Iv never considered binoculars before, care to recommend?

[steve591]

Hello everyone, iv recently purchased a celestron nexstar8 which I'm still eager to lug around at every opportunity, however I would have far more opportunities to use a pair of binoculars

A pair of binoculars would also be quite handy for my other hobby - target rifles, so I kinda have two reasons to buy some binos.... I shoot anywhere out to 600 yards with intentions of going out to 1000 yards this year, the binos will be bought primarily for stargazing though.

With this in mind, and say £100 budget, what would you recommend?

[miguel87]

I hear celestron sell good quality economic binos. However i do not own a pair so am only giving you second hand opinion. I would suggests 10x50s at that price.

[ronl]

Try this link http://binocularsky.com/ there is everything you need to know about bins,

Steve is our binocular expert, he also writes the Binocular Tour in Sky @ Night magazine,

click on choosing and using. 

[Dave In Vermont]

I just got a pair of BIG binoculars. Very inexpensive, I'd call them the biggest bang for your money: Celestron SkyMaster 15 X 70mm. Cost me under $100-US. They're well collimated, gives a sharp and bright image. No complaints from me.

Might be a bit on the large side, some sort of support would be a good idea. They come with a tripod-adapter so they can easily be mounted on most any photo-tripod.

Have fun,

Dave

[Charic]

Sky at Night gave the Helios Nature Sport Plus  Binoculars a Best Buy  award!

First light Optics sold me a pair of Helios 8x40s during a Summer sale ( highly reduced  ) these are now my favourite and most used binoculars for astronomy aside my telescope. 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have used 10x50, 10x56, and 15x70 bins for astronomy, and prefer the latter, although many people cannot use them without support. The Celestron Skymaster 15x70 are really 15x64 or so (like many cheap BA-1 types), and they can lose collimation readily. I sent my first pair of BA-1s back (Celestrons) due to muck in the optical path, and poor colimation.  I got an Omegon branded version back (they were out of Celestrons) which performed nice for many years. I now have a pair of true 15x70s (Helios Apollo HD) and these are superb (like all other BA-8 types I have seen. Much better (and more expensive) than the BA-1s. The Omegons (BA-1) I had broke after some years, but I still have a TS branded pair of BA-1s, which the kids love. The BA-1s are certainly good value for money, but buy it from a reputable store, where you know the return policy is good, because you might well get a dud one. BTW, conditional collimation of binoculars is not very hard, so if they lose collimation, you can correct that yourself with a bit of effort.

[jgs001]

The challenge here, Binoculars and the views they offer, and which is best for each person is really an individual choice.. I have to admit, that I started with Celestron (12x50's) and I was impressed with them initially, but when I got a pair of Bresser 10x50, I much preferred the views. I find the Bressers produced better contrasts compared to the Celestron.

This is the pair I have. I find them lighter too, and this makes it easier to use them. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bresser-1151050-Binoculars-Hunter-10x50/dp/B00140G1I0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454579121&sr=8-1&keywords=bresser+hunter+10x50

As I said, Bino's are really a personal choice.. If you can try out a few different brands etc, then I would suggest you do before you buy.

[bob4026]

Hi,

I second the idea of using Binocular Sky for recommendations.

Money. That's the limiting factor here I think. My Pentax are a lovely bino. £150 ish and well worth the money. The best bino for you mightjust cost you anything from £50-£500. Try them out, visit a star party as astro folks are happy to help.

Let us know what you go with.

ATB

Bob

 

[Dave In Vermont]

I'll second the Celestron Skymaster 15 X 70mm binocular suggestion. I couldn't believe how little they cost - the view they allow. But a pair of 10 X 50's are great for portability. The Celestron's come with a tripod-adapter. But I suggest you get one of these adapters regardless of the size / magnification. It will come in handy someday. And may be just the thing if you find something really cool up there and wish to look at it for a long period of time. Arms & wrists will get tired.

Enjoy -

Dave

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

HI Steve,

I'd strongly recommend that you get a Binocular to augment your scope- Binocular Astronomy is different-O.K. you don't have the high mags (that's what the scope is for),but the wider views and seemingly 'total immersion' into the skyscene will blow you away!

And with zero set up time,you can get a quick Astro-fix between cloud dodging!

I'd third Steve Tonkin's 'Binocular Sky' for advice on choosing Bins-he has some very in-depth reviews of various models there.

At the end of the day,it's down to your budget (and it's probably 'False economy' to buy cheap-as in most things),and also personal preference.

We are all different,and someone else's 'great Binocular' might not suit you.

So,bearing that in mind,I'd echo the advice to 'try before you buy' if you have the opportunity to do so.

Please let us know how you go in your binocular search,and good luck!

