CELESTRON UPCLOSE G2 10-30x50 ZOOM Binoculars

[Jaywillis78]

Hi,

I'm looking at these bins on eBay and just wondered if they are any good. Is te zoom worth it on bins or would I be better off with 15 x 70? Thanks....

[jeremy1]

I had a look at those the other day and plump for these in the end. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12x60-HIGH-QUALITY-NEW-ASTRONOMY-STARGAZING-OBSERVATION-BINOCULARS-ASTRONOMICAL-/370640713043?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160 I'm not saying they are any better but I just wanted something cheap to chuck in the suitcase when I go away.

[Jaywillis78]

Thanks Jeremy1, can't go wrong at that price I guess. Have you had any viewings with them yet?

[John]

Zoom binoculars don't generally work well for astronomy. You would be better off with 10x50 fixed magnification or the 15x70's although you will need a stout tripod to hold the latter ones steady enough to make the best of them. The 12x60's that jeremy1 has chosen might be a good compromise as well. 12x is hard to hand hold though, for astro purposes, other than in short bursts.

[Jaywillis78]

Thanks John, I'm basically after a pair that will be good enough to help me decide what type of scope to go for eventually as I can't make my mind up :-)

[John]

Thanks John, I'm basically after a pair that will be good enough to help me decide what type of scope to go for eventually as I can't make my mind up :-)

It's amazing how much difference putting even 10x50's on a solid tripod can make to what can be seen with them for astronomy purposes.

If you get some 15x70's and a decently tall, solid tripod (warning, the tripod could cost more than the binoculars !) you can have some great views of a range of objects under dark skies. I managed to glimpse the brightest portion of the Veil Nebula through a pair of 15x70's from my back garden on a very dark night a while back and brighter nebulae, galaxies and clusters are quite easy to spot once you know where to look.

[Joseki]

Hey - I just got the same bins as jeremy1, very necessary to keep me sane whilst I mess around with my main project (as mentioned in sig). They've been quite nice to have a go with, makes me want a pair of apollo's though. I haven't spent too long with them but I'm fairly sure I saw some of the moons of Jupiter with them and the Orion nebula - hand held and out of my front door with no dark adaptation and with a street light directly in front of me.

The only disappointment was that part of the casing was chipped when it arrived - duct taped it.

[Joseki]

oh, and I bought a broken pair of cheap zoom bins ages ago - the zoom mechanism is very cheap and plastic (that's what was broken). I'm fairly sure I read somewhere don't bother with zoom bins unless you're going to spend a big pile of cash, which seems sensible.

[Jaywillis78]

Um, thanks for the replies chaps. Think I might go for some 10 x 50's or the el-cheapo 12 x 60's with a tripod for the time being. Anything has to be better than the 8 x 30 60yrs old bins I have at the moment :-), can't properly focus on anything except the moon. Although they do show lots more stars than just looking up which is always a nice surprise!

Off subject but does anyone know why the font menu above the reply box is greyed out? I can't use the smileys either, and I am partial to a few smileys :-) I'm using an ipad if that makes any difference.