Good starter Binoculars?

[midge91]

Hello,

I have recently got into the hobby of astronomy and have really enjoyed it. My little brother has also enjoyed it and he sometimes is more fascinated than me. He comes outside to all my observing sessions but to be honest my telescope is too big for him and he finds it awkward to use with me. He asked if he could get a telescope but he hasn't the money for anything of worth. I then thought of Bins he can easily manage them and still help me with our observing. What kind of bins would be good. Budget of about £20. I would use them to as a little finder.

Thanks,

Midge

[Dan148]

just having a look through amazon these seem ok for the little man. good reviews aswell

[Capricorn]

Suggest that you get a simple set of "normal" birding binoculars, 8x42's are the standard.

Find these work well on just about everything.

Where to get a set for £20 I have no idea, suggest a look round a few of the charity shops in the coming weeks, or the used section of camera shops.

[Grunthos]

Those Celestron 20x50 are going for £23.99 at Play.com.

Personally I'd suggest a 7x50 or a 10x50 binocular.

Strathspey do a decent quality 10x50 for about £31.

Get the sprog a cheap camera bean bag instead of a tripod and he'll be good to go for many moons.

[cantab]

Stick to 7x or 10x magnification. 20x will shake too much unless on a good mount, which pushes the price up and the convenience down. The 10x50 version of the Celestron Upclose would probably be just about OK, but they will have their shortcomings. Depending on how old your brother is, you might think about something lighter like an 8x42, but given the drop in aperture you'll want to make it a good 8x42 IMHO.

[DOBBY]

check out the local charity shop... he can try em for weight etc before buying

[Merlin66]

My wife has a great pair of 7 x 40 binos - lightweight and very, very handy.

These would be ideal for smaller hands.....

[onesmallstep]

Hi

You don't say how old your brother is but if he's under 10yo then these bins might be suitable. They are 7x35 so are lighter than the 7x50 / 10x50 models usually suggested. Also, the field of view will be larger so he will get more astrobang for your bucks.

Celestron UpClose 7x35 - Porro [71136-UpClose-7x35-Binocular] - 22.56 : 365Astronomy: Discovery for every day!

HTH!

[lw24]

I would choose the Strathspey 10x50 binoculars mentioned earlier in the thread.

Clear Skies,

Luke