Starting out

[TGTBATQ]

I read the "Essential Reading" sticky, and it starts out very much like me.

I am 18, and I am, and always have been, utterly fascinated by the things beyond this planet.

I was looking at the Orion XT8, but i've recently been reading that binoculars would be better, this doesn't exactly make much sense to me, unfortunately.

Is there any way anyone could shed some light on this, and give an opinion on an XT8 vs a pair of binoculars?

The XT8 is in my ideal price range (350-400) but if I can get a pair of binoculars that are just as good for quite a bit cheaper.. then why not?

What exactly is the advantage that a pair of binoculars has over a scope like the XT8 that would make it more viable?

Also, as a last request, can anyone please recommend a good pair of binoculars? Or if the XT8 is a bad choice, can someone recommend a better scope for the 350ish price range?

Thank you so much for any help that anyone is able to provide.

-TGT

[TheNorthernMonkey]

You'll be suprised at how good binoculars are for looking at the stars. I dont think many astronomers don't have a pair, even if they have some fantastic other gear. Grab a pair for less than £50 and prepare to be amazed

[Gra]

Hi TGT, just get the XT8 you wont be dissapointed. Binoculars are great for a quick grab and go and give you a wide field of view, that would be good for a beginner (and expert).

However, the XT8 is a great size and is also quite portable and will give you great views.

[LukeSkywatcher]

There are 2 main reasons why people say bins are a better option for someone starting out:

1/They are pretty cheap for a good pair of 10X50 bins and if you find that the hobby is not for you then you have lost/spent very little money

2/ By starting off with bins, you are in the position of having to read a few books and star charts and learning the night sky to find objects. This gives you a good understanding of the night sky and will serve you well.

Even if you have the latest scope with all the bells and whistles, you will still need a very basic understanding of a few constellations or stars in the sky to align the scope.

All valid reasons for firstly buying a set of bins i will agree. However there seems to be a generational gap to this discussion. People my age (38) and older will say bins is the best option while younger people may say go for a scope from the word go.

To be honest, neither side is right nor wrong. As i said................even with a scope you will need to know a few basics.

P.S.~~~I ALWAYS say that binocular astronomy and telescope astronomy are two different things. Bins give wider views but dont have the same magnification as a scope.

I think its impossible to compare both to each other as they both have their own pro's and con's.

My 1st love is binocular astronomy, but i did it for 30 yrs and i now have several different scopes.

With your budget (nice and healty one i might add), you can buy one of these: one of the most popular scopes out there today.

http://www.firstligh...-dobsonian.html

AND have money left over to buy a good set of 10x50 (maybe even 15x70) bins, but i'd start out with 10x50 because as mentioned above they are an astronomers trusty friend.

http://www.strathspey.co.uk/

(The marine 10x50 bins by this company won the best bins review in the sky at night mag a few years ago). I have a pair of their 20x90 bins and can vouch for the quality and performance of the Straths bins.

Best of both worlds.

[Lenny147]

I went for bins first and I found they are an essential piece of kit to compliment a scope, I couldn't believe the views to be had with a basic pair of binoculars

[Rakanishu]

The main reason binoculars are reccomended is because they show a nice big patch of sky compared to a telescope. Making them ideal for picking out the brighter messiers and so on in the sky. Its easier to learn the skies and constelations with a pair of binos than a telescope since the scope will only show you very small patch of sky. Binoculars complement a telescope very well and there are alot of things to see with binos. Great for starting out. And i bought a pair of olympus 10x50 DPS binoculars from amazon for about £40 - Cant fault them one bit, they have shown me alot. Although once you have had binos for a while the want for a scope is even worse! Hehe.

Hope I have helped and not confused.

[JamesF]

I'll kind of agree with Paul and kind of not

Bins are great for a quick peek when the sky isn't great or you don't have time to get the scope out, they're great for wide views of the sky and for learning your way around. I'd absolutely recommend a pair. In terms of what you'll see though, I'd say they'd rarely hold a candle to the XT8. You'll be able to see things with it that just aren't possible with bins, and get far more

detail out of what you can see with them.

There's no need to spend a huge amount on a pair of bins, so if you can afford them, get both

James

[TGTBATQ]

Wow guys, thanks for such awesome responses so quickly! I think I'm going to play it by the old saying and go with better safe than sorry, might as well snag a good pair of binoculars to see just how much I enjoy gazing into the cosmos.

Can anyone here recommend a great pair of binoculars?

[Lenny147]

I also have the Olympus DPS 1 bins and they give some great views

[LukeSkywatcher]

I'll kind of agree with Paul and kind of not

Bins are great for a quick peek when the sky isn't great or you don't have time to get the scope out, they're great for wide views of the sky and for learning your way around. I'd absolutely recommend a pair. In terms of what you'll see though, I'd say they'd rarely hold a candle to the XT8. You'll be able to see things with it that just aren't possible with bins, and get far more

detail out of what you can see with them.

There's no need to spend a huge amount on a pair of bins, so if you can afford them, get both

James

All i see is the agreement between us. What bit do you disagree with? The generational gap thing?.

It is pretty true. You are either "old school" (like me) or "new school". Although the line between both is becoming very blurred these days that is why i am not seeing so many people saying to beginners "get a set of bins before a scope". In my eyes, its a bit of a dying "arguement". There really is no reason to start off with bins these days because modern technology hands you everything you want on a plate for your instant gratification.

