First Pair. 10x50 or 15x70?

[True_Mank]

Hello all, been lurking about a month or so now and thought i'd sign up. I'm going to be buying my first pair of binoculars soon. I dont have any other equipment so just for starting out what would you recommend?

Ive been looking at the celestron 10x50 and 15x70  and can't decide what would be best. I'm leaning towards 10x50 for more ease of use and not necessarily needing a tripod but I guess I'd see more with the 15x70's. The 10x50's are also a bit cheaper and I wouldn't mind getting a book to go with my new pair of bino's! My budget is quite small of around £60 or so.

It's quite dark where I live, no streetlights are on and theres meant to be some good spots not too far from me. 

Thanks

[Chris]

I would start off with a pair you can easily hand hold, 8x42 or 10x50.  Low mag equals a steadier view, and you'll see a lot more if you can keep the image still. 

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clearance/b-s-sierra-42.html

I think something like the above binos from the FLO clearance section would have better optics than the Celestron BA1 class binos which won't be that sharp, may arrive out of collimation, and will have a colour cast to the image.

[True_Mank]

Thanks for the reply, i was also looking at the Olympus 10x50 DPS 1's. I 'm pretty sure I'm going to get a lighter, lower mag pair at first. Those you posted look nice too, I'll be getting them a week today so I'll have to see if the sale is still on too.

[Chris]

I almost forgot to add, the 10x42 will have exactly the same effective aperture as the the Celestron 10x50's because the 10x50's have under sized prisms which stops the optics down to 42mm. 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

A good pair of 10x50s is a great place to start. Having said that, I almost exclusively use the 15x70s for astronomy, but for birding these are not so good.

[Chris]

Thanks for the reply, i was also looking at the Olympus 10x50 DPS 1's. I 'm pretty sure I'm going to get a lighter, lower mag pair at first. Those you posted look nice too, I'll be getting them a week today so I'll have to see if the sale is still on too.

I think the Olympus will be a step above the Celestron.

BinocularSky is a good place to check out for beginner advice:

http://www.binocularsky.com/binoc_choosing.php

I think the FLO deal will still be on in a week if you fancy a pair from here:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clearance.html

hth

[Chris]

These are worth a look also:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/helios/helios-naturesport-plus.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/helios/helios-naturesport-plus-8x40-wa.html

[Astro Imp]

As Chris says above before spending any money have a good read of the advice given on the Binocular Sky site, a well written and informative site produced by one of our members.

[True_Mank]

Thanks so much, Im definitely getting a pair of 10x50's/10x42's. I just cant decide which ones and after reading binocularsky I definitely want a good pair that will hold collimation for a long time.

Barr&stroud Sierra 42mm £63.20

Helios Naturesport-plus 10x50 £79.00

Olympus DPS-1 10x50 £54.99

Which is better overall in terms of value for money, will hold collimation for a long time and build quality? Do the Helios warrant the extra £20 or so?  And are these my best choices for my price range of £60 or so?

Thanks

[Alfian]

From what I can see all of the binos have happy owners, so it does look a if you are on the right track. THe DPS1 though at £55 does look good value. Its a pity you cannot get your hands on at least a couple of them, because binos tend to have a "feel" to them that you will like, or maybe not.

As to collimation, IF  binos are well collimated when you buy them they should be OK for years IF you treat them kindly at least at this end of the size range.