Which Binos for astro!

[hippie]

Hi all, 

I have a budget of around £300 for a replacement pair of binos for astro viewing  ,  I have a decent manfrotto tripod & head all ready so mounting them won't be a problem. 

I am looking to upgrade my Binos from my 10x50 bushnell natureview to perhaps the  Helios Quantum 4 binoculars 25x100,  or should I consider  the 20x90 Helios Quant Instead for astro viewing?,

I am concerned with the eye relief with these big binos being as I wear glasses,

Or can you guys recommend  a better pair of binos over the helios ones?,

All help & advice would be much appreciated in helping me with my final decision to which binos to purchase, 

Ian.  

[moriniboy]

I have the Helios 20 x 90's and find them to be excellent.

As a wearer of glasses I'm afraid I take them off when viewing so can't currently help you there.

If its still clear later I will have a go with them and report back.

[neilm]

Hi Ian,

I'd be wary of the 25x100 and possibly also the 20x90 not that there's anything wrong with them other than how much the weigh. I had a pair of Apollo 15x85 that weigh in at 4.8 kg which I thought would be fine on decent Manfrotto tripod,  055XPROB tripod and manfrotto 372RC2 head but alas once you get the bins at a decent angle I became slightly dubious about their stability and reached the point where I was hardly using them. In the end I did a swap with a fellow member for some Apollo 10.5x70 which get more use as they are some much lighter and can use them on a monopod or tripod as the mood takes me.

Cheers

Neil

[moriniboy]

Mine are mounted on a pier with a Skytee 2 on top, no issues with the weight.

[philj]

I had a pair of 25x100s tripod mounted and had a great deal of difficulty getting correct focus mainly due to my eyesight not being able to handle higher mag views. I now have a pair of 9x63s which are light, plenty big enough for pulling in faint stuff. Also they have good eyerelief and work ok with specs although like mariniboy above I take the specs off when using them

[Damo636]

Helios Apollo 15x70, the best £300 (with change) you will ever spend on a binocular!

[moriniboy]

Not good news I'm afraid, you need to take your glasses off to get the benefit of the wide field of view.

[rdhall20]

I have been told that 15x70 are the best for all around viewing. I have a pair of Celestron 15x70. Excellent.

[Joves]

I had a pair of 25x100s tripod mounted and had a great deal of difficulty getting correct focus mainly due to my eyesight not being able to handle higher mag views. I now have a pair of 9x63s which are light, plenty big enough for pulling in faint stuff. Also they have good eyerelief and work ok with specs although like mariniboy above I take the specs off when using them

Are your 9x63's the Orion Mini Giants by any chance?

They're a fantastic binocular! Large exit pupil but I've never found it to be an issue...

[cotterless45]

Revelation 15x70. Usually on offer about £60. Really ace and good for terrestrial .

Nick.

[philj]

Are your 9x63's the Orion Mini Giants by any chance?

They're a fantastic binocular! Large exit pupil but I've never found it to be an issue...

No they are Inpro, no longer manufactured but I think they are the same spec as the Orions. Great for birding at dusk as well

[Joves]

Ah, ok. I haven't seen many 9x63's in my travels, so would imagine they probably are the same spec.

[hippie]

Thanks to all for your input & advice  ,

I think after extensive reading up & advice here on SGL I will go for a pair of 15x70 binos   

The Helios Apollo High Resolution 15x70 look very appealing although not cheap but like most things in life you only get what you pay for!!!.

It would be interesting to try & compare these binos  with similar 15x70 other makes first but we dont have any local astro shop to try & compare them hear   ???.  

Ian.

[Alfian]

Hi Ian, I think the big thing about the Helios Apollo 15x70s (United Optics BA8 aka Oberwerk Ultras etc) is that there is nothing, (as far as I know) to compare with them at that sort of price. They have been favourably compared to Fujinon 16x70s which are much more expensive. I have the BA8 10x50s (Williams Optics flavour) which are from the same family and they are very good indeed.

[Pete Presland]

i have several pairs from 7x63's to 20x50's but the most used are the 15x70's a nice balance between weight and power.

[RCG]

I have the Fujinon 16X70, and they never cease to amaze me.

That said ... they are better suited to asians, rather than big-nosed westerners, due to the size of the eyepiece housings.

