Will 20x50 binoculars be a waste of money

[floppygoose]

I am looking at buying my first binoculars, and am thinking about celeron skymaster 20x80 with tripod or monopod. I realise that these will be bulky, and may not be ideal for evryday use. Someone has also offered me some Mark Scheffel 20x50 binos which I am thinking of also buying, but I'm not sure if this will be a waste of money. There are lots of people who give good feedback of 10x50, but I'm not sure about 20x50 - I havn't seen any feedback at all on these.

Phil W

[rowan46]

you will need to mount a 20x50 and also they will not be as bright as 10x50 as increased magnification will make them dimmer. If you want hand held then 10x or 12x is your limit really. If you want 20x you are best with 70 or 80mm on a mount

[the lemming]

I too have a pair of these binoculars and have found them excellent for looking at the moon and Jupiter.

Top tip, don't buy a monopod, you need the most rigid tripod that you can afford. These babies are heavy and wobble around too much however if you are one of those muscle types shallow women seek out then you'll be fine hand held. I use my manfroto tripod, which is mainly intended for my dSLR.

On the down side, these binoculars are useless for daytime activities but this isn't why I bought them in the first place. I have a sexy pair of Vikings to spot little brown jobs with.

Don't waste your money on a monopod.

[cantab]

I think for a first binocular a lower magnification like 10x would be better, principally because they'll have a wider field of view thus making it easier to locate objects. I do find that my 15x70s, though they give better views than the 10x50s, are that bit harder to use in part because of the reduced FOV.

[the lemming]

you will need to mount a 20x50 and also they will not be as bright as 10x50 as increased magnification will make them dimmer. If you want hand held then 10x or 12x is your limit really. If you want 20x you are best with 70 or 80mm on a mount

May I ask why you think a 10x50 would be brighter than 20x50?

I thought that the larger diamiter lens would let in In more light.

[the lemming]

May I ask why you think a 10x50 would be brighter than 20x50?

I thought that the larger diamiter lens would let in In more light.

Brain hurts. I think the Port is kicking in.

Sorry.

[scoobee]

I use 20x80 on a monopod, ideal!!! I would say you are better off with 10x50 and 20x80 it's a good set up and of course depending on your budget

[adrianelliott]

10x50 is a lot brighter than 20x50. Bins with a high ratio of aperture to magnification will always be brighter due to large exit pupil. As well as being brighter, the 10x50 will be a lot easier to hand hold, and offer a wider field of view.

For astronomy, the standard options would be:-

7 x 50 = huge exit pupil, so very bright. Very easy to hand hold. But lack of magnification can struggle in light polluted skies and older people may have insufficient pupil diameter to take full advantage.

10 x 50 = bright, but not as much as 7 x 50. Decent level of magnification and can be hand held my many people.

15 x 70 = very nearly as bright as the 10 x 50, and will show more detail. But only some people will be able to hand hold these due to the high level of magnification and the weight.

As a first pair, I'd suggest wide view 10x50s, unless you are strong and steady and have a wall / car to lean on in which case you could try 15x70s. I would stay away from binoculars which require tripod or monopod mounting as your first pair - you will learn the sky and see messier objects a lot easier if you can 'point and shoot'. The freedom of scanning the night sky with binoculars is fantastic and you will return to a pair you can hand hold again and again, even if you buy a scope

[floppygoose]

Thanks all, I am now looking for 15x70, I think you confirmed my doubts about 20x50 binoculars, especially with respect to light. Still not sure about tripod or monopod, I may just try a cheap mono and see how I get on with it first.

[Lenny147]

I would go with 10x50, you will get a lot of use out of them, anything bigger and your really looking at a tripod. I made this mistake and soon changed to 10x50s.

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[BinocularSky]

If it's any help, I have a page on how to choose binoculars for astronomy here. (And, once you get it, how to check it over here). There is also a binocular forum on SGL where there is a lot of knowledge and experience.