are much more than that. I spent the first day with them gazing into the inside of flowers. In the process I discovered insects too small to have been detected by the naked eye. I crouched down and spent five minutes looking at a column of ants. Each ant seemed like it was an individual, with a personality. It's not only the detail, it is seeing this detail stereoscopically which is so totally mesmerizing.

Mechanically, the Papilios are without fault; in fact, they raise the bar considerably to any future competitors. The rubberized exterior is tactile and protective. The focusing wheel moves smoothly with no backlash. The twist-out eyecups have secure detents so they will not move from the selected position accidentally. The 15mm of eye relief is just sufficient to allow full-field viewing with my eyeglasses on, but the view is slightly better with eyeglasses off, so I appreciate the ease with which the switchover can be effected. The body of the binoculars has a socket on each side, for attaching (or detaching) the neckstrap with a simple bush of a button. This socket arrangement is ingenious; no more fumbling trying to thread a strap through a body lug.

When using these binoculars in the close-up realm, the view is enhanced by using them on a tripod. Pentax makes this easy -- there is a tripod socket built right into the bottom. For 6x or 8x binoculars, this must be another first. I find the perfect tripod is a Velbon Ultra Maxi, with a small ball head. With this as my outfit I can set up, crouch down (or stand up) and have a rock-steady gaze on a flower or insect. Once you get used to this complete absence of vibration you will not want to leave your lightweight tripod behind.

Of the two Papilios, I own the 6.5x21, which I selected for its larger exit pupil than the 8.5x21. I'm going to keep my Pentax 8x43s, but all my other binoculars are now for sale.

I just received the Papilio 6.5x binocular. It is quite wonderful.
Optical corrections are close to perfect - at 50x I get a nice diffraction pattern in both barrels. In my experience very few binoculars stand up to this magnified image test - these would work very well (albeit they would be somewhat dim) in a high quality zoom version of say 6.5x-15x. I rated the optics a 9 since the coatings could be improved and there are dim secondary images formed close to the focal plane. These are only visible when pointing the binocular at small bright light sources such as Christmas tree lights. In the daytime the image is superbly crisp. As mentioned previously, close focus is amazing with the binocular maintains its sharpness even at 20 inches. These are great little binoculars. I am very particular regarding optics - It would be nice if Pentax would address the minor points I mentioned. Full broadband multi-coatings would make this one even better. However, even with these minor quips, I can find no good reason to return them. In time I expect others to imitate this truly innovative design.