My wife and I are long-time wildlife- and bird-watchers, both backyard and out in nature. We are also wildlife rehabilitators, caring for orphaned and injured birds and small mammals. Some of those birds and animals are soft-released in our back yard. Keeping track of them is important.
Christmas was coming, and I was thinking about a new pair of binoculars for the Missus--and for me to borrow. I started researching what would fit into our very limited (way short of Steiner) budget, and came across the Pentax PTX62216 8.5 X 21 mm Papilio Binoculars. Who or what is Papilio? No idea.
I was intrigued because these touted something called the 'CLOSE' system; technology that gave them the ability to be used on objects as close as one and a half feet away.
Yes, you read that right. You can focus in on something eighteen inches away.
The reviews were positive. The price was within range, currently around $109 at Amazon. I took a chance and sprang for 'em.
We love these binoculars, and they work as advertised. You can focus on something as close as arm's length, using them as a sort of 'distant microscope'. I can focus on a squirrel (one of our graduates) on a bird feeder six feet outside our window and count her whiskers. Pull in the occasional mystery bird or questionable sparrow on the ground five feet away so close it's like holding it in my hand. Come summer that means we can get a close--CLOSE--look at butterflies and moths on nearby bushes, or bugs at our feet.
At 8.5 X 21 mm these aren't the strongest binoculars around. Their magnification and field of view are limited, but adequate. The view is crystal clear, the collimation perfect, and they perform well in low light. They are compact enough to fit in a pocket.
I'm not a shill or rep or paid pitchman, I'm just someone who for years has tried to get a better look at something ten or fifteen feet away with binoculars and seeing only a blur. If you get a chance to try these binoculars, go for it. You'll be amazed. And hooked.
There is a lower-strength version, but these hit that right versatility point. And if they ever come out with a higher-powered version, we're getting a pair of them, too.
Info about the picture below the orange cloud.
The picture is of bald eagles. It was taken at Eel Bay, a mile or so away from our house, a couple days after Christmas. At one point there were 13 of them in the trees at once, with another 3 or 4 our harassing the ducks, trying to get then to fly--and become brunch.