Barr & Stroud Savannah 10x56 or 12x56?

[Rob998]

I'm looking to get a pair of binos for some grab & go skywatching and also a bit of nature nosying when I'm out walking the dog. I briefly considered a pair of 15x70s, but they're too bulky for my taste I'm afraid.

As the title suggests I've narrowed my choice down to the Barr & Stroud Savannah range, either the 10x56 or 12x56 both of which are available on Amazon for pretty much the same price, £116 for the 10x and £120 for the 12x.

I am sorely tempted by the 12x, even though I know I'll lose a bit of light transmission compared to the 10x. Barr & Stroud even say as much on their website: http://www.barrandstroud.com/product/Barr%20and%20Stroud%20Savannah%2012x56%20Binocular . But how much? Will it be enough to render them annoying to use for astro purposes?

I suspect I already know the answer and the recommendations will be to go for the 10x, but I'd like to read your opinions anyway!

[Crebles]

Hi Rob998, be mindful, the Savannah's come in two 'flavours' - some with ED glass and some without. The ED glass is well worth getting if you can afford it, but double check you don't pay over the odds for a pair without it.

I had a pair of 10X50 Sahara's as my first bins and they were great until I upgraded to a pair of Helios Nirvana ED 8x42's.

Barr & Stroud aren't widely mentioned on this forum but every time I've heard mention its been good - you could do a lot worse.

If I were you - I'd go for the 10x - there's far less shakiness (is that a word?) of stars so less StarWobble^TM (!) and its easier to hold, and easier to find your bearings and starhop.

Enjoy++ whatever you decide.

[Rob998]

Thanks, Crebles. Yes, Starwobble might be a problem as they're a little on the heavy side!

Unfortunately I can't justify the EDs, nice as they are.

The B&S's were recommended to me by a friend who uses them at work, so I was confident they'd be good quality for the price, but wasn't sure what model to go for.

[ollypenrice]

Hardly anybody in the birding world goes beyond 10x for hand holding and a majority go for 8x. The difference in perceptible detail in astronomy is trivial. We use telescopes for detail. The difference in stability is huge. This isn't due to weight but to focal length. In fact I think there's an optimum weight. I find my pocket bins less stable than my 8x42s because they don't have so much inertia and shake a bit more as a result. For hand held astronomy I'm now of the 8x42 camp.

Olly

[Tinker1947]

I have some 10 X 42 Bins cost more than 3 time the 10 X 56 B&S's so couple of days before Christmas i was looking at the B&S's 10 X 56 there were mentioned in another thread, the wife walked in and started giving it some like "why do you want them ect ect " well i didn't but as she insisted i hit the buy button and FLO duely sent them, are they better than the £400 10 X 42's i dunno been cloudy ever since they arrived, but they do look the part and appear to be well made in day light looking at the wild life there sharp and stable not being to heavy or to light..

[Rob998]

Thanks everyone, I will buy the 10x. I did know that the extra magnification was not really needed given the, erm, astronomical distances involved, althogh I thought it might be interesting for wildlife spotting. For more involved skywatching I have a Celestron 130EQ 'scope (well, to be totally accurate, it belongs to the eldest Little Monster).

I'll be sure to post up my impressions when I get them.

Anyway, have a very happy New Year everyone!

[BinocularSky]

Hardly anybody in the birding world goes beyond 10x for hand holding and a majority go for 8x. The difference in perceptible detail in astronomy is trivial. We use telescopes for detail. The difference in stability is huge. This isn't due to weight but to focal length. In fact I think there's an optimum weight. I find my pocket bins less stable than my 8x42s because they don't have so much inertia and shake a bit more as a result. For hand held astronomy I'm now of the 8x42 camp.

Nothing there to disagree with, as I age, I'm noticing the 10x42 "shakes" more than I used to. I still like the contrast I get with my 10x42, though and I can't afford to replace it with an 8x42 of equivalent quality. However, I am also considering getting a 6.5x32  for the stable, wide-field views.

Your point about inertia is well-taken: I find I can hold my Helios Apollo 15x70 much more stably than my kilogram-lighter Strathspey 15x70.

[Rob998]

Well, I bought the 10x56s and they arrived yesterday.

On my very brief acquaintance with them I am a very happy camper!

They are very nicely made and the image is very good to my eyes, nice and bright and sharp, with only a little softening around the very edge.

I had a quick look at the moon last night and the craters appeared very crisp, as did the line of the penumbra.

I'm glad I didn't go for the 12s, I think I would have trouble holding them steady enough to observe the planets and stars. Also I would have lost some low light performance, which I found useful this afternoon. Whilst walking the dog I saw a Roe Deer at the edge of a wood which I might have missed if the image had been darker.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[Crebles]

Glad you like them - enjoy!

[Rob998]

I will, thanks!

Not stargazing weather tonight, the only thing I'd be able to test would be the waterproofing...

[Markinaboat]

I was using 15x70ED's (Delta Extreme) which were superb. However, after getting my first scope, I decided to sell the 15x70's but of course still wanted a pair of (quality) grab n go binos. I bought a pair of Celestron Granite 12x50ED's. They're roof prisms but phase coated so match (or exceed) the quality of similarly priced porro's. They weigh in at 850g, are solid as a rock (made from magnesium alloy) and give amazing crisp, high contrast views. BUT...I'm quite a big chap, large arms that don't bend easily (oh ok, am 58 too) and I actually find a pair of 10x50ED porros (Delta Extreme again, same as Williams Optics 10x50ED) easier to hold stead and for longer periods!

Needless to say, said Granites are still for sale.

IMHO,  at the end of the day, if we have a reasonably clear sky and a pair of collimated bins, the viewing pleasure is immense whatever we use!