Pentax XF8.5: Any Good?

gbeal · #1 22-05-2007, 07:20 PM

I have a friend who is contemplating the Pentax 8.5XF, and they seem attractively priced.
Are they similar or vastly different to the likes of the XL's, or XW's? Comments, good or bad please?

janoskiss (Steve H) · #2 23-05-2007, 12:21 AM

Yes very good. Performs very much like the 7 and 10mm XWs. Superb high contrast & transmission. Good across the FOV even at f/4. XF 12mm is good also but has more field curvature - 8.5mm has virtually none visible to my eyes.

gbeal · #3 23-05-2007, 06:56 AM

Thanks Steve, and they are reasonably priced in your place (about AU$215 I recall).
Gary

ausastronomer (John Bambury) · #4 23-05-2007, 07:21 AM

Gary,

I have one of these which I regularly use in the 18" Obsession for lunar/planetary. An excellent eyepiece and exceptional value for money. It is IMO a better eyepiece than the more expensive Televue Radian. It also is a lot cooler in its colour reproduction than the Radians.

CS-John B

matt · #5 23-05-2007, 08:08 AM

Who sells these in Oz?

janoskiss (Steve H) · #6 23-05-2007, 09:56 AM

Frontier Optics. I just got the 12mm also but yet to give it a proper run.

matt · #7 23-05-2007, 10:45 AM

Cheers, Steve

Might give one of these a whirl.

I've been considering an eyepiece in this range for visual use on really steady nights in my 9.25.

Something with just a little more grunt than my 10mmXW, but not as much as a 7mm, which is probably too much.

8.5mm will be getting very close to the maximum mag in my scope for good seeing.

erick (Eric) · #8 23-05-2007, 11:59 AM

I'm going to buy one of these when I get rich

I had a couple of nights with Steve's XF 8.5mm in my 8" f6 (thanks again Steve) - seemed very good to me.