SpaceBass

Sorry, not quite with you on that.. I haven't any idea whether my eyes are out or not, just that I've observed almost the same near edge postion with many binoculars, both past and present.  It seems 'unlikely' that the whole lot were miscollimated. 

Anyhow, your informative previous post would seem to suggest that the oberwerk article is not to be taken seriously and that all my binoculars are pretty much collimated (albeit not accurately measured) including those two.  Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

@BinocularSky

thanks for the excellent summary!  I believe the two binos in question look the same with a defocused star (by diopter adjustment) as do the other ones I have.  All six of them have the focused point just inside the unfocused blob, usually top half and right side position. Does this mean that I can discount the Oberwerk article with those two, then? 

As regards the focused point not being more towards the centre of the blob, if all six pairs show the same postion, I suppose it's more likely due to my eyes being a bit crossed than an indication of slight miscollimation.  As discussed on CN a while back:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/460672-checking-collimation/

I recently came across this article on the Oberwerk website about vertical collimation.  So I tested out my six pairs of binoculars and found that two- Kowa YF 6X30 and Pentax Papillo II 6.5X21- were out.  I'm unable to photograph it but it looks the same as in the article.  

So just wondering how much an issue this is compared to regular collimation?  

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To check vertical collimation, look at a distinct horizontal line, such as a roof line, gutter, or fence rail. Slowly move your eyes back from the binocular until they are about 3 inches away, while maintaining the view of the horizontal line in eyepieces. Let your eyes relax and focus more on the image at the eyepieces rather than through the binocular. Even a slight vertical miscollimation will now be readily shown as a difference in position of the horizonal line

https://oberwerk.com/collimation-instructionsfor-lw-series-and-mariner-series/

I have the same challenge as you😅.  

Kowa 6x30 and 8x30 YF (and the similar Vortex Raptor) close down to 50mm and have good quality optics. The 6x30 are down to £82 at the moment, which is great value.  

The Canon 10x30 and 12x36 IS models, have a stated IPD of 55mm, so might be worth a try from a retailer with a good return policy

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/binoculars/is-binoculars/10-x-30-is

6 hours ago, osbourne one-nil said:

Perhaps I just had a duff pair?

I think you did have.  If you can manage the 15x50's 1180 gram weight while walking (really needs to be ascertained before any final decisons), then that would be a clear upgrade over the 10x30's.  At that weight level there would also be various non IS contenders with higher quality glass, from the lighter Bushnell 10x42 Legend M (750 grams) to the Nikon Monarch 5 16x56 (1230g).  There's also the Steiner 2310 Nighthunter 8x56 (1090g) and currently on offer at £644.

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Perhaps I've got the best solution already!

I think you may have tbh.  It's been said on these pages that the 10x30is (when stabilised) is roughly comparable to a budget 10x50 for stargazing, and the 12x36is a  better quality 10x50.  The 12x36 is definitely worth considering, but maybe not worth the extra expenditure or loss on selling the 10x30's.

I personally use a pair of Kowa 6x30 YF's while walking at night, as anything more substantial gets in the way of the exercising for me.  I did try the 10x30is but made me feel nauseous, due to a perceptible slight swimming effect that affects a small percentage of users. 🙂

On 27/01/2020 at 14:16, Ruud said:

 

With my binoculars I use it as a monopod together with a light weight binocular head. 

What head is that, out of interest? 🙂

3 minutes ago, Henrique Coelho said:

So far I could not get it to align and slew to targets within the FOV. It´s always out.

have you considered contacting the retailer for repair, replacement or refund?

1 hour ago, AdeKing said:

My AZ Gti and pier extension was delivered this morning (thanks @FLO)

Mine too. Had a quick play around inside the house and it found the approximate positions of Jupiter and Saturn without me doing any alignment.  Look forward to venturing outside!  

3 minutes ago, Helen said:

No, the mount creates its own wifi so you just join that and so don't need phone signal  

 

Arh, music to my ears.  Much obliged!

27 minutes ago, GavStar said:

If your using it for visual only then no issue since you won’t notice it. It’s only if you do longer exposure photos is there a potential  issue...

Okay cool, thanks for speedy reply Gavstar!   

One other thought that comes to mind though is are you reliant on a good phone signal to use the app?  

Well now it's in stock for a bit, I'm wondering if the issue mentioned by @GavStar a few posts ago is anything to be concerned about?  

1 hour ago, TSRobot said:

Delivery during June I've been advised by Martin today

...and mid to late June, according to SW USA.  I've given up and ordered an AZ5!  Still interested in the GTI though and hopefully it won't go up in price before late June.

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/586532-new-skywatcher-az-gti-goto-wifi-mount/?p=8550747

Hi @FLO. Is it true that the AZ-gti has been pushed back to June too?  Cheers, 

@vlaiv  cool, good to know..

Guys, I'm pondering about whether to get a star test at time of ordering from Teleskop-Express, which is 60 euros for both Star and Ronchi (or 30 euros each). They guarantee a diffraction limited optical system, Strehl 0.8 or better. I have very limited ability to do any testing of my own, other than a basic star de-focus. 

Is there much merit to paying extra for this?

On 6/29/2017 at 15:18, vlaiv said:

I plan to replace my ST102 F/5 with a decent all rounder for visual at some point (not so near future, but hopefully by the end of this year).

Hi Vlaiv.  I have similar requirements and wonder if you ever bought the TS photoline 102 F7 doublet or a different scope?  That and the 80mm F7, 565FL doublet version (currently reduced to 548 euros) are on my shortlist. Thanks.

7 hours ago, davyludo said:

I believe the AZ5 states a load weight of 5kg with the standard tripod. However, I think the manual mentions that the "heavy duty" variant (which looks like it has a steel legged tripod) has a load weight of 9kg.

https://teleskop-austria.at/information/pdf/AZ5_AZ-5.pdf

Thanks. So retailers' AZ5 'mount only' specs should state max payload 9kg rather than 5kg.

Nice list.  Why is the Celestron your favourite and are they a big step up over the Pentax?