First light , new toy ... Skymaster 15 x 70's.

[Steve Ward]

After much deliberation I finally bought the Celestron 15 x 70 binocular , thanks in the main to Mr Tonkin's favourable review / comparison . . . 

Picked it up from the WEX stand at Kelling for the very good price of £62.00 , very glad they were there as it saved me a big detour to Norwich on the way home ... 

Grabbed a little kip last night and crawled outside around 2am to be greeted with cracking conditions , crisp and clear with a gentle breeze and the stars displaying no twinkling bar near the horizon .

Didn't know where to look to be honest , very rare to be so spoilt for choice ... 

Started with the obvious as Andromeda was pretty much due South and a very impressive start it was , very bright core and a hint of dust trails that got better the longer I looked , the 4.4 degree FOV perfect .

Swung over a little to M33 and although pretty faint there it was , much better view than the 9 x 63's I've been using.

Up to the Double Cluster and I was transfixed , so many crisp stars , a real treat however many times you see it .

Cassiopeia and it's numerous clusters was magnificent , so many to see against the background of the Milky Way.

Kemble's Cascade filled the FOV beautifully , pouring into 1502.

It was then the turn of Jupiter to take centre stage , oh so bright , a distinct disc and the Moons so clear , even a hint of banding which surprised me though it may have been me wanting to see it.

Then I turned to Orion , had been saving it til last and given the eyes a good time to adapt properly for a change , the whole of the Sword region fits the FOV , the nebulosity was as magnificent as usual , much more extensive than I expected to be honest especially from a binocular , the stars at the heart of M42 very crisp and clear.

Betelgeuse showed good colour as did Rigel .

Finished the session targeting the Pleiades , tried counting the stars but soon gave up , a lovely end to a "quick" session that actually lasted over two and a half hours , time flies when you're having fun ... 

In retrospect I should really have got the HEQ5Pro out and spent a few hours imaging something given the conditions , but you know what .... I'm actually glad I didn't ... It was a real treat to spend a few hours just scanning about the sky in a relaxed manner without all the thinking that needs to occur when trying to sort alignment , focus , guiding , capture , processing , etc , etc , etc .....

I was expecting to be aching a little after the session but the pain never came , although quite a large binocular it's surprisingly light and easy to handle , I will however be knocking up a parallelogram mount to give me a steadier platform as I feel it would do the instrument justice , after all you don't try handheld with even a modest scope .... 

I can highly recommend this binocular to anyone looking for a good binocular at a very good price , I'm aware that there are better bins out there but at a cost , both in weight and hard cash.

[Chris Hopson]

Really enjoyed your report Steve. Kembles cascade is still on the to do this for me.

I've thinking about buying some 15 x 70 's to go on my new monopod and joystick head. ( Again Mr Tonkins suggestion!)

Have you thought about this option? I can't recommend them enough, as my very budget 10 x 50's now give me sturdy portable views.

Clear Skies

Chris

[Roger Fairhurst]

I loved the report too Steve.

I too saw the Pleiades for the first time with my new bins (Nikon 12x50) just a couple of days ago and was gobsmacked. You're luckier than me over here at the moment where skies are overcast and rain is intermittent.

Bet you can't wait to get out again!

Kind regards

Roger

[Steve Ward]

Going to get a mono-pod tomorrow ... 

Shall give the joystick head miss though as I have a very good ball-head with friction adjustment that will see me through and save a few quid til I sort the parallelogram.

[Damo636]

Great report Steve! Hats off to you for using the 15x70 hand held for 2 1/2 hours! The monopod will make life a whole lot easier though & you'll be amazed at how much more detail can be picked out with the added stability.

[F15Rules]

Very nice report Steve, congratulations on getting these binos, they are great for the money. I got mine used in great condition from John on this forum and got my best ever view of Andromeda with these, very bright and so BIG!

best

Dave

[Steve Ward]

Just been out trying the new monopod I picked up today , a Polaroid 72" for the princely sum of £24.95 .....   .... http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-polaroid-72-inch-monopod-black/p1527330

Makes so much difference ... 

Not the sturdiest when compared to Manfrotto's et al but it was the only one I could find that is tall enough for comfortable high altitude viewing when standing ( I'm 6'2" ... )

Have been drawing up a parallelogram mount today which includes a small cantilever TV bracket that will be attached to the 14 foot pier , will knock up a prototype in softwood tomorrow before starting the Oak and brass final version , will be arranged to allow standing or sitting use and to give me full East to West coverage.

[edjuh]

Which goes to show that with a budget of a 100 you can be stargazing with more than decent results, even if you add a PSA to the whole bundle 

[Jason71]

Hi. Enjoyed your wright up on these. Sounds like you enjoyed it. Would these be the Celestron Cavalry 15x70 had a look in first light optics and could only find these 15 x 70.

[Steve Ward]

No they're the Skymaster 15 x 70's .....  http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-celestron-skymaster-15x70-binoculars/p1532970

[Jason71]

No they're the Skymaster 15 x 70's .....  http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-celestron-skymaster-15x70-binoculars/p1532970

I shall have a look. Thanks.