Little scope or binoculars

[emadmoussa]

Hola,

So basically as most of us know, taking your kit out into your back garden or somewhere outside is a hassle sometimes. Not to mention you can't guarantee that the temporarily clear sky is worth the effort.

I was thinking I could do with a pair of good binoculars as a quick way to learn the night sky better without having to drag all the kit out every time. I'm thinking Celestron Skymaster 15 x 70.

Also, a little telescope could serve the purpose.

What do you guys think? Is worth it?

Imad

[rowan46]

The disadvantage of bins is they are no good on planets. however they are great on wide field. i have a pair of 20 x 80 which I rarely use as they need to be mounted and 10 x 50 which are used a fair bit if I can't be bothered to get a scope out. I find anything bigger than 10 x 50 gets tiring after a while so it needs to be mounted. So if I have to take a mount out with me I may as well take a scope

[GaryM]

Hi, you might want to look-up http://binocularsky.com/ . Steve offers sound advice on Binoculars. With a 15x70 you may find you need a monopod and ball trigger mount or tripod as they can be quite weighty after a liittle while. 10x50 may be a better choice as they give wide views and act as general purpose bins too. I think they may complement the scope you already have?

Just my opinion. Look up the 2 Binocular forums on this site too.

[simondaz]

Although I still want a scope I went initially for a good pair of Bins - the ease of grab-and-go, and wider field of view is the biggest advantage, especially when starting out and learning to navigate your way around the night sky.

I've always got my Helios 10x50's ready to grab for a quick look around when there's a clear period. You can see many star clusters, and lots more detail in common objects like the Orion Nebula, Pleiades etc. Even make out Jupiter's Moons if you can hold them steady.

A Monopod is also a worthwhile investment as they're very portable and allow a free movement around the sky, but keep things very steady for great quality viewing.

For a proper session I'll get out the bigger 22x85 Helios and Tripod. Still a lot easier to set up than a scope - but the detail is breathtaking! Still easy to move about quickly from object to object. It is possible to hand hold them for very short periods, especially lying back in a deckchair. Great for overhead objects within the milky way. You can see the ring shape of Saturn, the elongated shape of Andromeda, much more detail within star clusters (the Double Cluster is one of my faves!)

As a side point - I also purchased the Celestron 15x70s and was very disappointed in them! Poor quality lenses and misaligned construction makes them almost useless for stargazing. I was probably unlucky to receive a badly manufactured pair, but reviews seem to point out it's quite a gamble. It's a shame because their size and lighter weight would make them ideal on a monopod or for brief hand-held sessions.

[simondaz]

I can't recommend these enough as an excellent quality pair of Bins...

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/helios/helios-naturesport-plus.html

[the bishop]

hi

i suppose a lot depends on your knowledge of the sky,

i went down the eyes then bins route to learn my way around and have still not got a scope

i do have 8x50, 10x50, 17x70 20x80,

a couple of years ago i read an article in AN, about a binocular mirror mount using a firstsurface mirror.

this enables you to sit on an office type chair and look down thru the bins like looking into a microscope

and seeing the sky via the fs mirror, fully adjustable from horizon to zenith and it works really well.

a company in the US makes them, or used to. also scope n skies had a small version.

as for mine i followed a set of plans i got hold on the net and made it myself despite being a total rubbish diy'er its made out of 19mm ply.

the key is getting the mirror quality i have a mirror that is fine up to the 17x70 but 20x80 is a little bit too far but you can get them.

(some US sites say that abrahams tank periscope mirrors are great... but you cant get them at you local halfords )

i got mine from a firm in london about 25quid 8"x6" there are several on line sites that do fs mirrors in the uk.

(im sure i can dig them out and the plans if anyone is interested)

i have developed a mount for the 20x80 using a manfrotto 55 xpro b photographic tripod and mono pod mount that works for me

and have had a good many nights over the years.

there are many very good reasons for a telescope even a small one... but for me so far im happy

and i can be up and out viewing qiucker than a telescope user.

these days there are loads of books out now for bingazers.

the choice as they say is yours, but i love my system

hope it gives you another view on the subject. (sorry no pun intended)

gra

[emadmoussa]

Thanks guys for the advice. Do you think Sakura bins are good? It's reasonably price, and got a huge magnification power. I'm not after a super sharp pair...I already have my astronomy equipment. Like I mentioned, just to grab-and-go...