I like many learned the hard way (bins and books). I'm not for one second saying that this is the right way to go about it. The main thing is enjoying the hobby in whatever way,shape or form you do it in. If you enjoy it, then you are doing nothing wrong. There is no right or wrong.

I cant be fairer then that. For yrs i was against Go-To scopes, but now i have one and its all i use most of the time. See..................old dogs can learn new tricks.

LOL.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Wow guys, thanks for such awesome responses so quickly! I think I'm going to play it by the old saying and go with better safe than sorry, might as well snag a good pair of binoculars to see just how much I enjoy gazing into the cosmos.

Can anyone here recommend a great pair of binoculars?

Have a look at these:

http://www.firstligh...binoculars.html

First Light Optics (FLO) are the sponsors of this form and they are an absolute JOY to deal with. They say that these bins are good for astronomy. If they say it, i dont doubt it.

Cant go far wrong with £65.

[bullettooth]

i tell you what you should buy aswell that will accompany whatever you decide to buy first. a good book. like turn left at orion or

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

ive just purchased this from amazon today. i should of bought it ages ago. because if i havent planned my viewing by using stellarium before i go out, i struggle to find things to point my scope at and then dont know what im looking at when i do find something.

good luck and i hope you get plenty of clear skies.

oh i should say that i paid less than i tenner for mine using the "18new" link. i do believe it will be well worth it

[brantuk]

The "binoculars first" advice is often given for folks on a tight budget and for whom a scope would be a major outlay - or for those who want to dabble in the hobby first to judge if they will have the patience and dedication required to make a scope purchase worthwhile.

If you pop out every weekend with binocs for a session with a group observers over a couple of months of winter freezing cold conditions then you soon get to know what you're getting into and how keen you'll really be. Winter is the best time for darkness and clear skies when the business end of astronomy mostly gets done.

I've seen folks turn up a couple of times and then never see them again, I've also seen folks arrive with their first cheap scope or binocs and then spend the next 18 months getting through loads of expensive gear upgrades and eventually become very good imagers or top of the range observers.

It's quite a technical and costly pastime which is best approached from a "gradual immersion" point of view. For example it takes about a year to learn the sky across all seasons. You'll also become a weatherman by the way lol - and may end up a considerable camping enthusiast as well. Then again if you're rich and have oodles of cash to burn then you may as well splash out on a load of expensive kit from the outset and give it to your nephew in 3 months time when you loose interest lol.

[TGTBATQ]

So I've decided to get a pair of 15x70 binoculars, but i'm having trouble deciding between three

The three that I'm trying to decide between are Barska, Celestron, and Orion

$60 Barska: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A7B9RQ/sr=1-9/qid=1344667018/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1344667018&seller=&sr=1-9

$85 Celestron: http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1344667184&sr=1-1&keywords=15x70

$80 Orion: http://www.amazon.com/Orion-Astronomy-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B004GX094Y/ref=sr_1_5?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1344667217&sr=1-5&keywords=15x70

[brantuk]

There's not a lot between those three on paper. I don't know the other two but I went for the Celestron 15x70's which are very nice to use and represent great value for money being fully multicoated porro prisms. They're robust, crisp, clear, with good eye relief, and hold very nicely with the rubberised grips. The diopter is smooth and firm as is the main focusing. You can't really go wrong with them in this price bracket.

They are however quite heavy and you get very "snakey" views of stars when hand holding - best to put your elbows on a gate bar or car roof to keep them steady. A good idea is to get a stable camera tripod. I put a fine tuning head on mine so I can track in alt/az just by twisting knobs - very worthwhile and obviates arm ache - but you need one that ramps up high so you can get your eyes under it when standing and looking at the zenith. Hope that helps

[Lenny147]

Hope you make the right choice, you will probably need a tripod with 15x70s as I found out and quickly went back to 10x50s as they are more steady in he hand

[TGTBATQ]

There's not a lot between those three on paper. I don't know the other two but I went for the Celestron 15x70's which are very nice to use and represent great value for money being fully multicoated porro prisms. They're robust, crisp, clear, with good eye relief, and hold very nicely with the rubberised grips. The diopter is smooth and firm as is the main focusing. You can't really go wrong with them in this price bracket.

They are however quite heavy and you get very "snakey" views of stars when hand holding - best to put your elbows on a gate bar or car roof to keep them steady. A good idea is to get a stable camera tripod. I put a fine tuning head on mine so I can track in alt/az just by twisting knobs - very worthwhile and obviates arm ache - but you need one that ramps up high so you can get your eyes under it when standing and looking at the zenith. Hope that helps

Since there isn't a lot between them, what's keeping me from getting the Barska's since they can save me about 20$ over the celestron and orion's?

[brantuk]

Well I could be wrong but my reasoning is like buying a cheaper end scope with "goto". When some of the money goes into electronics you lose out on aperture. In this case if some of the money goes into a tripod you may be loosing out on optical quality. It may be worth having a choice of which way you want to mount the binocs. But other than that - I don't know the other two binocs so I'd have to look through them to judge the differences. I can confirm however the Celestron ones won't let you down in any way