Binoculars advice needed

[Geordiemac]

Hi

Newbie here looking for advice.

I am thinking about buying a pair of binoculars for learning the night sky, I have recently bought a SW Explorer 150PL telescope and had the idea of using the scope at home during the week and as we go to our caravan most w/ends, taking the scope with us. ( great skies when clear - low light pollution)

Last w/end I took the scope ( it was a squeeze in the car but it fit ) with a wife, 2 kids and a dog in the car I think I am being alittle naive thinking it will traval with us every week.

Possible solution ......... binoculars ........ I did read before buying the scope that they are the perfect tool to learn the night sky.

Could any of you good folk on here recommend a good cheap pair (bearing in mind I just spent most of my funds on the scope) maybe around the £50 mark.

Any comments/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

George

[floppygoose]

Don't think you'll get much for £50.00 George, unless you go second hand. Alternatively you will be limited to something like Skymaster 15x70 binos (about £55.00). Difficult to hold steady for too long without a tripod, and people have reported problems with collimation. Alternatively wait until Aldi or Lidl get their 10x50 bargains back in the stores. These are normally really good value for fairly reasonable Bak4 prisms and multi-coated binos. Good luck.

Phil

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

The lidl ones have gone downhill apparently, they're in stores now and people are pretty disappointed with them this time round.

Your best bet is either second hand from astrobuysell, or take a look at your local car boot, where you can pick up some oldies for £10 or so. Failing that, FLO have a few around that price. While an experienced eye might spot problems with cheaper pairs, as a beginner, a cheapish binocular is 100x better than none at all.

[gkec]

I bought these recently and have been very impressed by them.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BIGHK58/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[look_up]

I picked up a pair of 10 x 50's off eBay for about £10. Japanese I think, possibly made 1970s or 80s. I get as much enjoyment out of the bins as from my scope, easier to scan the sky and learn your way around

[Geordiemac]

Thanks everyone, if I went with the 15x70 bins would they fit on the EQ3-2 mount ?

I am experiencing problems with vibration with the scope so wonder how steady these could be hand held.

Cheers

George

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Thanks everyone, if I went with the 15x70 bins would they fit on the EQ3-2 mount ?

I am experiencing problems with vibration with the scope so wonder how steady these could be hand held.

Cheers

George

Bins will always be shakey unless you stick them on a p-mount or tripod, a monopod helps a great deal though.

But of course, mounting binos kinda removes the point of the whole grab and go, sky scanning versatility of them... While i do enjoy viewing through mounted big binos, in your position i'd be tempted to grab a cheap pair of 10x50 to hand hold, or even a pair of 8x42 for even less shakes.

Also, bins on an eq mount doesn't really work... Bad height, and you'l end up contorting yourself in all kinds of positions to get to the eps.

[Geordiemac]

Sorry I was trying to ask if they would fit onto the actual tripod and not the mount

[gkec]

Sorry I was trying to ask if they would fit onto the actual tripod and not the mount

The 15x70s I mentioned earlier come with a tripod adapter.

http://www.amazon.co...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

I doubt they will, i dont think the eq attaches via a standard tripod mount.

[JonF]

Fifty quid is ample to get a decent pair of bins. Olympus DPS-1 from Amazon cost £52 delivered.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-N1240482-Binocular-10x50-DPS-1/dp/B0000AKGX3/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ph_7

I bought a pair the year before last, and they're my most-used bit of optical kit. Excellent quality, miles better than super-cheapy ones.

[TheQuietEarth]

George, the Strathspey 10x50 are good binoculars for looking at the night sky. I bought them before my Celestron 127 SLT and I still take them with me as they give clear, wide views of objects like M45 (the Pleiades).

The best bit of all is that they're cheaper just now than when I bought them at Christmas (I paid £44) and are currently priced at £37 (he adds the vat at the till).

http://www.strathspey.co.uk/shop/full.php?q=1118253053

Don't think you'll get better new binoculars for under £50.

[nederman63]

I bought a pair of Praktica 10 x 50 from argos the other week in a sale for £25, very pleased with them as well.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Bins can be adapted to an EQ1 tripod (I did this here), and no doubt to an EQ3 tripod, but you do have to build your own P-mount to fit it. I also replaced the aluminium legs with hardwood.

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

There are quite a few on www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php at the moment....