Opticron Oregon Observation 15x70 Binoculars

[Itabot]

Already have a pair of 10x50 bins, wanting bit more power, going round in circles trying to choose, my first thought was a pair of Celestron Sky Master 10x50 £60, good reviews but getting a good QC pair seems hit and miss, worryingly being a complete novice would I be able to tell if they aren't perfect.  Also fancied a pair of Helios Apollo HR 10x50 £275, may be over the top for a novice? 

Then spotted these Opticron Oregon Observation 15x70 £89 from FLO they say Best Bins under £100, are these a better option.

Any advice appreciated. 

[SteveNickolls]

Hi Itabot, if you have the money the Apollo's will serve you well for years. You need to give thought to a mount for them to get steady views and pick out the detail they will provide you. I'm sure others will chip in with ideas for you to consider regarding mounting. I use mine on a heavy duty tripod with a combined L bracket and red led finder to help with aiming. Good luck with your choice.

Cheers,

Steve

[DirkSteele]

I wrote a review on the Oregon’s a few weeks ago and started a thread about it on SGL which you can find here.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/247816-opticron-oregon-15x70-binoculars-review/

Not long after another thread started with a first light report which indicated similarities in experiences when using them.   That thread is here.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/247922-opticron-oregon-15x70-binoculars-first-light/

I have not had the benefit of observing with the Helios binoculars so cannot offer a compare and contrast but price point alone would suggest they are the next level above the Oregon’s in optical performance, fit and finish etc.

Clear Skies,

[DemosL]

Already have a pair of 10x50 bins, wanting bit more power, going round in circles trying to choose, my first thought was a pair of Celestron Sky Master 10x50 £60, good reviews but getting a good QC pair seems hit and miss, worryingly being a complete novice would I be able to tell if they aren't perfect.  Also fancied a pair of Helios Apollo HR 10x50 £275, may be over the top for a novice? 

Then spotted these Opticron Oregon Observation 15x70 £89 from FLO they say Best Bins under £100, are these a better option.

Any advice appreciated. 

After 46 years of using a scopes, I bought the Celestron 15x70 SkyMasters bins because I have bad hip arthritis and I just can't move my scopes anymore. I bought the bins in April and I love them. I also bought a zero gravity lounger to keep my body supported so I can use the bins with just my hands.

[Itabot]

Many thanks Steve, DemosL and Dirksteele for your help, the links to your excellent informative review, I searched before posting and couldn't find anything?

[BinocularSky]

I reviewed the 11x70 version in Sky@Night magazine, and Pete (Gamby) also sent a 15x70 for me to have a look at. Apart from the gunge on one of the lenses, my experience pretty much matches Matthew's. They are  better than many of the binoculars that "look the same", such as the Revelations: the thing about United Optics (the manufacturer) is that cosmetically identical binoculars can have quite different specifications - I ramble on a bit about this here.

A few other comments:
* Quality control - this is one corner that is always cut in budget binos: it's much chepaer for them to let you, the customer, do it and simply replace any units that you reject.

* "Fully multi-coated" - there is no industry-wide standard for this (ditto-for BAK4 prisms) - it could mean air-glass surface of lenses have 2-layer AR coatings, or it could mean that all air-glass optical surfaces, including prism hypotenuses, have properly applied 7-layer AR coatings. It's all part of the potential advertising hype.

* At the risk of sounding like a stuck record (for those of you who are old enough to remember what they are), I'll say it again:

Think about it: a half-way decent astronomical eyepiece costs about £60.  A binocular has two eyepieces, two objectives, two different focusing mechanisms, prisms and housing, and other bits of tubing: realistically, what sort of quality is it reasonable to expect for the cost of one and a half eyepieces?

The way I see it is that they may be far from perfect, but near-perfect will cost near 10 times as much. It is pretty remarkable that medium-aperture astronomical binoculars can be made for such a low price, bringing the hobby to within the means of so many more people. If you get a decent one (return it if it's not) and learn how to care for it and maintain it, it's a really good entry-level bit of kit, at least until you find out if you are serious enough about this side of our hobby to take the next step up in quality (and price!).

[BinocularSky]

Also fancied a pair of Helios Apollo HR 10x50 £275, may be over the top for a novice? 

Then spotted these Opticron Oregon Observation 15x70 £89 from FLO they say Best Bins under £100, are these a better option.

I've already responded generally about the Oregons above.

The Apollo 10x50 are good. Very good. They are also heavier than the 15x70 Oregons. Also, you should not be paying £275 for them - you can get the WO version from FLO for around £200 and the TS version from (surprisingly, TS) for  €270 (about £190). £275 should get you the 15x70.

In my opinion, the Apollo 15x70 is remarkably good value for money: there are binoculars costing nearly 3x as much that are only marginally better (and not necessarily in all departments!). It is considerably heavier than the Oregon, but I find it easier to hold steadily for short(er) periods - must be an inertia thing. Really, though, it will need mounting. A trigger-grip and monopod is an adequate combination that doesn't compromise portability too much. Happy to answer any questions on any of these.

Also, certainly not OTT for a novice.

[DirkSteele]

Think about it: a half-way decent astronomical eyepiece costs about £60.  A binocular has two eyepieces, two objectives, two different focusing mechanisms, prisms and housing, and other bits of tubing: realistically, what sort of quality is it reasonable to expect for the cost of one and a half eyepieces?

I love that quote.  So true.  It is remarkable what can be bought for so little now.  My first scope cost me £250 nearly 25 years ago (from paper round money) having spent several years with my Dad's 10x50s prior to that.  Inflation adjusted, that £250 would now buy quite a first scope!  Such a good time to be an amateur astronomer.

[Itabot]

Already have a pair of 10x50 bins, wanting bit more power, going round in circles trying to choose, my first thought was a pair of Celestron Sky Master 10x50 £60, good reviews but getting a good QC pair seems hit and miss, worryingly being a complete novice would I be able to tell if they aren't perfect.  Also fancied a pair of Helios Apollo HR 10x50 £275, may be over the top for a novice? 

Then spotted these Opticron Oregon Observation 15x70 £89 from FLO they say Best Bins under £100, are these a better option.

Any advice appreciated. 

Many thanks for your advice Steve, I must apologise confusing everyone (another senior moment) I intended to write Celestron Sky Master 15x70 £60 and Helios Apollo HR 15x70 £275 instead of 10x50....sorry must check what I write before submitting.