[the bishop]

Hi,

Sorry I can’t say that I’m familiar with this brand/make...

But as regard of bins for astronomy there are a few things to remember...

Good bins (as with all astronomy kit) always cost good money... if it’s too good to be true then most often it is!!!

To start off have a look at the coatings if they are red or yellow then these are anti glare coatings and something for

you to use at the beach or out on your boat ... (hah you wish) and so are they are of no use for astronomy...why?

coz they block a lot of light, and tend most often to give strange colourcasts when pointing at the sky. Lots of real cheap bins

have these colours to make them look more expensive, but that said even top quality bins with red or yellow are

astronomy no, no’s so its best to stay away from them, because For astronomy you want the anti-reflection coatings to allow

More light through these anti reflection coatings usually have a faint ish blue..., purple..., or even green...”ish” tint to them all.

Moving onto prisms have ones have they got? Its best to go for Bak-4 prisms, as opposed to the Bak-7’s as the Bak-4 glass a

llows through more light than Bk-7 Also its best to look for the “Porro prism” type as they tend to be far better for astronomy

than the “Roof prism” type also Roof prism alignment can be a problem but with the porro prisms you can ummmm get realignment

sort of with care if say you were to drop or knock them you bins that is (loads of advise about realignment and adjustment on line)

but Roof prisms are usually not really user realignable (if thats a word)

Also looking at the size you go for... but to be honest its best not to go too high with the “mag” unless you also have larger objective

lens to match but then this brings big and heavy bins it’s a point to remember as you get beyond 10x you will start to need to steady them

with some sort of mount or you get dancing stars 15x70’s are ok for a little while but even then I get far more detail if they are on a tripod

nice and steady and my 20x80 well its all but impossible to handhold them.

After a visit my Dr and Optician I would not recommend getting anything with “zoom” on it as they as I understand are super hard to

make and get a tidy pair that will hold its alignment when zooming (Nikon tend to be the best so far I have come across but they cost arm and leg money)

I found out that if you used bins that have even a slight misalignment of the image this will be “merged” by your brain as it is good at doing

this however after using... give one some nasty headaches even after a short while... this info from my optician to whom I was referred

by my GP. If you want a “good zoom” (if you can find one) then be prepared as its gona cost you... also a zoom will only have a narrow

field of view and be dimmer just like with photographic zoom lenses, prime lens let in more light cost less and are in most cases give

better optical quality unless you mortgage your house.

My advise stay away from the dark side and give zoom a miss

next we come to “exit pupil” basically if you divide the objective diameter, by the magnification it gives you the diameter of the 'exit pupil'

this is the cone of light that exits the eyepiece and enters your eye Astronomy use you want an exit pupil in the range of somewhere

between 4mm and 7mm a pair of 10x50 bins has an exit pupil figure of 5mm as 50/10=5 so 15x70= 4.7mm (4.66666666) 80x20=4mm

and so on...also looking the other way re compact bins say a 10x25 pair this will give dimish images as its exit pupil is only 2.5mm

plus its only got an aperture of 25mm in the first place

Loads to digest but hope it helps you

(either way I had loads of fun... as sad as I am)

gra

[emadmoussa]

Hi,

Sorry I can’t say that I’m familiar with this brand/make...

But as regard of bins for astronomy there are a few things to remember...

Good bins (as with all astronomy kit) always cost good money... if it’s too good to be true then most often it is!!!

To start off have a look at the coatings if they are red or yellow then these are anti glare coatings and something for

you to use at the beach or out on your boat ... (hah you wish) and so are they are of no use for astronomy...why?

coz they block a lot of light, and tend most often to give strange colourcasts when pointing at the sky. Lots of real cheap bins

have these colours to make them look more expensive, but that said even top quality bins with red or yellow are

astronomy no, no’s so its best to stay away from them, because For astronomy you want the anti-reflection coatings to allow

More light through these anti reflection coatings usually have a faint ish blue..., purple..., or even green...”ish” tint to them all.

