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First time binocular purchase advice.


shelby90

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Hello!

 So I have been doing a lot of research on what my first pair of binoculars should be. I have mainly been looking at 15x70 Celestron's or Orions (maybe 20x80's) along with a good tripod mount. But after reading more info, I see that 10x50's may be a good purchase.

 My concern is that I want a pair to start me off in a good direction for finding some basic astronomical phenomena (star clusters, analyzing the moon, M31), but will also remain a useful piece of equipment for a long time even after I invest in a telescope (which will probably not be for a while, honestly).

 I don't have much experience with binoculars so I need some guidance in whether there is a major difference in identifying desired objects between the 10x50's, 15x70's, or 20x80's. Is there a significant jump in clarity or quality of observation? And which ones would you recommend if they are my main source of viewing for the foreseeable future?

 I realize these will not offer telescopic views and I have realistic expectations. I just need a nudge in either direction in regards to viewing capacity. Being new to the hobby, I would really appreciate some thoughts and whether you were/are happy with your experience with a particular pair of bins.

Thanks so much!

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Hi, 

Field of view is largest in 10x50's compared with the other 2.  They will be the most useful to you in the first instance framing the largest number of objects in one view and allowing you to scan around with the most ease.  Learning to star hop to smaller more delicate and subtle objects is essential in finding new things, so having the advantage of a large piece of sky in view is essential.  

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A pair of 10x50s is a very good investment (even 8x40 or 8x42 will serve you well) for astronomy. These lighter bins are much easier to use hand-held compared to bigger ones like the 15x70s which I now mainly use for astronomy. I am unusual in that I can use the 15x70 (and even once a 20x80) without tripod for quite a while. Most people find this impossible, and need to use a monopod with trigger grip or a p-mount for stability. The former option is cheap, the latter not, unless you build one yourself. At the moment, I rarely get out the 10x50 for astronomy in part because I can use the bigger ones without support, but mostly because the bigger nes I have are better quality. I still hang on to the ageing 10x50, however, and am thinking of replacing them with a better quality pair, both for wider field astronomy and for terrestrial viewing. The big 15x70 bins are too cumbersome for birdwatching, the 10x50 (or 10x56 I am considering) are much better.  

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Sound advice given above the larger field of view and easier handling ability of 10x50 bins is a winner. I know you said you would like to mount the bins on a tripod, but this can be restrictive for higher placed objects. Hand held is a better way to learn and find your way around the night sky.

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My binoculars are used day and night. I prefer lower powered wide angle binoculars for astronomy purposes, the higher powered ones dont give me any surface detail on anything up their except the Moon. So high power is of little value to me, for night work.

10x50s are a good choice, but like everything else, you wil need to try them to see if they are comfortable enough. Out of my collection, I'll grab the Helios 8x40s for most of my night time sky observations.

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10x50's my advice too. Get fully multi coated (fmc) porro prisms with minimum Bak4 preferably Bak7 in your budget range. Sir PM always used 10x50's and that was good enough a recommendation for me. The Celestron 15x70's are good for the price (I have a pair) and also the Revelations - but I find they don't really offer too much more view wise than the 10x50's which are more than adequate. Hth :)

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Use ours night and daytime. 8x42 here for size, portability and weight. I would have had too much shake with 10x50 which would make then no good. I also wanted a nice wide 8 degree field of view and the other size took 2 degrees off as well as being heavier.

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If possible, try before you buy. Go to a store, see if certain types are more comfortable than others, and see what you personally can hold still enough. I agree that cheaper 15x70 are on the one hand good value for money, but do not give much of a step up from a decent 10x50, in part because they are often effectively 15x63mm. However, good (and therefore more expensive) 15x70mm bins do see a lot deeper into space in my experience. I would not advise you to buy these immediately, I also first got the 10x50, got the cheap 15x70s later, and then went for a better pair (second-hand) when I was hooked on that format

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Thank you everyone so much!

I feel in very confident in your advice and can see the advantages in getting a smaller pair to start (and save money on a mount!). I'd like to take them camping too, so portability is definitely nice. The 15x70s are cheap enough that they could be purchased at a later date without a hassle.

michael.h.f.wilkinson, yes! I definitely want to go try some out before buying. Very good idea. There's a place about 45 minutes away that I'm gonna explore tomorrow.

I think I may (and maybe other people can relate) have gotten wrapped up in the idea of getting a cool, giant binocular when they really wont serve me the best in the beginning.

Again, thanks to all who replied. You've made this a lot easier  :smiley:

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For young eyes it's tempting to vote for 7x50 for two reasons:

1) less mag equals less shake when hand holding. Less shake equals more detail.

2) you're young, so your pupils will be capable of dilating to around 8mm. This means you can take full adantage of the large 7.1mm exit pupil provided by 7x50 binos.

However, it's difiicult to argue with 10x50 or 8x40's. Their 5 mm exit pupil will provide a slightly darker sky background.

A lot of cheaper 10x50's are actually 10x43's due to under sized prisms.... thinking about it... I think a good quality pair of 8x40's would be a good bet :)

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Chris, very good point. I've read a bit about pupil size but haven't taken it into enough consideration. I think i'll take a good look at 10x50s, 8x40s, 7x50s, and others within that general range and see how they feel.