[LukeSkywatcher]

10x50 bins will serve you well over the yrs. You already have a good scope, so really no need to buy BIG bins as you will not get the same views that you get with the scope. 10x50 or similar will compliment your observing sessions and some objects look better in bins then in a scope (M45 for example).

 

[billyharris72]

I'd second the recommendation of 10 x 50s. Bigger binoculars are great of you want a second dedicated pair for astro use on a tripod, but nothing beats 10 x 50s for all round use. Lots of options, and FLO have a good selection; personally, I've always liked Opticron - good trade off between quality and price - but there are plenty of good manufacturers out there. The Nikon Aculons are very well priced on Amazon at the moment and I have been tempted, but have never used them before and wonder why they are so inexpensive (unusual for Nikon). Has anyone any experience with these?

 

 

 

[waldi]

Well,

 

When I started me adventure with astronomy. My frist binocular was russian 7x35 under dark sky I had lot of fun.

I think that Nikon 10x50 EX or Skymaster 15x70 should meet your expectations. I have sold all my big telescopes and stayed with binoculars only and small ed refractor.

In case od some nice events on sky I am using 10 inch SCT with my frined who own this beast.

Rgds,

Waldemar

[hobbiesaregood]

I got a pair of celestron 20x80 on amazon.fr warehouse deals for €99.

I can see as much with them as I can with by scope!

[Connacht]

I have a pair of Orion Wide View 10 X 50 binoculars, and I definitely want to get a mount for them. Anything bigger would require a mount for sure in my opinion. Even the 10 X 50 pair that I have should have a mount. Some day soon I will get a mount for them.

[happy-kat]

Quote

 

We choose 8*42. Wanted a pair for all uses nighttime and day time distance spotting and bird watching, and not too big or heavy or have too much magnification showing every shake.

[uker]

I also bought Celestron 20x80 at Amazon warehouse.They're not to bad hand held,but as said, really need a tripod ,tho a mono pod would be very convenient.Once  mounted I easily found and tracked 2 fast moving satellites (that happened to wander into view) and at least 3 of Jupiter's moons were clearly visible (last night).

Edited to add;I should use a stand for my tiny 8x21,as my hands shake that much,lol.

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

uker ,your parting shot made me laugh!

Whilst 8x21 bins might sound ridiculous for Astronomy,take a little time to reflect.

They certainly have MUCH more light gathering power than the unaided Human eye.

And consider that the great Galileo's first Telescope wasn't much bigger (25-30mm?)-I'm sure someone here can provide the correct details-,and had a magnification of perhaps x8.

[Dave In Vermont]

Actually, Galileo's first telescope is an elusive one. I went hopping from website - to - website to find the specifications on his first instrument. Found loads of information, but only one site spelled out what the specific dimensions of this thing:

http://scitechantiques.com/Galileo-Telescope-Anomalies-optics/

And I had to wade through a mountain-range of data before I found out what I was looking for! Geesh! Anywho -

The front objective-glass was 37mm stopped-down to 15mm & 980mm F.L.

Somedays I regret being a tenacious researcher.....

Dave

 

 

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Thanks for doing the research Dave.

Much appreciated.

[Binosaurus_Rex]

How about a classic, like the the Swift Audubon 8.5x44, Newport 10x50 or Swift Skipper 7x50 mk1 or 2 if you want wide angle.

 

You could get a couple of pairs, possibly three for your budget.

[stafford_stargazer]

Hi

I own a pair of helios quantum 4 20x80 triplets, I have only used them half a dozen times due to being busy, hence my lack of activity on here, but I'm really impressed by them, but there pretty heavy and can be hard to hand hold for any length of time.

It's a very personal and individual choice with binos and if possible it's always good to try before you buy, even just for weight and ergonomics.

I think my quantums will be up for sale over the weekend once I've taken some photos, just because there lack of use.

 

 Gary 

[skypops]

Hi all, I am new to all of this and with the help of a good friend who knows what he is doing I purchased an Orion StarBlast 6 telescope. I love it. My wife thought it was too big but It isn't going away anytime soon.

I will be bringing this scope to our house in PA and leaving it there. The sky gets really dark where we are. Having said that I want to purchase a good pair of binos I can take with me everywhere we go. Like everyone else here I want to be able to see all I can within the capabilities of a good pair of binos but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars. I survived the Orion purchase and I don't want to push my luck.

Everyone here who has posted has excellent advice to offer but this is a very subjective decision. I live in Northern NJ. Does anyone know of a brick and morter establishment around here where I can get to see a selection of binoculars and receive good guidance as to what would work for me?

Thank you all. This is something I have wanted to get into for a long time. Even our four year old Grand Daughter is excited about seeing the wonders of the night sky. You guys rock.