We have been asked by some of the members to start doing some posts with product information. With that in mind here is a bit on the Pentax PF80ED:

The key to the high performance of the PF-80ED is that it uses those great big Pentax eyepieces originally designed for astronomical telescopes. Pentax was well-known as a leader in that field long before they got the bright idea of mating these outstanding eyepieces with regular terrestrial spotting scopes. Optics used for astronomy have to resolve pinpoint light sources (i.e., stars), so you know this is really sharp glass.

At the rifle range this scope is a dream, as good or better than any scope there is at resolving small bullet holes at however many yards/meters downrange. Hunting, you can glass through it all day without developing a migraine or going cross-eyed. It’s a little lighter than a lot of full-size spotters, so it’s easier than most to pack around. In terms of image quality for the buck you can’t beat it.

If we can answer anything about this or any other optic please feel free to contact us.

How does it and the PF-100ED compare?

The 100 is that much better as it is much brighter, however, the 100 is a BIG unit:
Dimensions 25.7 x 5.3 x 4.6"
Weight 6.79 lb

What's the max magnification with the 100?

The same eyepiece that is a 20-60x on the PF80ED becomes a 26-78x zoom due to the larger tube of the scope on the PF100ED.

Doug - which direction do you move on the eyepieces to increase magnification?

IE - is the 3.5W the highest available and what's the result?

Thanks

In order to determine magnification for any scope / eyepiece combination - please note this formula:



- Focal length of scope divided by focal length of eyepiece equals magnification.



(ie) (PF-80ED scope) 500mm focal length / (XW 14 eyepiece) 14mm focal length = 36X. The XW-3.5 = 143x



I hope this helps.