I.R. Vision binos - help

[tom33pr]

Hi,

I do not have any idea about binos quite frankly.

I'll be going for holidays soon and desperately want to take a pair of binos with me. Recently I was given a pair of mysterious (for I can't find anything on them online) ones - I.R. Vision 20x50 (Japan made) and was wondering if they are rubbish or not. I also heard that a cheap pair of Bresser 10X50 would do for a basic observing...

So here's the question are those on attached photos absolute rubbish and should I go for Bressers or they could be similar optically?

Note that I cannot spend any decent money on binos so a pair of really basic will have to do.

Thanks in advance

[tom33pr]

...forgot to add - is there a budget, portable (small in size) mount that you could suggest considering?

[Ad Astra]

A couple of things on your bins...

The label "I.R. Vision" suggesting that you can 'see in infra-red light' is indeed, rubbish. These 'ruby coated' bins are not uncommon among lesser quality products. The suggestive name and fancy coatings (they actually distort the color and appearance of everything you see, by the way) are meant to encourage an impulse purchase - they do not appeal to the studious buyer who shops, compares and reads reviews.

20x50 is also a huge amount of magnification for a pair of bins this small. More magnification requires more light, and these would be very dim at this power, giving you a highly magnified, but very narrow and dim image. Certainly, you would never be able to hand hold such a pair. Anything over about 12x is very difficult (if not impossible) to hold steadily for most observers.

If these are just a pair you had about the house, go ahead and give them a go on the moon or just sweeping about the sky. They will show you vastly more than your naked eye, but you really need a tripod to use them at all with such high magnification.

I hope that helps some,

Dan

[Ags]

I had a pair of IR Vision 15x50 and they were horrible but did give me my best ever view of the Andromeda galaxy.

[DOBBY]

Hi Tom...Argos do some cheapie tripods from £19:99...or...find a fence or wall to rest em on for free...the steadier they are...the more you'll see, as your eyes can adjust to the view &...you won't pull ya eyebrows out trying to focus them.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I would try to get a pair of 10x50s, rather than be seriously annoyed at these 20x50s. The highly reflective nature of the coatings is highly suspicious. Good coatings cause a lens to all but vanish. My old Bressers have very decent coatings and give crisp views over much of the 7 deg FOV (they are not the same as the new ones, which are rather cheaper made, but very good value for money). Either get one from a good dealer online, or try them out in a shop to check for dud ones (collimation problems are prevalent in cheap bins). In my experience 10x50s are easily hand-held, and do not require a tripod (reclining chair is more useful).

[tom33pr]

Guys,

Thank you all so much. I could not understand why they were so 'jumpy' + dark...

I will go for 10x50, probably Bresser.

So you are saying that 10x50 can be handheld no problem? That's cool.

And the final question. If you were to pick between the Bresser 10x50 and those:

Celestron UpClose 10X50 Binoculars: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

...what would you go for?

Thanks again.

[Ad Astra]

Guys,

Thank you all so much. I could not understand why they were so 'jumpy' + dark...

I will go for 10x50, probably Bresser.

So you are saying that 10x50 can be handheld no problem? That's cool.

And the final question. If you were to pick between the Bresser 10x50 and those:

Celestron UpClose 10X50 Binoculars: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

...what would you go for?

Thanks again.

the Celestron offering doesn't say anything about BAK-4 prisms (the best glass) or fully multi-coated optics (best for astronomy) - meaning it certainly doesn't have these features. I would avoid these. Dunno about the Bresslers - they aren't available over here.

A check with FLO might be useful.

Dan