10x50 Binoculars

[Phenakist]

I today bought myself a silly little 8x21 monocular, not for anything astronomy related but I thought having one would be really neat as it can easily fit into a pocket and I can 'whip it out in a jiffy if the opportunity comes along'.

There is a kite that flies above my house, beautiful bird and although my 8x21 gives a good view i'd love to see it closer without shooting it (not that I own a gun) and dissecting it.

Long story short, I want a pair of 10x50 binoculars but have been holding off from getting a pair because of price and why get binoculars when I will soon be getting a telescope and use that money for lenses or the scope it's self.

I however then stumbled across this pair for £11.95 which I could justify spending and can use these for astronomy purposes and spying on this kite.

10X50 BINOCULARS STURDY RUBBERIZED HOUSING & CASE NEW | eBay

My question is simple, should I avoid these with a 10ft barge poll as the price is clearly indicating something? Can any of you justify or not justify purchasing these and why, thanks!

[Nova]

if I was in the market for bino's I think for 11 quid id take a chance but if its certainty you want you may have to pay a little more

[cantab]

I'm a novice myself, but my understanding is the bright orange ("ruby") coatings are bad for astronomy, as they reflect a lot of light (that's why they're orange!). Might not be so bad for daytime use though.

[Peter Drew]

I have no experience of this particular binocular but current opinion is that you should avoid ones with ruby coloured objectives. I would advise looking out for the inexpensive Meade, Bresser, Rocktrail badged 10x50 models, average price new around £15 from outlets such as Aldi and Lidl. Some purchasers on this forum have reported slight problems with them on occasion but the sellers have a good returns policy. I have bought several units in the past and all have been excellent value.

[Phenakist]

Praktica W10x50P Binoculars + Case *10 YEAR GUARANTEE* | eBay

Those looked pretty decent, one of the more decent makes, I will have a look in aldi over the next couple days

[Peter Drew]

These look identical to the models I recommended. The ad says "returns accepted" so could be a good bet.

[Polar Bear]

The Praktica models around £25.00 (10x50 P / 12x50 ZCF) are good binoculars for the price and I have owned both although mine were purchased through a local Cash Generators for £15.00 (boxed / new)

They are well made , sharp and have good contrast. Don't worry about the Bak-7 prisms at this price , it is better to have inexpensive binoculars that are well made and good to use.

I concur with Peters comments about Ruby coated optics being unsuitable for star gazing. They are especially bad in light polluted skies and seem to lower the contrast drastically. I am sure they are primarily intended to reduce glare in bright sunlight conditions.

Paul

[neilm]

I'd recommend checking out Tetenterre's web site for advice and information BinocularSky - Home

Cheers

Neil