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10x42 binoculars for astronomy?

Ccolvin968

By Ccolvin968
in Discussions - Binoculars

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Ccolvin968

Ccolvin968

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I have a pair of 10X42's for grab and go use. Is this acceptable for astronomy? I've used them before, but no tripod. It doesn't have a mount that I know of. I still need to look behind the front cap. Should I try the Celestron 10X50 binoculars? I just found the g2 porro version for $25. Should I save up and get a better version or are my 10X42's okay? Thanks for the help!

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ronin

ronin

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They will be fine, I use 8x42 all the time and to be honest would like to get hold of a decent set of 6x42's.

Mine are both roof prism design, the porro's are supposed to be better as there is just the 1 element tp the prism, roof prism's have 2 bit of glass per prism - but I do like the roof prism designs.

Just read your equipment, mine are Bushnell H2O's and Bushnell Natureviews - the Natureviews are the better optically out of mine.

Stick to the 10x42's.

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paulastro

paulastro

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I sometimes use my 10x43s and they are fine.  I also have a good pair of 10x50s which have a bigger wow factor but they are a bit heavier so not so good for holding steady without a tripod.  My next step up is my 15x70s, again an improvement but these really have to be tripod mounted to be used effectively.  If you try out other peoples binocs for comparison you'll be able to make up your own mind if you really  need to have something bigger. 

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Mr_Simnock

Mr_Simnock

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I don't think there is such a thing as an unacceptable instrument so long as it's not broken. Your eyes on their own are fine enough so anything that can gather more light that can help see more in the night sky is of use. I use a pair of 8x32 (Zeiss Conquest HD) and they have done me fine for the past year or so, they give me an excellent 8 deg field of view.

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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I have a pair of 10X42's for grab and go use. Is this acceptable for astronomy?

Yes. Can be very useful. This is what I had on the cover of the 1st edition of my binoc astro book (to the consternation of many"internet experts" who took me to task for using "birding binoculars" for astronomy). If I can only take one binocular with me on holiday, it is my 10x42.

 Should I try the Celestron 10X50 binoculars? I just found the g2 porro version for $25.

No. Rather spend the money on a barge-pole so you can practice not touching that horrible BSO (*) with it. They are internally stopped down to about 42mm anyway, so you won't get a brighter image unless your 10x42 is of very poor quality.

.

.

..

* Binocular Shaped Object

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geministar

geministar

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My Nexstar 127 Mak isn't great for DSOs, so I'll have a go with the Tasco 10x50 binos, which I gather should be OK for the job.

Does anyone happen to know how you work out (or find out) the angular field of vision you get from these binos?

Doug.

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Ccolvin968

Ccolvin968

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I'm not sure about 10x50's. My 10x42's have an FOV of 5.6 degrees. I'm I just picked up a pair of 10x50's just to try them out. The package lists FOV in meters @ 1000m. Not very helpful in astronomy. I'm sure someone here will have a rough estimate for you though.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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How important is field of view in hand held bins? Don't you just move your head? (OK, a bit simplistic but you know what I mean... At the scope, on a fixed mount, you move your eye relative to the EP to explore to the field stop with glories like the TeleVue Ethos. With bins you just move the bins. No?)

At my age (62) I'm better off with 8x than 10x for hand holding but it's no big deal.

Olly

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geministar

geministar

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Olly, I'm quite new to all this, but I suppose an all-encompassing view is nicer than having to scan around. I shall try it as soon as the rain stops, using th bins for large, feint objects, and the Mak for planets and double stars.

Doug.

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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My Nexstar 127 Mak isn't great for DSOs, so I'll have a go with the Tasco 10x50 binos, which I gather should be OK for the job.

For the bigger stuff like large open clusters, asterisms, & even M33 and M101, yes, but your Mak will still have the edge on globulars, planetaries and smaller galaxies.

Dohh - just took in a view of a roof, then held out four fingers at arm's length and covered the same view, so I guess it must be about 4 degrees?

More like 6 or 7* if it's 4 fingers: the rule of thumb (& fist & span  :grin: ) is (approx):

thumb = 2*

fist = 10*

span = 20*

Talking of FOV, I see a pair of Vixen 2.1's in your purchasing future (evil grin :) )...

:evil:

hehehe

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