binocular advice ?

[rory]

im after a pair of binoculars for viewing the night sky.

i already have a telescope but while both me and my son are out togeather,its good for us both gazing together.

ive used my dads old tasco 16x50. but they are awful.every star looks like a globular cluster..

ive already preety much decided to get 10x50's and have several makes and models in mind. BUT...

NOW HERES THE MAIN QUESTION. what amongst you experienced guys is absolute minimum requirments ?

i.e- are bak 4 glass a must or is bak 7 ok ?

are coated adequate or multicoated a must ?

are there makes to steer clear of ect. ?

appreciate any help.

im spending under £50, so for more expensive models ,im having to e bay rather than new.

thanks peeps...

[lw24]

Hi

I'm not a binocular expert, so can't really help you with any of your questions, however, I have seen many people guided in the direction of Strathspey Binoculars, the 10x50 ones which cost £30.99 are supposed to be great starting binoculars.

Clear Skies

[rory]

thanks iw24.

im interested in what people have found with bak7 glass or lesser coated glass ect.

are views far worse, noticable. cheers

[Peter Drew]

The Bresser/ Meade/Rocktrail badged 10x50's occasionally available from outlets such as Lidl or Aldi are good starter value. NEVER be tempted by any of the ZOOM variety! .

[rory]

thanks p.d. no zooms ,okay.

[BazMark]

I use the Rocktrail 10x50s from Lidls (£15). Had them bout a year and a half and they have been brilliant. Pin sharp and good contrast for stargazing. However, the experience of some fellow stargazers seems to be that you might have to try one or two before you get a good pair. But Lidls do have a good returns / replacement policy so if you live nearby a store you shouldn't have a problem if you have to take the first pair back. Mine though were good first time. One thing I like about them as a spectacle wearer is the long eye relief.

I will also second the comment about avoiding Zoom binos. I've never had a pair that I've been satisfied with.

Regards,

Mark

[brantuk]

Look for porro prisms fully multi coated (fmc) bak4 or bak7. I have the Rocktrails from Liddl's. Cracking bargain and still going strong after a year pin sharp and crystal clear - teriffic value at around £15.

If you're aiming higher - FLO sometimes do an offer on the Celestron or Revelation 15x70's - bit big/heavy but ideal on a cheap photo tripod (plus adaptor). They're usually offered around £50 - also great vfm. Hope that helps

[Madhatter]

Finding a pair of the said rocktrails isnt easy, with the running around and waiting you may have to do it might not be viable-of course if you see a pair, with all the positive comments there are surley a safe bet.

I bought a pair of celesteron upclose 10x50 from amazon for £23.99, can be bought as low as 19 but we needed quick postage..there tripod mountable, light, and for the price pretty good. as mentioned, steer clear of the zoom models.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&biw=1003&bih=563&rlz=1R2ACAW_en&q=celestron+upclose+10x50&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=3515677375746935465&sa=X&ei=qoLtTeqtKoeGhQfttP2JAw&ved=0CB4Q8wIwAA#

If they are not upto your needs they should sell secondhand on ebay for a reasnable price.

[KEJ]

Hi

For £62(inc Del) I found and bought these, Celestron 15 x 70 and I am very pleased, they are also Bak4, you do also get a cheap plastic tripod mount included which is better than nothing.

http://www.mymemory.co.uk/Binoculars/Celestron/Celestron-Skymaster-Binoculars-15X70

These were the cheapest I could find them at the time.

I also bought a pair of 20 X 80 bak4 but with them you do need a tripod without a doubt.

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/141570-revelation-20x80-vs-celestron-15x70-binoculars.html

[rory]

thanks all. hey kej, i notice youve praktika's. what are they like ?

also im still wondering about the coated,fully coated,multi and fully multi and how much it affects viewing ?

could wait an age for lidl to reintroduce the bargain ,which is a shame.

[glowjet]

Strathspey make very good binoculars, have a look at their web site where I believe they give a full explanation of prisms and coatings, they have a good basic 10x50 pair at £30, their quality marine 10x50 model is more than you want to pay, but they came out tops in a revue by S@N mag

[Tyr]

I've recently recieved a pair of Helios Fieldmasters, which I'm liking very much. I can't comment on how they compare to the Strathspey ones though.

This was the cheapest place I could find them at including delivery £45

Helios Fieldmaster 10x50 Binocular

[swampy]

Thanks for the Strathspey link .... I think I might have just found my stopgap viewing system until I decide which scope (and save up enough).

[swampy]

Oooops, thanks too Rory for asking the original question

[rory]

Oooops, thanks too Rory for asking the original question

hey no problem:) glad i could help...

helios,strathspey....mmm, shall take closer look .

im bidding at the mo on a pentax pair, but if that fails, i shall look at the bins being advised.

still unsure of how good or bad the bak7 against bak 4 comparisons.

[RoadRunner2009]

All I can say is I am absolutely delighted with my 15x70s. Yes they are heavy and need a steady pair of hands (or better yet a tripod, as it comes with the L adapter in the box). Or if you've got a layback chair it's good too.

Fantastic views with them too, great field of view and delivers bright images of star clusters.

There's a tiny bit of chromatic aberration with terrestrial viewing but so far I've had no problems at night!

[jamespels]

I have just picked up a paid of Revelation 20x80s - as with RoadRunner2009's 15x70s, they need a tripod (though the plastic L adapter that came with them is utterly useles for bins of this size - they wobble like a tuning fork on it! - metal replacement ordered).

Daylight viewing is very good - there is some CA but limited even in high contrast and far better than the old pair I was using. I haven't yet been awake when it's been anywhere dark and clear yet but the moon in twilight was pretty spectacular. Hoping to get some night time viewing in over the weekend.

J.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Strathspey make very good binoculars, have a look at their web site where I believe they give a full explanation of prisms and coatings, they have a good basic 10x50 pair at £30, their quality marine 10x50 model is more than you want to pay, but they came out tops in a revue by S@N mag

The Marines also have individual focusing, much better and more stable for stargazing.

[jamespels]

Just a heads up - there are some very nice nins in a wide range of prices on the SnS Bargain Section: Bargain Zone - Scopes'n'skies

Now to find £165 for these: http://www.scopesnskies.com/images/bargain-zone/600w-600h/20x80%20Obs%20Bargain.jpg

J.

[neilm]

I'd also recommend Strathspey if you're after a budget pair of bins. Give em a call, the guy (John I think) who runs it is very helpful and he's there into the early evening. I ordered by 20x90 about 6.30 pm on a Monday, arrived very well packed on the Thursday (it's a long way from Scotland!)

Cheers

Neil

[rory]

hey guys, thanks all very much for your input.

im either going down the fieldmaster 10x50, or strathspey 10x50 . with an outside bet of the skymasters.

such a minefield....