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Helios Apollo 15x70 or Helios Quantum 4 20x80?

John P

By John P
in Discussions - Binoculars

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John P

John P

Posted
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I wanted to buy the 15x70's originally, but no one has any in stock and it's looking like it may be October before they are available, However, the Quantum 4 are available now.

I've got a Manfrotto monopod with trigger grip ball head, but I'm not sure if this would handle the Quantum 4. If not, is there any sort of adapter available so I could mount them on my Skytee 2? Or should I wait for the 15x70's?

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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My instinct would be to wait for the 15x70, not least because the so-called 20x80 has been measured by Konstantinos Makropoulos (user-name on here: Pleiades) as being a 19.1x73. The 15x70 is a true 15x70. I think adding a kilogram and a quarter to the mass of the thing just to add 3mm of aperture and an extra x4 magnification is overkill.

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Damo636

Damo636

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Agree with the guys above, hold out for the 15x70, they'll be worth the wait!

By the way, these are the same instrument & in stock....

http://www.apm-teles...0iip8dblfad0783

http://www.teleskop-...f-gefuellt.html

Edit. Microglobe have them in stock for next day delivery....

http://www.microglobe.co.uk/helios-apollo-high-resolution-15x70-observation-binoculars-p-8026.html

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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Edit. Microglobe have them in stock for next day delivery....

http://www.microglob...ars-p-8026.html

I'd get them to verify that. I'd be delighted to be corrected, but I think they are one of the outfits that don't actually keep much stock and the kit is shipped directly from the importer. But don't hold out for a meaningful reply. A couple of years ago, they were advertising them much cheaper than anyone else; I asked if they had them in stock. The reply I got was:

"Thanks for your message. We will reply as soon as we can."

They never did reply.

Not as bad as OpticStar though. This is a precis of my email exchange with them at the same time:

Me: Re the Helios Apollo 15x70: is it in stock?

OS: The binoculars will be shipped directly from SkyWatcher.

Me: I would be grateful for an answer to the question "Is it in stock?"

OS: It is not in stock and is unlikely to be for several months.

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John P

John P

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Thanks everyone for your advice, you have all confirmed what I originally thought. It is just so frustrating when you have the money burning a hole in your pocket but no one can supply you!

Now, could anyone advise if it is possible to mount binoculars on my Skytee 2? Presumably I would need some sort of adapter that incorporates a dovetail? or am I clutching at straws and need to buy a separate tripod?

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themos

themos

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Could someone please measure the length of the Helios Apollo 15x70 binoculars and tell me? I have the Revelation 15x70 which turned out to be low quality (couldn't expect better for £50 though) and have them mounted on a mirror mount. I would like to upgrade to the Helios Apollo and would like to know if they are significantly bigger in any dimension.

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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The bits that are probably most relevant are:

  • Distance from mounting bush to front of binocular: 167mm
  • The mounting bush is about 5mm behind front of prism housings.
  • Prism housings have a minimum separation of about 14mm at my IPD (67mm) - whatever mounts the binocular needs to be narrower than this gap.
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John P

John P

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Give Harrison telescopes a ring,I enquired the other week and they had a tiny few left.

I have spoken to Ed at Harrison's, but they are out of stock :embarassed:

At this rate I might have to find a different hobby, as I can't believe that whatever I choose, no one ever seems to have any stock!

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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At this rate I might have to find a different hobby,
Not at all. This is excellent training and preparation for the patience that you will have to exercise, waiting for dark, waiting for clear skies, waiting for the Moon to get out of the way, waiting for the neighbour to turn out the insecurity lights....
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Solar_observer

Solar_observer

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I've been reading about binocular ipd. I'm a bit worried as I think mine is around 56mm, would this be a problem with the apollos? If so could anyone recommend similar bins. I've already bought a monopod and adapter and trigger grip head in readiness of buying these apollos but now I'm concerned about this ipd.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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I've been reading about binocular ipd. I'm a bit worried as I think mine is around 56mm, would this be a problem with the apollos?

Yes, it probably will be. The eyepiece barrels are nearly 50mm in diameter. At my IPD of 67mm, there's only just over 1.5cm of space between them. Whether or not they'll fit you, may be determined by the width and structure of the bridge of your nose, so see if you can try some out before you commit to buy.

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SteveNickolls

SteveNickolls

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I have spoken to Ed at Harrison's, but they are out of stock :embarassed:

At this rate I might have to find a different hobby, as I can't believe that whatever I choose, no one ever seems to have any stock!

Anyone recall the 'Cheese shop sketch from Monty Python?

Maybe all the astronomy items are coming together from China in the next cargo container?

Cheers,

Steve

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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Ok so if they don't suit me, can you suggest some alternatives?

I don't know, from direct experience, of anything in that size that has smaller eyepiece barrels, but the 80mm Opticrons claim to be able to go down to 55mm, and my experience with Opticron is that their advertising is pretty accurate and that their good stuff is some of the most underrated binocular kit around. The boss, Pete Gamby, is on these forums, so you could ask him directly. The stated weight is slightly less than the Apollo, so the 16x80 should be monopod usable (and I'd love to be able to get my mitts on one of those to test it out!  :laugh:  ).

I think the 15x70 Q4 has the same eyepieces as the 20x80; the minimum IPD of the latter is 61.2mm according to a yet-to-be- published review I read, but it may be worth checking to see if the 15x70 can go closer - FLO stock them, so should be able to tell you.

I've not used the Pentax 20x60 PCF WP II, but if the 10x50 version is anything to go by, it would be a decent bit of kit. Again, you'd need to check the IPD.

Another alternative would be one of the bigger brutes that take interchangeable 1.25" eyepieces and then get eyepieces to suit you if the barrels of the supplied ones are too big. It's a more expensive option and may not be usable on the monopod/trigger-grip.

Another route may have to be to forget binoculars altogether for wider apertures and get a decent small telescope. Potentially more versatile. You could use it on the trigger-grip at low magnifications (and so still have that convenience), but would probably need a tripod, not a monopod, underneath it, especially if you got anything that couldn't be used "straight through".

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Space Dragon

Space Dragon

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Someone on another forum had the theory that as the Apollos are a copy of the Fujinons......they were originally designed with the Far Eastern face structure in mind.

i.e. usually a flat/small bridge of the nose.......hence why so many here have a bit of trouble with the IPD.

It's a squeeze for me at 61mm but then I have a protruding sniffer, which doesn't help......another 1cm of clearance would make these bins perfect.

Still....the optics make up for it.

I've also read the Opticrons have good clearance and are decent bins.

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