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Asahi Pentax 8x40 Wide FieldMfr: J-B21, J-E25 Date: circa 1970's? AFOV: ~76 degrees TFOV: 9.5 degrees Eye Relief: ~13mm Prisms: low index This binocular appears to be made for Pentax by another optics firm (J-B21=Kokisha Co. Ltd.) This is one of the models featuring the infamous gold coatings on the eyepieces. While some may argue that the gold coatings increase contrast in certain conditions, it seems like a marketing gimmick to me. The coatings result in a bluish image and cause strong reflections in a bright environment, making the eyepieces difficult to look through. I have heard of owners of these type of Pentax binoculars who have deliberately polished off the coatings on the eyepieces. The objectives have normal blue tinged coatings. These binoculars have a fair wide angle view, with vignetting from the low index prisms, some prism leakage, and noticeable distortion. On the positive side, the eye relief is better than usual for this type of wide angle binocular. |