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Quality of Binoculars

leehawkins

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leehawkins

leehawkins

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Hello all,

I am total newbie to Astronomy, but willing to learn, always wanted to have a closer look at the sky at night fascinating to me. I have hit my first hurdle, and i ain't of the starting blocks yet, thing whats giving me bit of headache is i want to start with good pair of binos, told that i have got to get myself a pair of 25x100, but looking through the webs sites you get identical/exact the same specifications but it seems to be how they are put together is dictating price differences, is it the higher price binos priced higher for what i call whistles & bells, does exactly the same job but one looks nicer shiny machined parts, if anyone got time would they have a look see what you think, 2 companies ive looked at are below, both seems identical specs

The ones i was looking at are at www.scopesnskies.com and a company called www.garrettoptical.com

Any advice greatly received

Kind Regards

lee.

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russ

russ

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As Steve says, not a good choice for a first pair. Although the views i'm sure would be stunning. But heavy binos are very awkward to use. You can't hand hold them and the things don't work well on your average photo tripod. Near on impossible to view objects at a reasonable altitude.

But that's not to say all large binos are tricky to use. I recently bought some Revelation 15x70 and I've been getting so much enjoyment from them. Their field is narrow compared to the 10x50's but the deepsky, open clusters etc just look so much better. And they are very light, weighing barely anymore than my Meade 10x50's. I've not bothered with a tripod yet. I bought both pairs, 10x50 and 15x70, for £65. It's the most i would want to spend i think. But they both offer excellent value (fully multicoated, Bak4 prisms etc).

Russ

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Kaptain Klevtsov

Kaptain Klevtsov

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At 25X magnification you'll see more or less nothing unless you have something to help you hold them still, then you'll struggle to find stuff as the bit of sky that you can see will be small. Get some 10X50s to start with and you'll be amazed how much you can see (and find!). Big bins are good onl if you have some kind of fancy mounting thing. Even with a device to hold them, you'll struggle to see straight up, where there is less air to look through, without a 45 degree eyepiece end so I can't see you enjoying them as much as some smaller ones. The Bresser 10X50 ones are occasionally on sale at Lidl for a tenner ish and they're very good. Watch the heads up section to find out when that happens. SNS also sell these, but for a tad more dosh.

There's a review of monster bins in, I think, Practical Astronomer either this month or last month's edition. Somebody will know which it is and post before I get out of bed. :lol:

Kaptain Klevtsov

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barkis

barkis

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Found the review. October edition of the Sky at Night magazine. Should be in the shops now.

Kaptain Klevtsov

I see the group test gave the overall winner badge to the most expensive. I would really love a pair of those, but not at that price. £1200. I will make do with a Lidl pair next time they come up.

Ron.

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leehawkins

leehawkins

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Thanks for the replies

Please forgive me, but in my post i did fail to mention, i have already purchased these- HELIOS QUANTUM SERIES 4 - 25 x 100 ex-demonstration, i couldn't resist them for £169, got them from Pulsar optical, should be here in a few days time, please don't feel i have ignored your advice, i appreciate all advice given to me, i ordered them before i joined the forum, my post was really about quality of near identical Binos being sold with the same specification but not the quality.

Thanks

lee.

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leehawkins

leehawkins

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Hello All,

Thought i would post update regards those big binos, well, they haven't arrived yet, got to be the postal strike or something, pain in the backside really, i cant start building the mount for them until i got them in my hands and know what i am looking at regards dimensions & weight, they should be here soon, get going then.

I am selling a metal working lathe, which would give me some spare cash, around about £600, I seem to be getting bitten by the astronomy bug, i have always had an interest though.

I know this question is well worn, but what scope would you buy for the £600 if you were me, i will say, i keep looking, being attracted to the Dobsonians, skywatchers.

Would really appreciate any advice.

Kind Regards

lee

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jonifive

jonifive

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Hang fire Lee.

