Someone mentioned these binos recently, but for the life of me I can't find the thread again. Anyway, I read about them for the first time yesterday morning (never saw the earlier thread about them) and ordered a pair on the spot. They arrived this morning.
Exactly what I wanted and they will replace the (not so good) close-focus pocket telescope I used to date. Lovely sharp and clear image and the closest focus really pulls out fine detail that's invisible to the naked eye. Very pleased indeed. Thanks for mentioning them - whoever you are...
Cheers
Beats
Pentax Papilio II 8.5x21 close-focus binos
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Beatsy,
I suppose you are thinking about this thread from Aug 2018
But a search on "Penta Papilo" will give you many more.
I bought a pair based on this thread and I am very happy with it. They help me very much with compensating for my ageing eyes.
I suppose you are thinking about this thread from Aug 2018
But a search on "Penta Papilo" will give you many more.
I bought a pair based on this thread and I am very happy with it. They help me very much with compensating for my ageing eyes.
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
Visit my Flickr albums
Visit my Flickr albums
As I am rather nearsighted, I just take my contact lenses out and get reeeeaallly close...this gives me a natural macro ability 
But would these give me magnification and a more comfortable view? I need something to facilitate cleaning extremely delicate mineral specimens that cannot be put in an ultrasonic bath. So far, the only solution I have found is to use the thinnest artist's paintbrush to pull fibers off one by one.
But would these give me magnification and a more comfortable view? I need something to facilitate cleaning extremely delicate mineral specimens that cannot be put in an ultrasonic bath. So far, the only solution I have found is to use the thinnest artist's paintbrush to pull fibers off one by one.
I think the closest focus would be too far for comfort when "micromanipulating" your minerals. The binos do have a standard tripod mount hole so you could keep both hands free, but I think the minimum working distance would still be too great. I reckon you'd be better off with an ordinary stereo mic.hero wrote:As I am rather nearsighted, I just take my contact lenses out and get reeeeaallly close...this gives me a natural macro ability
But would these give me magnification and a more comfortable view? I need something to facilitate cleaning extremely delicate mineral specimens that cannot be put in an ultrasonic bath. So far, the only solution I have found is to use the thinnest artist's paintbrush to pull fibers off one by one.
I got my pair about six weeks ago and am still amazed at the things I see now that I had never noticed before. I think it was the same thread Troels mentioned above that made me aware of them, but here in South Africa they are not exactly in stock everywhere! The shop assistant where I went first said, "Sir I cannot see why you would want binoculars to look at a bee!". The next place I went to had them listed as in stock on their website, but after traveling to Johannesburg for them, I was told that they had previously been in stock. At least they did understand that one might want to see a magnified view of an insect and agreed to get both the 6.5 and 8.5 versions so that I could choose between them. Two weeks later I went back and spent quite some time comparing them. It wasn't that I couldn't tell the difference between them, but I liked both of them almost equally, so it was quite hard to choose. In the end I settled for the 6.5 version.
Since getting them I can still hardly believe how much more I notice around me. I have seen a butterfly species I had never seen before in a field where I spend quite a bit of time, damselflies eating small insects, wasps rolling the blobs of mud they use to build their nests and a spider sewing a leaf into a tube to mention just a few. I have also started to notice that there are lots of much much smaller insects than I had previously known. These binoculars certainly make it much easier to see and make sense of what insects are doing. I think for most people interested in insects or wild flowers they should almost be regarded as standard kit, but I don,t think they should be seen as "specialist binoculars". They're pretty good even into the distance, very light and fairly priced. For someone on foot in good daylight I think they could be seen as one of the most fun, most versatile binoculars around.
I did mention them with the last pictures I posted and I can't help wondering if that wasn't the thread you couldn't get back to.
Since getting them I can still hardly believe how much more I notice around me. I have seen a butterfly species I had never seen before in a field where I spend quite a bit of time, damselflies eating small insects, wasps rolling the blobs of mud they use to build their nests and a spider sewing a leaf into a tube to mention just a few. I have also started to notice that there are lots of much much smaller insects than I had previously known. These binoculars certainly make it much easier to see and make sense of what insects are doing. I think for most people interested in insects or wild flowers they should almost be regarded as standard kit, but I don,t think they should be seen as "specialist binoculars". They're pretty good even into the distance, very light and fairly priced. For someone on foot in good daylight I think they could be seen as one of the most fun, most versatile binoculars around.
I did mention them with the last pictures I posted and I can't help wondering if that wasn't the thread you couldn't get back to.