Best binos for DSO

[tico]

Hello,

I amFan of Deep sky observactions, brilliant Messier objects and nebulae,star clusters,wide angle binoculars observation.

What binos are best for this purpouse? Maybe the 25X100mm model?

Thanks

[vegaandarctures]

I have a fantastic pair of 15x70's which show up tones of deep sky objects. The 25x100's will need a really sturdy tripod, I can use my 15x70's easily without one but usually people prefer one. If you want my opinion go for the 15x70's. Celestron and Revelation both do really good ones.

Regards Tom

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

I didn't think binos would do DSOs to be honest... i'm gonna have to get some then

Incidentally, when they quote an aperture size for binos, is it cumulative? ie 10x50s is it two 25mm apertures or two 50mm apertures?

[Smeg]

50mm per lens

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

It is two 50mm apertures. FOUR 25mm apertures would be needed to make ONE 50mm, in terms of light captured. Binoculars are just great for brighter and larger DSO. 15x70 hits a sweet spot in terms of size versus portability, though I also use my 10x50s a bit. Note that for the price of a 25x100 you can get a rich field scope which is more versatile in terms of magnification, filters, etc. I have seen an iOptron 108mm F/6 ED with flattener for 100 euro less than a 25x100 pair of bins. I can use a 30mm Explore Scientific in the F/6, and get 3.8 deg FOV, much bigger than that of the 25x100 (2.68 deg).

[Phil4130]

I have a set of optical hardware 25x100 binos attached to a Manfrotto 475b Tripod and 501HDV Head. I would say that the view is similar to approx 30x mag in my 10" dob . They excel on widefield views of open clusters and I can fit M31, M32 & M110 in the same view. They are great as a grab and go too .

[acey]

My first views of M104, North America nebula and many other DSOs was with 10x50 binos. I also have 9x63 and 15x70 binos: higher magnification gives a more interesting view but also more shakiness. Larger aperture means brighter view but more weight. Tripod mounting, for me, defeats the purpose of binos (and gave me neck ache). Most important thing is the darkness of the sky - I'd rather have 10x50s at a dark site than a 16" dob in a city.

Going down the tripod-mount route, I have a couple of small refractors that I use for travel, one with detachable 90-degree diagonal, the other a spotting scope with 45-degree diagonal which isn't perfect for astro but is infinitely preferable to a straight-through view.

[kniclander]

big bins (ie 80+ aperture ) will give you a completely different (better)viewing experience from a scope for open clusters and wide fields (IMHO) but for everything else a scope wins because the aperture will be much larger and the mag can be pushed much much higher (unless you go super high end with the bins). for the ebst of both worlds (on moon and planets) binoviewers may be the answer.

[swamp thing]

Hi

I think the answer is similar to a scope:

Pick the ones you will get the most use out of.

Large heavy bins give awesome views but need a mount to get the most out of them.

Smaller bins won't often show as much, but they're much easier to get on with on a daily basis.

If you already have a pair around 10x50 then a large pair will supplement them very well but I wouldn't pick a large pair as my only ones.

Regards Steve