Get your bino's and make a mount, then get a good book like "Turn Left at Orion" and learn the night sky. You will have hours of pleasure just doing that for a while. Then decide on a scope....what's the rush. BTW I would keep the lathe, I had a Myford Super seven that I restored when I was a teenager. I sold it a few years ago and regret it. It would of been useful making scope weights and extension bars and adapters. Shame.

JV

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leehawkins

leehawkins

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JV,

I just cant seem to find time to get anything done during the day, i had a few machining projects going at one time, half finished, i changed my job, i get home from work worn out, sit down relax for a few hours and recharge the batteries, by about 8 early evening i feel OK again. Time goes so fast when i am working on something in my shed on an evening and i don't seem get much done, that's why i am selling the lathe, i don't do much on it anymore, and the wife moans if i am in there all night, at least with astronomy, she can see me in the garden through the patio doors, she has even showed an interest in the stars as well, she has even name a couple of them.

I do know what your saying, i can relate about the myford you had, i had one of those about 20 years ago, they are top class lathes for the home work shop.

I will get that book, it seems to have a good following on the web sites i have been looking at.

Thanks for the input, like i said, i am all up for any advice, if it all works out with those big benos and i like what i see with them, i will have to sort out a scope for myself , i recon it have to be something like the SKY-LINER 300P

Kind Regards

lee.

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leehawkins

leehawkins

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Hello all,

Up date regards the Giant Binos,

I will not be getting them, rang them this morning, they did not even know i placed the order, which is not True, i actually spoke on the phone to them when placing the order , it wasn't over the Internet.

What do i do now? :D

I have in anticipation, knowing i will want to upgrade to something decant, after looking at the dark skies through good Astra binoculars, i have been looking at telescopes, as i have mentioned in my last post, thinking of buying a SKY-LINER 300P, well, now i have extra bit of cash to go towards it, should i leapfrog the beanos and go for it and get the SKY-LINER, i am serious about astronomy, no comebacks for anyone who gives me advice on the forum 8) , i do love looking at the night skies, fascinates me, always have done.

Thanks

Lee.

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leehawkins

leehawkins

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Hello themos,

Sorry! i wasn't being ignorant, jumping your post,

That is most probably true, i would like to do images, but i think that is way up the line yet, according to my missus, i cant even take a good holiday picture.

Looking at the specs of the 300P, you can attach a camera to it.

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leehawkins

leehawkins

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I think i should just stick to the viewing theme really, imaging for me is way a head.

Like i said before, no comebacks fro any advice given to me, putting a side the Dob, for around about the same price, what would be my best bet? i have my heart set on buying a half decant bit of kit to view the night skies. Binos have now been made redundant :D

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Astronut

Astronut

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I've had the 300P for a few weeks now and it's lovely, I am really enjoying it.

I've had mine for a few months(!) now - no proper first light yet :D

Funnily enough I've been thinking of getting some big binos so I can take them with me when I'm away. That S@N review on the big binos got me thinking about it but they're a bit pricey and it would mean a big drop in aperture plus the need to buy eyepieces in pairs.

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leehawkins

leehawkins

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Hello all,

Thought i would post, following up from me going for the sky-watcher 300P.

I did get a set of 25x100 binos, at a camera shop, 'Ace Cameras' not far from where i live, set them up on a makeshift tripod, it was quite a struggle, what i seen with them totally knocked me back , i just could not take my eyes away from the binoculars, it was about 4.30 in the morning, a group/cluster of stars shining through a smoke cloud high up in the clear night sky, never seen anything like that before, and the moon shook me with all those craters , totally fascinating, that was it for me, i got on to Steve at FLO and ordered a sky-watcher 300P, it arrived today, I just hope i haven't bitten of more than i can chew, when it arrived i couldn't believe the size of it.

I would just like to say Thanks to Steve at FLO, for the fastest delivery ever, and stopping for a chat with me on the phone.

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