I do a lot of hiking and cross-country skiing, and I am looking for a good pair of waterproof binoculars to carry always with me. I want binoculars that I can always have with me, as "permanent residents" of my backpack, for trail scopingh and wildlife viewing. Weight is thus very important. Right now I have a pair of Olympus Roamer 8x21 that are surprisingly good and light (5 oz!). I am looking for a pair of waterproof binoculars for when the weather is not good, and for kayaking.
The two models I am most looking at are the Nikon Prostaff 8x25 and the Pentax DCF SW 8x25. I have read the warnings about cheap roof prisms... the Pentax have phase coating (unlike the Minox ones), and are 10oz. Their field of view does not seem fantastic though: 288 ft at 1000 ft. The Nikons are better, with 330 ft, but weigh 12 oz, which is borderline (if the weather is not great, I might be tempted to leave them home to travel lighter, defeating the purpose).
Does anyone have advice on how the Pentax compare optically to the Nikons?
Are the Pentax a good substitute for the Leica 8x20, which are what I guess I should be getting if price was no objection?
I have tried the Nikon on several occasions. I will say that they are probably my favorite 8x20-something reverse porro in terms of price versus performance. I have no experience with the Pentax.
In truth I am having a bit of difficulty relating to your particular situation as all of my binoculars weigh significantly more than the models you listed. True compact binoculars are not really my cup of tea. The smallest that I own and would recommend is the Bushnell Excursion 8x28 but that is 15 oz. I am sure that the 5 oz binocular is a dream to carry and I doubt the 12 oz Pro Staff would be that notable of a difference from a weight perspective but then, again, when we are talking this lightweight I am at a bit of a loss.
Might you consider a lightweight monocular as well?
I wanted some extremely compact and ultra lightweight compacts for carrying in my pocket last summer. In the end, I went for the Ziess 8x20 (~7 ounces) and love them. The weight is perfect and I can even put them in my jeans pocket. However, they are expensive. The other model which I tried and thought was good was the Opticron DBA Oasis 8x21 (11 ounces) (http://www.at-infocus.co.uk/opticron.html#bins) however, I guess that would be difficult to get in the states. Sorry not to be of more help.
Good luck
Hobbes