Damo636

On 13/02/2017 at 09:26, BinocularSky said:

Sort of expected if less light is being lost into the spectrum, especially off-axis. Have you yet been able to assess how much brighter it is on-axis?

Not as yet Steve. Between work commitments and the weather conditions continuing to be far from ideal when I do manage to get a few minutes, I haven't really had any quality time with it. I've a few days off over the coming weekend, so fingers crossed by then the weather will have improved and I'll get back to it.

Yep, never looked through one of those but have read enough to know it's a truly stunning optic, enjoy! Very envious 

I took delivery yesterday of the new APM branded magnesium 16x70 ED binocular, and today I had a brief opportunity to compare it with my Lunt 16x70 magnesium.  A small modification to my Uni-mount facilitated mounting the binoculars one on top of the other, ideal for fast switching from one to the other. Physical characteristics are all but identical so I'd conclude the only differences are in the optics. This becomes evident when switching from one to the other. The APM is just that bit brighter and more colour neutral. Chromatic aberration is evident in the Lunt under certain scenarios, although that said,  it's very well controlled and far from objectionable. In comparison the APM is remarkably colour free.  More to follow when the weather cooperates and I get it under the stars. 

Very nice Stu, congrats on a fine addition. 

Excellent report, thanks for sharing.

Top notch review Bill, thanks very much!

Those Vixens look absolutely superb Steve. Ive considered on more than one occasion selling up some gear and plumping for something like that. To date I've resisted, but must admit your setup has reignited my interest!

I've only two instruments at the minute, the 10x50 Fuji, and the 20x110 Helios Apollo. I had to offload some kit recently (including my 15x70 Helios Apollo) when two large kitchen appliances gave up the ghost within weeks of each other! This one I will be replacing at the earliest opportunity.

Cheers Shane, I hadn't seen that listing.

Lovely collection you have there Shane. I noticed one of the original smoothside 7mm T1's on EBay the other day and must admit was very tempted! (Still am if I'm honest) I'm not sure if the asking price is a bit high though?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121573864716

Thanks for the report John, the SLV sound very impressive indeed!

Very nice collection Nick, those 100° ES sure are big lumps of glass aren't they!

Thanks for the feedback Steve. I've considered one of those on a few occasions, but wasn't sure it would offer anything over the Weifeng (Camrock branded). It sounds like a very nice product.

Nice threesome Michael, the little guy is well dwarfed by the other two!

Very nice looking bins. I noticed you had a comparison picture with some Olympus dps . How did they perform for you ( obviously not compared to the Helios). Interested as they seem to pop up quite cheaply now and then .

I found the DSP-1 a capable binocular for the price Rory. Previous to it, the only other 10x50 I had owned was a Lidl job and the Olympus was a definite step up. The views are nice and bright and I consider it excellent value for money if bought at sub £50.

Count me in also, its a long time since I had a night out on a tenner :-)

Very impressive Alan, there's a horse there for every course :-)

Matt

Its a tough call between those two. Although the 15x70 Apollo will be of a higher quality overall, the 25x100 Quantum 4 with its increased resolution/magnification will generally show you more. The trade off as already mentioned is that the 100mm binocular will need a pretty hefty mount. (I'm not familiar with the Orion Optics mount, so you may well be ok in this regard) Something else to consider is that the larger binocular will have a smaller true fov, 2.5° vs 4°. I have to admit though, I would like to add a 100mm bino to the stall at some point! Good luck with your decision :-)

Ps. Either of the two will be good for satellite/ISS spotting. As far as deep sky, asteroids/comet spotting goes, the larger binocular will be capable of resolving fainter objects.

Those Peli cases look the business Keith & a bargain at those prices! The glassware aint too shabby either ;-)

I recently bought my Helios Apollo 15x70 from these guys & thought I'd take the time to report how the transaction went.

Having never used them before I was wary, but I needn't have been. Their combined purchase & delivery costs were the most competitive I could find in the UK. I placed the order Friday & took delivery Tuesday. IME, their email & phone support was also excellent & I would not hesitate to use them again.

Highly recommended!

10/10

The individual eye focusing did seem a little odd at first as I have only ever had centre focusing binos. Its perfect for astro though, as once they are focused, they don't have to be touched again.

I took delivery of a Horizon 8115 tripod yesterday and tried the Apollo out on it last night. The tripod and head is pretty decent considering the price, and the Apollo is very happy on it. It gives me another mounting option but I see it getting more use for terrestrial obs if I'm honest.

Nice one!!, they are really nice aren't they

Yep, I'm completely chuffed with them Steve, the whole set up in fact! Kembles Cascade is definitely on my to do list but typically the weather has now turned for the worse, again :-(

Cheers Steve.

Awsome indeed Michael, should've have done this ages ago, I have definitely been missing out!

A package was sat on the floor in the porch when I arrived home yesterday evening, the Apollo had landed

The bins come as standard in a nice foam and velvet carry case...

Having never owned anything other than 10x50 bins I was surprised by the size and weight! My recently acquired Olympus DSP-1 look and feel small by comparison...

Build quality is very high and these things really do feel like they are built to last. I plan to use these mostly on the monopod with a modified reclining lounger. When I say modified, I mean I have big hole cut in it right between my legs to allow the monopod to fit through

Unbelievably the skies were clear last night, really clear in fact, the first time in about 3 weeks! I got myself comfortable on the lounger, pointed the bins at the Pleiades & "WOW" This is easily the nicest view of this beautiful cluster I have ever had! The sharpness and contrast of these bins is fabulous. Next up was M42. This is my favourite target in the night sky and the view through the apollo was just jaw dropping. The nebula really popped against the lovely black background, stunning! Although not an ideal planetary instrument, I couldn't resist a look at Jupiter. The planet focused as a perfect disc with the Galileon moons easily visible. Next up I thought I'd test the resolving power with some galaxy hunting. M31 was the obvious first target and it certainly didn't disappoint. The 4.4* fov of the Apollo framed it beautifully with room to spare, lovely! I headed back over in the direction of Ursa Major and bagged M81, M82, M109 (just about) & amazingly M51! I forgot to try for M101 I spent the rest of the session scanning aimlessly through the heavens, taking in various large clusters and just utterly enjoying the views these amazing bins serve up. All in all I consider these bins as money well spent, they will see a lot of use