Celestron 15 x 70

[trogre]

Hi All.

I only have a pair of Nikon 9 x 21 binos so was looking to buy something like a 15 x 70. It amazes me how bidders on fleebay never do their homework when buying an item.

On fleebay uk ,a pair of secondhand celestron 15 x70 binos ,no tripod mount ,no guarantee, + plus a scratch on the font lens.

Total price sold with p + p = £49.79  (75.76 usd).You can buy a brand new pair with 1 year guarantee ,tripod mount, p+p =£56.00 (85.21 usd)

I sometimes scratch my head in wonder.

[ChrisD]

I think people get carried away.  I'm always looking out for a bargain pair of Canon 10x30 IS but they always seem to go for near to the retail price, even with a bit of damage.

[Hallelujah]

A 15x70 will require the investment of a tripod adapter and a sturdy tripod with a two way pan head.

If you plan to hand hold your binoculars always remember to do it from a comfortable sitting position to minimize image shake.

For stargazing with hand held binoculars, most individuals don't do well above 12x magnification, even that can be shaky. 

You might consider testing a binocular in person, before buying it. 

Something along the lines of a Nikon 12x50 Action Extreme, to see how well you can handle the magnification, etc.

Stan

[trogre]

Thanks for your replies. I expect I will use binos with a tripod ,I have a slik and a manfrotto tripod from my cameras days in the loft + a manfrotto monopod.

Stan. I did not realize you had so many pairs of binos until I read the post for 2nd time. Do you have a favorite or is it a case of different binos for different conditions or circumstances.

[Hallelujah]

I started collecting binoculars over the past 10 yrs. It is very easy to get addicted to the hobby.

I am a casual stargazer, as well as a bird watcher, & I also like to view airplanes through binoculars.

Some of my overall favorites are my vintage Nikon 10x50 Gold Sentinel with its wide 6.5* FOV, also 

my Tento 20x60 USSR with very sharp optics, and my Orion 30x80 MEGAView. 

(My aging, older eyeballs favor higher magnifications because of the larger image size.)

My Fujinons are also favorites; my older 7x50 FMTR-SX for excellent daytime views of clouds, and

my 12x60 HB roof prism is excellent for tripod mounted nighttime views of the heavens.

It's hard to pick just 'one' favorite. 

My recently acquired Sotem(Tento?) 15x50 Russian Porro is another excellent daytime binocular for

birding & airplanes.

The hardest part is trying to rotate through the entire collection, over a reasonable period of time. 

I seem to spend too much time on the internet, on Binoculars Forums, especially during the winter months.  

I must admit that I am looking forward to springtime & a break from the cold temperatures.  

Stan

[F15Rules]

I totally understand your "addiction" Stan:)..

Although I have relatively few bins I love looking at older ones on eBay etc and am fascinated by the variety available and the very good quality of some of the older binos, especially Russian ones. My favourites are Tentos by Zomz and my particular favourites so far are the 20x60s and 7x50s. The big ones are superbly contrasty and excellent for astronomy. The 7x50s I have are very very sharp out to c90% of the field, much better than Jenoptems for example, and stars are lovely, true colour pinpoints.

Dave

[asset189]

Ive has this model (celestron 15 X70) for a couple of years now. Love them and they are my favourite when i cant be bothered draging the 8" dob outside or just want to spend a bit of time "sweeping " around the sky. ive found many things Id never seen previously such as m36, m37 m33 (eventually) and the best way ive found to use them is to get a monopod, stick a ball mount head ontop and sit back in a comfortable chair . They are inexpensive new and probably worth looking for a new pair rather than pay £50 for secondhand - think I got mine for aorund £60 .

Best piece of kit i own