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First 10x50 binoculars for £100 - Suggestions please

swag72

By swag72
in Discussions - Binoculars

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swag72

swag72

Posted
Posted

I have searched through the forum and binocular section, but haven't found what I am after, despite I am sure this is a question that must come up quite often.

My Mum wants a pair of binoculars to start observing with and as I have a scope and am into imaging, she thinks I must know everything to do with astronomy ..... Wrong!!! So the first silly question is what binoculars to buy?

Her budget is approx £100 and I think that a pair of 10x50's would be best, as opposed to larger ones that will require some support. Can you make some suggestions that I can then look into and recommend to her?

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adrianelliott

adrianelliott

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I was going to suggest the Helios Naturesport Plus as I've tried them and think the field of view and weight are great... but those Staphspeys are considerably cheaper, have a slightly wider FOV and only weigh marginally more. They look really interesting, I'd love to give them a try!

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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.. but those Staphspeys are considerably cheaper, have a slightly wider FOV and only weigh marginally more. They look really interesting, I'd love to give them a try!
I did give them a try (a student on one of the astro courses I teach had one) -- very impressed. It's also sold under (amongst others) the Ostara Elinor brand name for around £140, & won a Sky@Night group test.

Re roof prisms: my instinct is to avoid them in this price range; my experience is that Porros give better VFM (but I'd be delighted to be proved -- by evidence -- to be wrong!)

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GaryM

GaryM

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Hi I have the Ostara Elinor 10x50 which I am happy with. They did win a SkyatNight Group test as Steve mentioned. Now I was looking for some Bins for the Wife this Christmas and decided to look at the Strathspey Waterproof. Now they look exactly the same as the Ostara. But much cheaper! I had not expected that but I think this model has been recently replaced with this spec as I'm sure I looked at these last year and they were not the same? Any-way I purchased these for the Wife but due to weather not had a really good try out / comparison but they seem OK. Also the package included a metal tripod adaptor which was a surprise. Now I can replace my plastic one with glued in screws. They are reasonably heavy though which may be a factor for you to consider with any 10x50. So maybe the 8x40 [42] maybe a safer bet for your Mum? I may have gone for the Helios Nature Sport plus but they were not to be had at the time of ordering.

Gary

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swag72

swag72

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While my Mum has nothing to compare these with, I guess she'd favour being able to hold them comfortably for as long as possible. So perhaps the lighter the better. I think the links I have sent her already are making her head spin!! Must send her some more!!

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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Holding binoculars comfortably and steadily has more elements than just the weight of the binocular. The balance of the binocular is important, as is how you hold it. Once you get used to the 2nd method ("Triangular Arm Brace") on this page, the binocular seems much lighter, partly because a lot of the weight is supported by the head/neck, not just the arms. The "model" has been successfully using 10x50 binoculars like that since he was 8 years old. Even more helpful is if you can use a garden recliner and support your elbows with (say) cushions on the armrests (to make them a bit higher).

As for which binocular is best for your Mum, binoculars are very personal things. Ideally, she should try out several and buy the one with which she feels most comfortable, remembering (i) that, all else being equal, aperture wins for astronomy, (ii) quality can win over aperture, and (iii) with most budget binoculars, the stated aperture is greater than the effective one. If you really want to make her head spin, send her this link! :grin:

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StarSteve

StarSteve

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Thanks for that - Any more ideas? Thoughts from users?

I have the Nikon Action VII 10x50 CF and I consider them excellent value for the money. I don't know what they cost in the UK but across the channel they are 116 Euro which would be within her budget (about £97). Good workhorse binoculars and something of a classic as low budget astro 10x50's go. They have a 5mm exit pupil and a 6.5 degrees FOV.

The Action EX version is rumoured to be better optically (apart from being waterproof) but they are almost twice the money so above your stated budget.

HTH

Steve

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zedzed

zedzed

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I have the Nikon Action VII 10x50 CF and I consider them excellent value for the money. I don't know what they cost in the UK but across the channel they are 116 Euro which would be within her budget (about £97). Good workhorse binoculars and something of a classic as low budget astro 10x50's go. They have a 5mm exit pupil and a 6.5 degrees FOV.

The Action EX version is rumoured to be better optically (apart from being waterproof) but they are almost twice the money so above your stated budget.

HTH

Steve

£70 fulfilled by Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-Action-VII-10x50-Binocular/dp/B0001A3N58

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Pig

Pig

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There is a pair of 8*50 on scope & skies reduced from £89 to £49 and it comes with a free star guide (Praktica Diana)

Perfectly good enough zoom for stargazing.

Sent from my GT-P7510

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garethmob

garethmob

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I would avoide S&s like the plague ATM as their in the process of moving and the reviews are too common swinging from one extream to the other (good to dreadful)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk please ignore any spelling typo thingys

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