Do I need a 10x binocular?

[Craig_]

Hello guys, I have been thinking about getting a 10x50 binocular for a while, and now that the Pentax wcp are selling for a reduced price im about to hit the buy button.

However I have the Apollo 15x70 which are great but hardly a grab and go binocular. So do you think I would need a 10x and would there be any advantage to having them ?

Thoughts and advice are appreciated

[SteveNickolls]

You probably don't 'need' them but few can resist starting a collection of binoculars  that complement one another. The 10x50's will have a wider FOV and be generally easier to carry around and hopefully give you years of good service. 

Cheers,

Steve

[Charic]

.....ditto Steve's comment.

I still prefer my 8x40s, low power with 8° wide angle view. As you go higher, the mag goes up, becomes unstable unless supported, and for me at 15x70, still no planetary detail except when I view the Moon. I prefer to use my 15x70s for aeronautical use rather than astronomical use. My 10x50s fit my middle ground, all purpose weather proof, mil-spec and just good binoculars, cheap too for such build quality.

PCF WP IIs were top of my list for most of my searching. Second were my Strathspeys. If I had found the Pentax or even Fujinons recently, I could have purchased either, but happy with the 10x50s purchased.

Often, even my 8x40s are supported when viewing, providing me with rock steady views, epecially when observing point light sources.

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Hi Craig,

 I've also got the Apollo 15x70's and they are GREAT!

 However,I must agree that they can't be steadily hand held for any length of time,unless you are built like Thor or whatever.

 10x50's seem to be the Bins of choice when you read the experts-and why not? They are easily hand held,the FOV is quite decent,and the magnification is O.K. They are a good 'median' choice,imho.

 Having said that,I'm quite interested in acquiring a decent 8x40/42 for those wide field views.

[ollypenrice]

I'd go for less than 10x. I'd go for 8x. You already have some 'primarily tripod' binoculars so another pair should surely be significantly different? While 10x are fairly popular with astronomers the overwhelming majority of birders, who are incredibly expert in the bino field, go for 8x for hand holding. I agree with them. In astronomy you don't use 8x or 10x binos to look at small objects, you use them to see the grand design. In dropping from 10x to 8x you lose very little in terms of useful detail but you gain a lot in FOV, stability and relaxation for hand held sweeping. I've settled on good 8x42 and very much doubt that I'll ever replace them.

Olly

[Craig_]

Thanks for the replies and your thoughts. I think if I had to go for the 10x then I'd have to sell the Apollos to justify the purchase to my wife

I almost sold them before and backed out at the last minute.

Decisions decisions.....

[Charic]

Thanks for the replies and your thoughts. I think if I had to go for the 10x then I'd have to sell the Apollos to justify the purchase to my wife

I almost sold them before and backed out at the last minute.

Decisions decisions.....

....won't your wife need some Binoculars too?

I use my 15x70s and don't see any surface detail on Jupiter, so for that reason, I chose to use them more during the Day,  and still supported by a tripod.

My 8x40s with their 8.2° field of view give me the expansive views that I like just for looking at the wider picture, my 200P giving me the detail when required. 

Like tools in a tool box, each binocular will have a specific task suited to it, you just have to find it, and that may entail owning more than one pair.

How many handbags/shoes equals one pair of binoculars?

[BinocularSky]

I have a whole slew of binoculars including the Apollo 15x70, and good quality 10x50, 10x42, 8x42 and 6.5x32. If I was just to be allowed one binocular, I'd probably keep the 10x42 or 10x50 but, if I was allowed to keep the 15x70 plus another, I think I'd go for the 8x42 for the wider field and the ease of hand-holding steadily. Does that help?

[LukeSkywatcher]

I'd go for less than 10x. I'd go for 8x. You already have some 'primarily tripod' binoculars so another pair should surely be significantly different? While 10x are fairly popular with astronomers the overwhelming majority of birders, who are incredibly expert in the bino field, go for 8x for hand holding. I agree with them. In astronomy you don't use 8x or 10x binos to look at small objects, you use them to see the grand design. In dropping from 10x to 8x you lose very little in terms of useful detail but you gain a lot in FOV, stability and relaxation for hand held sweeping. I've settled on good 8x42 and very much doubt that I'll ever replace them.