Moving onto prisms have ones have they got? Its best to go for Bak-4 prisms, as opposed to the Bak-7’s as the Bak-4 glass a

llows through more light than Bk-7 Also its best to look for the “Porro prism” type as they tend to be far better for astronomy

than the “Roof prism” type also Roof prism alignment can be a problem but with the porro prisms you can ummmm get realignment

sort of with care if say you were to drop or knock them you bins that is (loads of advise about realignment and adjustment on line)

but Roof prisms are usually not really user realignable (if thats a word)

Also looking at the size you go for... but to be honest its best not to go too high with the “mag” unless you also have larger objective

lens to match but then this brings big and heavy bins it’s a point to remember as you get beyond 10x you will start to need to steady them

with some sort of mount or you get dancing stars 15x70’s are ok for a little while but even then I get far more detail if they are on a tripod

nice and steady and my 20x80 well its all but impossible to handhold them.

After a visit my Dr and Optician I would not recommend getting anything with “zoom” on it as they as I understand are super hard to

make and get a tidy pair that will hold its alignment when zooming (Nikon tend to be the best so far I have come across but they cost arm and leg money)

I found out that if you used bins that have even a slight misalignment of the image this will be “merged” by your brain as it is good at doing

this however after using... give one some nasty headaches even after a short while... this info from my optician to whom I was referred

by my GP. If you want a “good zoom” (if you can find one) then be prepared as its gona cost you... also a zoom will only have a narrow

field of view and be dimmer just like with photographic zoom lenses, prime lens let in more light cost less and are in most cases give

better optical quality unless you mortgage your house.

My advise stay away from the dark side and give zoom a miss

next we come to “exit pupil” basically if you divide the objective diameter, by the magnification it gives you the diameter of the 'exit pupil'

this is the cone of light that exits the eyepiece and enters your eye Astronomy use you want an exit pupil in the range of somewhere

between 4mm and 7mm a pair of 10x50 bins has an exit pupil figure of 5mm as 50/10=5 so 15x70= 4.7mm (4.66666666) 80x20=4mm

and so on...also looking the other way re compact bins say a 10x25 pair this will give dimish images as its exit pupil is only 2.5mm

plus its only got an aperture of 25mm in the first place

Loads to digest but hope it helps you

(either way I had loads of fun... as sad as I am)

gra

Thanks ! That's helpful!

[ollypenrice]

The 15x70s need mounting, in my view, and those £60-ish ones have very variable QC and tend to go out of collimation... For learning the sky a wide field is nice to have. I use 8x42s which give a steadier image in my hands than 10x, though I used to be OK at 10x. The field of view is excellent.

On the other hand a small scope can give various magnifications but needs mounting.

Only you can decide, really.

Olly

[Astronolee]

I got Revelation 15x70s mounted on an old second hand SLIK 88 Black Diamond tripod using Revelation L Adaptor. The adpator cost as much as the tripod...and I am very pleased...was my first step into astronomy 6 months ago and i am now looking into buying a large scope...I felt a cheap scope would make me lose interest but that binoculars would fill the gap...but I found out that they are a totally different viewing experience I can clearly see the Galilean moons but I find the wide field of view the best part of looking through these...I would advise tripod though as your arms do start to ache after a while

[Astronolee]

I forgot to say the L Adaptor can stay attached to the bins and that tripod has a quick release which means its literally set up in seconds even if you take the adaptor off it set up in about a minute...I am very pleased with my Revelation 15x70s

[emadmoussa]

I looked at Celestron website they actually have some view image for the Skymaster 10x70. Are these real, or just exaggerated?

[emadmoussa]

http://celestronimages.com/data/media/4/RGB_M65Batch1_Cur2XX.jpg

[emadmoussa]

[emadmoussa]

Hi,

I've just ordered my Skymaster 15x70 at £55. Will write yet another review once I've tested them