I have been a rather passionate birder and student of nature since I was a small child. In 1962 I took our life savings and purchased a wonderful set of binoculars, Bushnell, 10x50 at a local pawn shop for ten dollars. (After all these years, I still hear my wife mumble under her breath such words as "selfish, self-centered pig" and the like, and can only assume she is still annoyed over the buying of those glasses). The old Bushnells were pretty beat up at the time but my goodness you should see them now! Yes, I have been using those same binoculars ever since. They have been and are my primary pair. I have owned and used a lot of high end optics over the years, but to be quite frank, they did absolutely nothing to improve my birding. Most are lost, stolen, broken, loaned out and never returned, or sold...but I still have my Bushnell.

Now these Pentax Papilio are an absolute marvel. They have opened up a complete new world to me.

I do quite a lot of macro-photography, with special emphasis on the cedar glades found here in the Ozarks. This is a unique environment; one which if studied properly, needs specialized equipment. This little set of binoculars fills my every need. You can focus down from a distance of two feet out and the effect, as described by another reviewer, is like looking through a dissecting microscope...I know of no other way of putting it. Setting on a flat rock in the middle of a glade using these things to spot good shots has been a pure joy...I have been missing so very much. The various lenses I use on the camera of course can do this, but having a small pair of binoculars is oh so much handier.

Much of my birding of recent years has been in either extremely heavy brush or from of my back porch, yard or garden, which is in reality, is located in the middle of a large woodland area. Trees and brush grow up to portions of our house as close as two or three feet. (This cuts down on the wretched mowing tremendously). Many of the birds I see and attempt to identified are within a few feet distance; both from the house and when I am in the field. The large binoculars I normally use simply will not focus that close. These binoculars being reviewed here do. I now use this new instrument as both primary and secondary optics in my birding. They are wonderful

As you can focus down as close as about 20 inches, they open up a world you cannot see with the naked eye. In addition to my birding I am also very much into butterflies and dragon flies, having been photographing them for years. This little set of binoculars is ideal for that use. Also, I am big time into lizard watching...something I take a lot of guff and sarcastic remarks for. But hey, lizards and other small critters are just as interesting as birds, butterflies or buffalo, for that matter. This little set of binoculars is absolutely ideal for butterfly watching and any other small critter you care to examine up close and personal.

This Papilio is quite easy to focus. At first, before using them, I feared that the field of vision would be a problem. It has not been. I also had some concerns as to working in low lighting situations. Again, these concerns were erased the first evening I used them. They, the binoculars draw in and use a surprisingly large amount of light.

These binoculars are quite light but at the same time have a very serviceable heft to them. The rubber coating is easy to grip and the focusing is an absolute snap. Those that have little experience using binoculars of any sort will at first find it a bit of a problem finding the object they are searching for, but experienced users will find no such difficultly and even the beginner will quickly improve with use.

And the big thing I cannot believe is the cost! I have tried several similar models that range anywhere from 0.00 up and to be quite honest; they were at best only equal to this Papilio, and quite often inferior. At this point in my life I am not all that interested in sinking a fortune into high end optics and finding these filled that non-need perfectly.

These come with a leatherette case which is nothing to get excited about but it is adequate. The carrying strap is of thin but since the binoculars are so small and light, it too is adequate. It is recommended that if a tripod is use, you use their model, but I tried these things on four of the tripods I own, all different styles and brands, and it fit perfectly on each. This item does carry a lifetime warranty - you pay a small amount for shipping and handling and they take care of the rest. On the other hand, at the cost these are selling for, even if they fall apart after a couple of years; something that seems quite unlikely as they appear to be and feel quite well made, I will simply buy another pair.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks