Helios Weathermaster III 10x50 - first light

[Crebles]

Hi folks, just a quick first light report on my new Helios Weathermaster III 10x50's. I noted there's nothing much written about them on SGL.

My brief was a pair of average 10x50's - primarily to keep in the car for quick observing when driving home from work, and secondarily to be able to know what to expect from a pair of average-price 10x50 porros, so I can bang on (slightly more knowledgeably) here in The Lounge. I compared them in the shop (A10 Optics in Southery, Norfolk) with Helios Fieldmaster 10x50's and Practica Diana 10x50's. The Weathermasters were the best. Dave Tatton from A10 Optics was, as always, very helpful and allowed me to compare and contrast to my heart's content. I've had Barr and Stroud Sahara 10x50 roof prisms from there in the past. I got the Weathermasters for £55 (£10 off by px on some 8x22's).

The build is solid, but not heavy, and they have a rubberised grippy covering that I like. They're BAK4, allegedly waterproof and - unlike the Fieldmasters - nitrogen filled. They've a published 6.5 degree FOV compared to the Fieldmaster's 6.0 degree. They have a central focussing wheel that's nicely stiff to move. It's geared so you have to turn the wheel a fair way to change focus - which I vastly prefer to the 'rapid focus' style which can be a right fiddle because tiny movements of the wheel can also rapidly take your object out of focus, ie a "rapid de-focus" mechanism. Standard accessories are only mediocre, soft case, strap, and four individual hard plastic lens covers that don't attach to the bins and so easily misplaced. Oh well.

In the daytime they were really impressive - planes, birds, windmills on the horizon, crisp and clear. No need to focus much either - sort of had a good 'depth of field'. There was (what I think is called) pincushion distortion noticeable looking at telegraph wires through top and bottom 20% of the field of view (ie horizontal telegraph wire curved upwards slightly like a smile in the top quarter, and downwards like a frown in the lower).

Last night they were equally as impressive. I've a Backyard Bortle (!) of about 5-6, and its was a reasonably clear night. Stars were pretty crisp and they were easy enough to hold steady when held near eyepieces with my thumbs against my cheeks (thanks Steve Tonkin!). M51 was a faint fuzzy but definitely there; M81 and 82 faint smudges, and the core of M31 was readily visible despite it being only about 30 degrees from horizon. Jupiter was a bright disc with Galilean moons visible. M44 was pretty and M42 was clearly fuzz n' stars. Coma Berenices was teasing. I tried for the Leo galaxies but that was much harder, and even a struggle in my Apollo 15x70's on tripod. M101 eluded the Weathermasters but there in the tripoded Apollos. I was stuck by how little chromatic aberration there was even on bright Jupiter, though the moon wasn't visible to do the acid test.

Understandably, stars weren't as pin sharp as in my ED glass 8x42's or the Apollos, but pretty darn good nonetheless. Certainly comparable with the Barr & Stroud Saharas.

The only minor negative about the optics was there was more internal reflection than I was used to - though only on brighter objects like Jupiter or Sirius. This was noticeable when I was scanning but not when steady, and appeared like a small blob of light that moved rapidly across the field of view. Once I thought it was a meteor. Initially distracting, but later not.

I note the Weathermasters got a 90% score in a 2010 Sky at Night test, whereas the Fieldmaster scored 92% - I'd certainly swap the numbers.  http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/telescope-reviews/binoculars . Steve Tonkin didn't get on with the Naturesports and likes the Strathspey Marines, though we're up in a slightly higher price bracket there - around the £85 mark. http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/207533-helios-naturesport-10x50s-or-strathspey-marine-10x50s/ .

In conclusion 

So, acknowledging binoculars are very personal things and recommend you should always try before you buy, I conclude that for £55 I'm a VeryHappyAstroBunny. I was surprisingly impressed with the Helios Weathermaster III 10x50's; robust, good optics, nice to use and certainly more than capable for keep-in-the-car-grab-n-go duties, and I would encourage you to consider them for your shortlist.

[Damo636]

Very nice report, thanks for posting. The Weathermaster sounds like a nice binocular, and at a very reasonable price.

[Crebles]

Had a few more evenings using them and they're getting better and better. I'm really chuffed with them. 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Great report, thanks for posting. I am on the lookout for something new as the 10x50s I have seem to have developed problems in focusing and/or collimation. After 21 years of use that might not be too surprising. I hope I can sort them out, but otherwise I might well look into something like the Weathermasters

[Crebles]

Great report, thanks for posting. I am on the lookout for something new as the 10x50s I have seem to have developed problems in focusing and/or collimation. After 21 years of use that might not be too surprising. I hope I can sort them out, but otherwise I might well look into something like the Weathermasters

Thanks Michael. You could certainly do worse. Good luck whatever you decide on.