 I am a little worried about shake when hand-holding as I've used a pair of Nikon 10x25s and I feel like I create shake with those already when looking at the Moon, but I've never used them for very long or tried to steady myself on anything. So lighter is probably the way to go.

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Hi Shelby90,

I have had 10 x 50, 10 x 42 & 8x42, the last one has been the best for me.  I do wildlife watching as well in conjunction with a Nikon ED 50 spotting scope and they work well together.

Back to the astronomy though the smaller bino's will also work well with your telescope helping you find your targets, I have found the binos particularly useful for getting my scope on to comets.

As said above go and get some binos in your hands, just take note of the weight as astronomy viewing will involve holding them up quite high.

So point them up when you try them.

Best of luck & Clear Skies,

Fondofchips.

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Weight is always a niggle with bins - and what makes it bad is that stars start streaking about as your arm muscles fade. So either plant your elbows on a firm surface (I like to lean on the car roof, but an upturned soft broom can be used), or get laying down on a sun lounger or camp bed.

Failing all that - a camera tripod, or better still trapezium mount, will steady everything up. Or increase budget 100 fold and get image stabilised bins. :)

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fondofchips, thanks for the advice! I've certainly been convinced to hold off on the bigger sets until later. A smaller set seems like the best fit for my needs now and will still be useful once I add a telescope into the mix down the line. I'm looking forward to checking some pairs out tomorrow to get a real feel for them.

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brantuk and chris-- very good idea! I should invest in a nice lounger. I have a camping bed that could work too, but a chair that reclines sounds a lot more comfy. I think that would be the nicest way to get some stability, too. Thanks! More amazon shopping.

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After 46 years of using scopes, I bought the Celestron 15 x 70 SkyMaster binoculars and I'm happy as a pig in poop. I also bought a zero gravity lounger to keep my body and thus my binoculars steady. The 15 x 70s give you 50% more magnification and almost 100% more light gathering power than 10 x 50s. The field of view is still 4.4 degrees, which is almost 9 Moon diameters.

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 DemosL, I really like the Celestron 15x70s and what they have to offer. Honestly, one qualm I have is some of the negative reviews in terms of their collimation. Some people seem to have no problems at all right out of the box, while others get their pair and have to immediately adjust things to get a satisfactory view.

 That leads to a conversation in which I know nothing-- is collimation okay to adjust individually or does it need to be done professionally and with a certain precision? I personally don't know. I mean, it seems easy enough to use a jewelers screwdriver to adjust some screws, but would that fix the issue permanently?

 However, I am encouraged to hear that you like your pair so much. Overall, there does seem to be a positive view on the Celestrons. Thanks for your input!

 One big factor is yet to come. I'll check out a variety of binoculars in person and will get a better feel on which ones I like. I'm sure that will make a significant impact.

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You're right, a lot of the Celestron/Relevation BA1 class 15x70 bins arrive out of collimation. They are great value foe money but this is at the cost of under sized prisms not securely held. They are therefore only 15x63mm if you measure the exit pupil, plus they are easily knocked out of collimation again once alligned. Optically they give a slight yellow cast and are not particularly sharp, especially at the edges.

Having said all this they are still very good value for money when you consider you would pay this much for a mid range eyepiece. They can be collimated, I've collimated 2 pairs of binos so far.

The key is to mount them pointed at a bright star, make small adjustments either side until the double image merges. Regularly check the exit pupil either side to make sure they are still round as too big an adjustment can make the exit pupil look oval which means you're losing a bit of light grasp. On cheap binos the exit pupil may look diamond shaped anyway due to BK7 prisms.

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The cheaper Celestron 15x70 are BA-1 types (also sold under many different brand names), are a bit hit-and-miss. Some arrive in perfect collimation, others are off by quite a margin. Mine arrived out of collimation and with some black gunk in the optical path. Not good, and I returned them for another pair of BA-1s under a different brand name (Omegon) and these arrived OK. They served me well for years, but they did lose collimation at some point. Collimation can be done at home, but if binoculars arrive out of collimation, i would return them. The (much more expensive) BA-8 type (Helios Apollo HD, Orion Resolux, TS Marine HD, and many other brandings) are built like a tank by comparison. The added weight actually aids stability, I find.

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I have 3 pairs of BA8 class binos and wouldn't have anything less now, I've been spoilt!

As Michael says they are heavy and robust which is both good and bad I find, yes it aids stability but you can't hold them up for as long as a lighter pair. Kind of depends on how strong you are I guess.

Here are my hand held pair, absolutely love them!

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/william-optics-binoculars/william-optics-10x50-7x50-ed-binocular.html

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For my first 30 years in astronomy, I used nothing bigger than a pair of 7x50s. And I still often get them out for a "browse" while the telescope is imaging. And I can still stumble across unexpected things (http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/242661-the-lambda-asterism/).

I would say go for something you can hand-hold and you can just pick up and use at a moment's notice (grab'n'go). They will give you a lifetime of pleasure.

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Very good info. I'm happy to know that collimation can be done at home with relative ease. Chris, I didn't know the reason for the collimation issues, so its interesting to find out. It seems that's another benefit of going to an actual store- you get to make sure everything is in working order.

I haven't really looked into the differences between the BA-1 and BA-8 ratings, so I'll read some about those.

 I've heard very good things about the Orion Resolux but are unfortunately out of my price range. The store i'm going to is an Orion store, but they carry some other brands too. Hopefully I'll find something!

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