Binoculars

[Ronnie67]

what are the best binocular for night and day viewing, would like to try my hand at bino view

[Spec-Chum]

Broad question. :-)

A broad answer would be you'll be fine with just about any 10x50 bak-4 binos :-)

[E621Keith]

How much are you willing to pay and carry for this best binocular?

Without knowing your weight and budget constraint we can recommend something ridiculous. Like a Fujinon 40x150 for example. The Navy used it to spot pirate boats and Mr Hyakutake used it to discover his great comet in 1996. Cost around €20k

In terms of regular binoculars, this Fujinon 16x70 is probably best. Good for long range terrestrial used (such as ship spotting) and astronomy.

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=62148

[ronin]

Get a decernt pair of 8x42 birding binoculars.

Don't worry about BaK4 or not, simply because if you work in optics they don't use BaK4 for optical components. The reason - It aint that good. Optical components tend to be made from BK7 which is better.

Never has made sense why manufacturers make such hype about having it in when there several better.

Next salesman mentions BaK4 prisms ask why they do not use BK7 glass as the optical componet industry does since it is a better glass. I did once and was met with a blank look.

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

I love my hawke 8x42s. At first i wasn't sure the aperture would be enough, but the glass is awesome and makes up for it. Great for birding too

[Ronnie67]

just looking for something good to use when I do not have to keep getting the scope out, want something with a bit of power but not hugely expensive, around £200 mark, or there abouts

[E621Keith]

Get a decernt pair of 8x42 birding binoculars.

Don't worry about BaK4 or not, simply because if you work in optics they don't use BaK4 for optical components. The reason - It aint that good. Optical components tend to be made from BK7 which is better.

Never has made sense why manufacturers make such hype about having it in when there several better.

Next salesman mentions BaK4 prisms ask why they do not use BK7 glass as the optical componet industry does since it is a better glass. I did once and was met with a blank look.

There is a good reason, higher refractive index.

Bak4 has a critical angle that is 1.6 deg less than Bk7 and better at achieving total internal reflection with the steep light cone found in binocular.

If you look at the exit pupil of a Bk7 binocular, you will see the classic blue diamond exit pupil, this is because total internal reflection was not achieved in those area and light is lost as a result. Bk7 is a better glass when the incident angle is steeper and when you are not trying to use it for total internal reflection.

However, a well made Bk7 will perform better than a poorly made Bak4. Furthermore, Chinese Bak4 is optically closer to Bk7 than Schott Bak4 anyway, so the modern Bak4 designation doesn't mean much. Undersized prism, miscollimation, internal aperture stop, insufficient blackening/baffle, poor coating, poor polish etc will have a much bigger effect on performance than the prism glass type.

[Ronnie67]

Do you have a link to where I can look at these Bk7 binos your talking about Brown Dwarf.

Ronnie

[E621Keith]

Do you have a link to where I can look at these Bk7 binos your talking about Brown Dwarf.

Ronnie

FLO used to sell them, but not anymore. They are cheap binoculars in the sub £40 market anyway. Since you mentioned you have a budget of £200, you should consider a 10x50 from the Kumming BA8 series. They are sold as William Optics ED and Helios Apollo in UK,

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/william-optics-binoculars/william-optics-10x50-7x50-ed-binocular.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/helios/helios-apollo-high-resolution.html

What do you want to use the binocular for in the day?

10x50 is generally consider best for astronomy because it can be handheld. You will need a tripod for larger binoculars or ones with higher magnification.

If your day time use involve carrying the binocular for an extended period of time then you can consider lighter binoculars such as Pentax PCF 10x50 or even 8x40.

[ollypenrice]

I now prefer 8x to 10x because I find it much easier to hold still enough, though when I was younger I was fine with 10x. I have some very good 8x42s now and am getting along with them very nicely. I have some cheaper 10x50s which I like less, though they are not in the same league optically. The Helios Apollo do have a big following. Steve at FLO knows a lot about binos, too.

Olly

[foundaplanet]

I have a pair of 10x42 Leupold Arcadia... http://www.eebc.co.uk/productdisplay.aspx?productid=809

They have a weight of only 666g and provide a very clear crisp image.

[patriots star]

I have some celestron 15 x 70 s. Not too heavy to hold and gives fabulous views of milky way and star clusters.

very good for day time vieing too.

Nigel

[Scott]

my wife has a pair of (cheap) 7-15x25 and i can't hold them steady at 7x. i guess bins aren't for me

[MarkMayf]

My Olympus DPS1 10x50s arrived yesterday.

From a quick look outside last night they seem very good. Much clearer images than the Celestron 15x70 I used to have. They also feel very well built and aren't too heavy.

[glowjet]

Have a look at Strathspey Binoculars, they do an explanation sheet on binoculars, lens coatings, prisms and such like, they also produce good quality bins. What you want to use them for will have some bearing on what you end up with, 10x50 is the norm for hand held, regular use for terrestrial and Astronomy, if you want something with that little bit of extra power, more for Astronomy, then you move up to 15x70 but for these you will need some form of support, such as a tripod. Upwards of £200 should see you with some good quality types from such as Helios, Opticron, Strathspey etc. FLO deal with a variety of manufacturers, it might be worth your while having a word with him on this, for his views and to see if he has had any customer feed back on the popular makes

John.

[ChrisG3484]

I got a some 10*50s from 7dayshop and they seem nice enough. They cost me twenty odd squids. Although my budget was a lot smaller than yours (jealous !)

They are nice to hold, feel well made etc.

http://www.7dayshop.com/7dayshop-10x50-sport-series-binoculars-ref-7day10x50?q=10*50%20binoculars&sl=sl&undefined&sl=sl

[Gohan75]

I own Celestron Skymaster 20 x 80 and they are great. They can pull out many more stars than your eyes can see and the images are nice and bright. You can also make out the Orion nebula and the moons of Jupiter even from the middle of a light polluted city. Only down side is they are quite big and heavy but thats the trade off if you want more appeture.

[Ronnie67]

Thanks everyone I will study all the sites and possibly pick one, the Helios do look good, will give these a good looking at, thanks again

Ronnie

[ChrisG3484]

Just out of interest generally speaking how easy is to find an adapter to fit binos to a camera tripod ?

[stargazerslivingroom]

Generally very easy unless, like me, you're trying to mount a pair of Russian Tento binos!

Those Russians...They use different threads you know.

[stargazerslivingroom]

Just looked up the Olympus DPS1 10x50 that Mark mentioned earlier in this thread....They're on Amazon at 56% discount. If Mark says they are better than the Celestron 15x70 (which I also use and love for the money) then that's a bargain.

[ChrisG3484]

Hopefully I should have no problem for finding an adapter for my bins then.

[Ronnie67]

What do you think of the helios-25x100-quantum-3-observation-binoculars Found one for £249.00

Ronnie

[Ronnie67]

Also what is the difference between the quantum 3 to the quantum 4

Ronnie

[MarkMayf]

Just looked up the Olympus DPS1 10x50 that Mark mentioned earlier in this thread....They're on Amazon at 56% discount. If Mark says they are better than the Celestron 15x70 (which I also use and love for the money) then that's a bargain.

Obviously the magnification isn't as high, but the image and build quality far surpass the Celestrons in my opinion. But I have had bad luck with binoculars in the past!