The Pentax DCF CS 10x42 Binocular
John Anderson
… and it took no time to get hooked. Be- fore long it was a new heavy barrel rifle, then a new high power scope, and soon I started handloading. In those days we shot prone with a bipod on our rifle, and we wandered around grasslands and pastures scanning for more targets using rather pathetic “no name” binoculars. As we became more sophisti-
Back in my latter 20s I got intro-
cated we graduated to rotating shooting benches … and still use them today. And we graduated to new optics, which was my introduction to Pentax. My first qual- ity binocular (for spotting targets) was a 10x50 DCF WP which is more than 6¹⁄₂ inches long and weighs 32 ounces. I used this for a number of years, with considerable satisfaction, but decided at some point I wanted a bit more power. This decision resulted in the purchase of another Pentax, a 12.5x50 DCF SP. It too is 6¹⁄₂ inches long and weighs 32 ounces. I liked the extra power without any extra bulk or weight. Such binoculars are great while sitting at a bench but when hiking around a pasture I found them a bit on
duced to prairie dog hunting
the bulky and heavy side. It was when I got heavily into
ground squirrel hunting some years ago that I got away from shooting benches and returned to doing a lot of the “walk- about” style of hunting, with a lighter rifle and scope and smaller cartridges. And at this point I wanted a lighter binocular for scanning the terrain for targets. Once again, it was Pentax that got the call with their DCF CS 10x42 compact model. (Also available in an 8x42 model.) I found the 10 power quite satisfac-
tory for the ranges we glassed and shot at ground squirrels, usually closer than most prairie dog hunting. The smaller dimensions (5⁵⁄₈ inches long) and much lighter weight (22.4 ounces) made this binocular easier to carry and handle while also carrying a scoped rifle and bipod and ammunition. In short, for “walkabout” ground squirrel hunting this binocular has turned out to be per- fect, in my view, for my purposes. Pen- tax claims that they are an “innovator in sport optics design.” Based on my use of this binocular in the field, I would agree.
This binocular is constructed in
a tough fiber reinforced polycarbonate body, resulting in a strong and rigid housing. The housing is coated with rubber for protection from shock and makes the binocular easier to grip. It’s also waterproof and is nitrogen-filled. Fully multicoated optics result in maxi- mum light transmission and a reduction of internal reflections, and phase coated roof prisms provide high contrast im- ages with high resolution. These prisms also reflect more light through the prism for a brighter image. Inner-focus optical design improves sealing and also im- proves the balance. The center diopter ring has click stops so when it’s adjusted for your eyes it is unlikely to be moved. The helicoid eyepiece rings have four click stops so the user can properly set the eye relief, whether wearing eye- glasses or not. The roof prism binocular design
offers the best combination of image quality and durability. With such an inline design, they typically are smaller than a porro prism binocular with a similar power. (The only downside is that the roof prism design is more expensive than a porro prism design.) My experience in the field with
this Pentax 10x42 DCF CS binocular has been completely favorable. The light weight makes it easy to carry around all day and the small size makes it easy to slip into a jacket pocket. It may not have quite as bright a view as a larger, full-size binocular but except for dawn and dusk I don’t think you will ever notice the difference. It has served me well as a compact and lightweight bin- ocular on my hikes for ground squirrels … and will serve equally well for most of my hunting purposes. I don’t think you can go wrong with this binocular. And if you’re curious about such things, street price is in the range of $300.00 to about $320.00.
The author found this compact and lightweight Pentax 10x42 DCF CS roof prism binocular a pleasure to use and carry in the field.
Page 16 Winter 2013
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