Are these Binoculars worth it?

[euphony]

Hi guys,

I will be very shortly going to Spain for a holiday and inevitably I will have clear skies every night but no telescope! Garrrgghhh.....

Anyway, I found some binoculars that my father in law gave us ages ago as he wanted some more light weight ones (although these don't feel particularly heavy to me). I wondered if they'd be any good to take with me when we're sat out on the balcony or roof terrace in the evenings. They're obviously very old as they were given to him by his dad!

They're quite small and it looks like the name is called Vinson. They're 8 x 30.

Any clue as to whether they'll be worth taking with me? What are the chances of seeing anything worthwhile? Any advice greatly appreciated as always

Chris

[Brian Nordstrom]

Hi Chris , they are a little small for astronony , but if its all you got these will be better than nothing and if the skies are dark enough they should give good views , you can also use them to observe wild life during the day ?

Yep , better than nothing.

I would take them .

Brian.

[euphony]

Thanks Brian,

Yeah I thought they might not be great, but like you say, better than nothing.

Out of interest, what spec would you recommend for astronomy (without spending too much), just in case I accidentally wander into a store in Malaga on my way to the resort

[Brian Nordstrom]

Mate just good old 7 or 10x 50's perfect as they are not to heavy to hold up for extended periods , dont magnify the shakes to bad and gather a lot of light , but stay away from zoom models , and ones with ruby lenses , they are both no good for astronomy ( usually inferior quality as well ) , ok for day light viewing , but no good at night .

Yep a nice pair of 50mm center focus porro prisims , ( Not roof prisims as these are to expensive and again cheep ones are inferior ) .

Enjoy your holiday Chris .

Brian.

[glowjet]

Chris,I would agree that they are a little on the small side with also a small exit pupil. The least you want is 7X50 or better 10X50 and there are quite a number on the market between £50 and £70, however, you may not want to dig into your pocket, so why not give them a try, if they have been stored for some time, giving the objectives and eye pieces a clean, then try them out on the next clear night, as is said they are better than nothing at all, especially if you take them into the country as Spanish skies will be far better than ours

John.

[euphony]

Thanks for your help guys, much appreciated

[enar1948]

you may not want to dig into your pocket, so why not give them a try

[onesmallstep]

Hi

Although 10x50 is the 'ideal' binocular size to choose for astro viewing there are several starter models at 7x35 so the 8x30 should be OK for ad-hoc observing although you may want to add a 7x50 / 10x50 model to your bins collection.

HTH!

[cantab]

I would say give them a check over before you leave, just to make sure that you can focus both sides, they're properly collimated (no double vision or eye strain), and there's no major flaws. If they're fine take them. They're smaller than most people would pick if buying a binocular specifically for astronomy, but they should still bring in a lot that won't be visible to the naked eye. Good for lunar detail of course (well, not compared to your CPC 1100, but I doubt you'll be lugging that to Spain!), the starfields of the Milky Way should be nice, and I wouldn't be surprised if you could spot some of the brighter Messiers in them.

[euphony]

Good for lunar detail of course (well, not compared to your CPC 1100, but I doubt you'll be lugging that to Spain!)

The only way i could do that is if I leave all my clothes behind

[euphony]

Seen a nice cheap pair of binos that are 30x50. I'm guessing these are no good?

[euphony]

Ahh, they're actually 10-30 x 50

[ollypenrice]

The only way i could do that is if I leave all my clothes behind

Sounds like a plan!

7 or 8 X42 is an excellent astro compromise should you wimp out on the C11 and no clothes option!!!

Olly

[Gohan75]

I Have a pair of Celestron 20 x 80 skymasters. They're a bit on the heavy side but the views they produce, i believe, make them more than worth it. I also have a mount for them which minimizes this problem anyway. The views on the moon and star clusters are fantastic through them as they have a nice magnification and large appeture. I can also see Jupiter's 4 moons with them. A bit on the pricey side though but defiantly great for astronomy and a good side arm for using along side a scope.