First 10x50 binoculars for £5 - No slagging please ;)

[furrysocks]

Picked up a pair of 10x50 (I think) binos in a charity shop in Edinburgh yesterday. They're marked up as:

PENTAoptics

Day & Night

900x500

Multi-coated optics

123m/1000m

I've searched the net and only found one similar reference to an auction site listing referring to them as 70x300, but same photo. Look pretty much like the pattern-part 10x50 binos you get on eBay for £10-15. HEAVILY ruby coated lenses, etc... I have little idea yet as to what the 900x500 refers to.

For a £5 donation to charity, I figured what the hey. No loose parts (other than the rubber eyecups), no strap, no case, no eyepiece covers, clean and tidy otherwise and no signs of any lens damage or scratches.

Now I know that the ruby coatings are often thought to mask serious chromatic aberrations due to cheap optics, and will reduce transmission at night. Looking through them, everything does look like a swimming pool. That said, I get a very clear image - never looked through 2nd hand binos (car boots, etc...) that appear well collimated, though I'm just a beginner. I also know that I could have got a case and strap etc... with a new pair of crappy binos from eBay for £10, but remembered the advice to "buy the ones you have looked through" as you know they'll be fine, rather than risk receiving a "bad" pair.

Pointing them at some distant farm lights last night, I thought they were fair but when my 4 year old looked through, he said "wow, the lights are all different colours... there's reds, and yellows, and greens...". I take that with a pinch of salt because little red is going to get through those coatings and I certainly couldn't see any.

Anyway, looking forward to clear skies. Better than the unaided eye, surely. A semi-decent pair of 15x70s still on the shopping list. Might get the Bresser 10x50s when they're in Aldi/Lidl next, just for comparison.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

If the money goes to charity, this sounds like a win-win. Mediocre bins can still trump no bins at all (this is not the case for certain zoom binoculars, they can be a real pain).

The cheapest bins I got were for free: Yashica-built "Combi-Foto" (Dutch photo store franchise) 7x50 bins, 1970s vintage. They were out of collimation, and the diopter control was loose, so I got them in the shop for nothing, as I was looking for some optical parts. I checked them out, and found they could easily be collimated and the diopter control "fix" was just a matter of tightening three screws. My kids really like them. It is worthwhile to ask a photo store whether they have any defunct bins that might be repaired easily.

[furrysocks]

Win-win - free binos in exchange for a charitable donation.

They are what they are, but they're not useless.

Got both EPs focussed on Jupiter very quickly and I'm sure I saw moons. The contrast on the moon is actually quite good, though was viewing through trees. Pleiades, Hyades both popped into view. Outside light was on, just stepped out for <1 minute, so warts and all, they still trump no bins at all, as you say. If I can get a view on the Orion nebula, the Double Cluster and M36/7/8 then I'll be happy with my lot for the time being - that's the sum total of the objects I know how to find.

Will knock up a mount for them later.

[floppygoose]

Sounds like a real bargain! - Don't knock it till you try it as they say - If Aldi bring back the same 10x50 binos as before I will probably go for some myself.

Phil

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

I started with some cheapo 8x32 compacts, and they still showed me andromeda, orion, and a wealth of clusters. Certainly better than nothing at all

[furrysocks]

Yeah, I'll probably jump on the Aldi ones, too - they seem to be quite popular on here and no doubt miles better than the ones I've just got.

Also recently ordered a 10x40 monocular from HK on eBay for £9 new/delivered - intention is a cheap finder-scope for my DIY 8.5" f/7.6 newt. Again, probably "unsuitable for astronomy" or at least overstated (field stop, coatings, quality, etc...) but be very interested to see what views it gives, too.