Pentax DCF BC 9x32 Binocular

Review Highlights Pentax’s bright, new, 9x32 binocular Compact, feather light, open-bridge design Excellent optical performance 6.4-foot minimum close focus

One of the exciting trends in sports optics over the last few years has been the introduction of some great optics in the low-price segment of the market. Pentax introduced two such binoculars in 2011. This review covers the 9x32 DCF BC binocular. The DCF BR 9x42 is reviewed in a separate article here. For starters, 9x magnification is still uncommon in sports optics. The 9x32 DCF BC features a double-bridge design, which is increasingly common, though it’s new from Pentax. This is a solo entry, rather than a ‘line’. Most importantly, it’s priced at under $300. We like this binocular quite a bit.

Overview

The Pentax DCF BC 9x32 binocular is a roof prism design, fully sealed and nitrogen-purged to be waterproof (JIS Class 6 = submersible to 1 yard), dust-proof and internally fog-proof. These binoculars are quite compact, measuring just 5.75 inches long with eyecups fully extended (<5.5 inches with them folded down) and 4.6 inches wide with the hinges all the way open. DCF BC binoculars are made with fiber-reinforced polycarbonate frames, covered in forest green rubber armoring with black accents of the focus knob and eyecups. The size and frame material help keep the weight of the DCF BC down to just under 19 oz, which is light even for a 32-mm binocular. One thing we see on a lot of these ‘open bridge’ binoculars is that there isn’t sufficient space between the hinges to get more than two fingers in between. Not so with the DCF BCs, which have enough room for three fingers, making for a comfortable, secure grip. Pentax built in shallow circular thumb grooves under the barrels, which is good. We like thumb grooves! Overall, the ergonomics of the DCF BC binocular are quite good.

Optical Performance

Most people need a reason to buy one binocular over the other, which begs the question of how the 9x32 DCF BC differentiates itself. We evaluated it for its brightness, depth of field, and flat field performance as well as for sharpness and resolution. Overall, we were very pleased with how this new Pentax binocular stood up to the competition. The DCF BCs are quite bright, and they competed well with other 32-mm binoculars. We found them to be generally superior for sharpness and resolution. They had about average depth of field. The 9x32 DCF BC had very good flat field performance in that straight lines stayed straight until you got well away from the field center. The ‘sweet spot’ in the center of the field of view was pretty large. Pentax DCF BCs are fully multi-coated for optimal light through-put, and the prisms are phase-coated for higher resolution and better image contrast. Pentax uses a silver deposition coating for the BaK-4 glass prisms to improve light transmission. The 9x32 DCF BCs have a 351-foot field of view at 1000 yards, which is really quite good.

Focusing

The focus knob of the DCF BC is large and covered with grooved, soft rubber for a good grip. The focus mechanism is a tad stiff, though this will probably loosen with use. The binocular goes from minimum close focus to infinity in a snappy 1.25 turns of the focus knob. Minimum close focus on the Pentax DCF BC was 6.4 feet with minimal field collapse, which is very good performance. Overall, this is an excellent focus mechanism.

User Adjustments

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Pentax DCF BC binoculars have eyecups that adjust with a counter-clockwise helical twist to raise them. There are 3 fully positions between fully out and fully collapsed, and all five positions are stabilized by firm detents. These don’t collapse in the field. Helically-adjusting eyecups are pretty much standard on all decent binoculars today, but many of them, particularly on less expensive models, don’t perform anywhere near this well. We give them high marks for this. The diopter adjustment is a twist-ring mechanism located on the upper right ocular tube. An obvious raised ridge on the ring lines up with a similar line on the rubber armoring below it to mark the position for equal eyes. While there is no scale to indicate how far one has adjusted it, the presence of grooves around the ring provides a way of estimating how far it has been adjusted. The ring has good resistance to it so it won’t move about much by itself, but since it doesn’t lock, this can still happen. We recommend that users who require a setting other than equal mark their personal position to save time in the event their diopter setting is lost. It’s worth noting in passing that the 9x32 DCF BC binocular has 16 mm of eye relief, which should be enough for most users. The interpupillary distance range is 55-75 mm, which is actually quite good for a 32-mm binocular, so most users will be able to find a comfortable position of the barrels to fit their faces.

Strap, Covers and Case

The strap is a ¾-inch wide length of cordura with no padding at all. Even on a binocular as light as the DCF BC, this might be a bit uncomfortable. We recommend purchasing a more comfortable strap of some type. Regular readers of these pages will know that we prefer harness straps, and, as it happens, Pentax makes a good one (see here).The rain guard is an inflexible hard plastic tray of an elongated figure-8 design that fits loosely over the eyecups. There is no position for the barrels that prevents the rainguard from falling off if the binocular is inverted. This means that threading the strap through the bracket provided is important to keep from losing the rainguard in the field. The objective lens covers are made of the same hard plastic, and they are joined by a flexible hinge region. The lens covers fit into the barrel ends and adhere to the rubber armoring. While the fit is tighter on these than on the rainguard, they still dislodge easily so losing them could be an issue. We suggest leaving them in the case. The case is pretty basic too, being just a slim nylon/cordura bag with a Velcro-closing flap. On the plus side, it accommodates the binocular with eyecups fully extended and rainguard and lens caps in place. You’d be surprised how many high-end binoculars come with a case that doesn’t provide even this minimal level of convenience. The binocular strap can be left out of the case and the flap closed if you really want to have the case with you in the field.

Conclusions

Overall, we really like the Pentax DCF BC 9x32 binocular. The small, compact design, super light weight and good ergonomics guarantee comfortable viewing, while the quality of the optics is excellent given the cost. Maybe we should tell you what that cost is! These little beauties go for just $299.00. So that answers the question we posed earlier of how the DCF BC binocular is differentiated from the competition: great performance at a low price. Check them out!

Pentax DCF BC 9x32 Binocular - current price and availability