Olly

I didnt know that 8x offers wider FOV. If i was privey to this info earlier i would have gone for some over my 10x.

Live and learn.

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

I didnt know that 8x offers wider FOV. If i was privey to this info earlier i would have gone for some over my 10x.

Live and learn.

Never mind Paul.

 You can't have too many bins,imho.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Never mind Paul.

 You can't have too many bins,imho.

This is true.

[Craig_]

I have a whole slew of binoculars including the Apollo 15x70, and good quality 10x50, 10x42, 8x42 and 6.5x32. If I was just to be allowed one binocular, I'd probably keep the 10x42 or 10x50 but, if I was allowed to keep the 15x70 plus another, I think I'd go for the 8x42 for the wider field and the ease of hand-holding steadily. Does that help?

8x42 ? Any particular make ?

I thought the Pentax would be a good buy, considering the reviews they get and the reduced price.

[ollypenrice]

8x42 ? Any particular make ?

I thought the Pentax would be a good buy, considering the reviews they get and the reduced price.

That isn't the kind of question to ask on here! You'll be two grand lighter before you can shout, 'Mods!'

 

A guest once passed me a pair of Leica 8x42 to try and I said to myself, 'One day...' I kept an eye out on the used market and picked up a used pair for half price about seven years later. The price was still utterly potty but they are most certainly not for sale.

Olly

[BinocularSky]

Noting what Olly said :-), if lucre was no object it would be Leica, Swarovski or Zeiss - but my wife has fallen for the Opticron Imagic TGA - cracking little bino for the price, IMO. There's a review in the Information section of my website, if you want to know more.

[ollypenrice]

I have never tired Swarovski. (Hello,  are you reading this!!!  ) The Zeiss I tried were stunning. They had more contrast and sharpness than my Leicas but they were somehow a tad less natural. In truth the great thing about binos is that, for the price of a TeleVue eyepiece (and I'm a major fan) you can buy a complete and exquisite optical system for two eyes with binos. Who's complaining?

Olly

[BinocularSky]

(Sorry, Craig, a bit of "thread drift" here... )

I have never tired Swarovski. (Hello,  are you reading this!!!  ) 

Nicest binoculars I tried, ever, is a friend's Swaro EL 10x50. I wish I hadn't because, up until then, I thought my Opticron BGA 10x42 was the bee's knees.

The Zeiss I tried were stunning. They had more contrast and sharpness than my Leicas

Zeiss use an Abbé-König prism; Leica (& Swarovski & most, if not all, other roof-prism bino manufacturers) use Schmidt-Pechan prisms. The Shmidt-Pechan has 6 reflections, one of which is below the critical angle, so a surface has to be reflective-coated; the Abbé-König only has 4 reflections, all of which are above the critical angle so, all else being equal (which, of course, it rarely, if ever is), the Abbé-König will give a slightly brighter & more contrasty image.

 In truth the great thing about binos is that, for the price of a TeleVue eyepiece (and I'm a major fan) you can buy a complete and exquisite optical system for two eyes with binos.

Indeed!

Back to what may be pertinent to this thread: a Porro prism also has 4 reflections and the required manufacturing tolerances aren't nearly as tight as those in a roof prism, which is why a decent Porro-prism binocular can deliver an equivalent performance to a roof prism for a significantly lower price.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I still have my old 10x50 bins (porros) next to the Helios Apollo 15x70 HD, and use them for birding apart from wider field views. I am thinking of replacing them by a newer pair (10x56, perhaps) with better optics, because the old ones are not as good as the Helios.

Interesting note about the Zeiss prisms. Rather a long way beyond my budget, (I could get a nice Dob for that), but a man can always dream

[Craig_]

Sorry I haven't replied to the members who took time to help me out, just been busy with work these last few days.

Anyway my original question has been answered, and thanks to the £300 bed frame and mattress that I bought for my son the 10x will have to wait for now