[tracerman]

Since joining last week , I havn't seen much mention of 25 x 70's or is it just me ? . as mentioned in my intro , I have been using Tasco 16 x 50's for years , mostly on the beach looking at passing shipping . Last week I decided to buy the 25 x 70's from Maplins , £62 incl delivery ,came on third day by 2nd class post . I havn't managed to use them for astro as yet although I managed to look at the crescent moon in daylight yesterday between clouds , seemed pretty good . Not a huge difference over the 16 x 50's though . Purely to check focussing and performance I shall be going to Calshot or Lepe to make comparisons in daylight this week , looking across towards Cowes and Spithead . I always take my glasses off with bins . I already know that my flimsy aluminium photo tripod is not up to much , and having read the helpful comments , in reply to my intro , I shall be looking out for a much heavier tripod although the fence post sunk into my lawn seems a good idea .......I really was hoping to take photos THROUGH the bins so that's my quest . The other is maybe some form of parallel gizmo on a counter-weighted arm so I can lounge back on a chair instead of having to support the bins . The 25 x 70' weigh about 400 grams more that the 16 x 50's .

More later . Great forum

[szymon]

I looked at the exit pupils and decided on the 15x70s -- both were the same price. With higher magnification I would probably want more aperture.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Charic]

hippie.....Hi, You mention Astro viewing! Just the Stars or everything? I wanted to update my old 7x50's for newer optics and was looking for a pair of 10x50's to sit mid-way between the 7x50 and 15x70 ( I'm still deciding on some 10x50's or similar after eye inspections? ) But  I'm very happy  with my recent additions, the 8x40 Wide Angle Helios Nature-sports, a bargain at £49 from flo! I just cant see that getting anything over 10x50 would benefit me at present, as long as I have my telescope with me [ there's  just not enough magnification afforded from the binoculars]  My  15x70's were purchased on their price alone, as great value, though not sure I bought into great quality? They don't show me any surface details on Jupiter, or on anything else except the Moon. I took them with me on a recent road trip, along with my 7x50's. Although both were set-up to demonstrate, I preferred the 7x50's at the time.  using the 15x70 I thought I could just  make out some elongation on Saturn because of the rings, but not clear with the 15x70's. I feel these 15x70's are worse than my previous 20x80's? I do remember seeing Saturn before with some Helios Stellar 20x80's. My  15x70`s gets more use in the daylight now, but still requires to be mounted/rested for extended use.

I would't buy or recommend the Revelation Astro 15x70, but I would suggest Helios. The Helios Stellar's were heavy, possibly over 2kgs and are best supported. They worked well at the time, I only had the 7x50's but thats where they differ, great for wide angle sweeping views to encompass most of the constelation I was viewing, against a very narrow darker view of a single target each time with the heavier 20x80's, so after a few considerations I sold them on. I've made previous posts to what I thought they cost at the time, but recently (this week) discovered I only paid £125 for them ( £248.99 now from http://www.pulsar-optical.co.uk/prod/stellar/observation.html ) They were £225 retail back then [Not Pulsar] (that's another  the reason I bought them - Mrs couldn't understand why I didn't blink when I used my credit card - I knew these optics cost a lot more, but couldn't tell her in the shop that they were mis-priced!!)  If I needed to buy anything so big again, and  did not own a telescope, I would look at their Apollo 15x70 ( £269.oo at flo!  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/helios/helios-apollo-high-resolution.html ) They won't compare or beat any of your own telescopes when it comes to performance. As I instigated earlier, I now prefer low power and wider angles for astro work , if/when, using binoculars at night, and the telescope for the finer details. 

Although I seem to give negatives to my 15x70 for astro work, its been some time since I last used the 20x80's, and I do recall them being of better image quality than my present 15x70. Is that build quality or is it that my eyes are much older now and I just don't see so well even though the images appear (to me ) to be focussed, if that makes sense? I have prescriptions (CMA?) but don't wear glasses when observing. I've tried, but don't find it comfortable.  I'm having my eyes examined/photographed next week, and  I'm hoping to get the correct measurements of my chemically dilated pupil sizes in order to better choose my next/future binocular. I'm  still wanting a general purpose binocular that is water proofed, purged and rugged, which I thought the Nikon 10x50 Extreme ATB  would offer( They didn't and were not comfortable to use IMHO!) I can measure my pupils at 4.5mm myself, but the specialists should be in a better position to measure them for me. This will dictate the next binoculars exit pupil, and will be the final purchase. 8x40 or 10x50 will give me the same exit pupil but if I'm still able to reach 6mm then my options can change slightly, but I feel that I'll be 6mm or less. The 8x40`s feel very comfortable so I must be close with my present exit pupil?

[Matt2011]

The Helios Apollo 15x70 HD Binoculars are the best binoculars available!!!!