What binoculars are best to start off with

[Dave In Vermont]

For any extended viewing with powerful binoculars, an adapter to hold them on a tripod is a necessity. As well as a simple tripod. I have a link for the adapter, also available from FLO:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/binocular-accessories/opticron-l-type-binocular-tripod-bracket-adapters.html

Regards a tripod, I'll defer to someone more knowledgable on what types are available 'across-the-pond.'

The skies the limit -

Dave

[Amyb]

31 minutes ago, Demon Barber said:

Hi Amy and welcome to SGL, if you look on Firstlightoptics website you will find a really good quality bino at a reasonable price, link here:http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clearance/celestron-skymaster-dx-9x63-binoculars.html

I can highly recommend starting with binoculars,these offer a large 63mm objective lens and a handholdable 9x magnification,they are easily mounted on a tripod for an even steadier view.

I still have my 8x56 (same family) that i bought when starting out,the glass is very good quality and i have no hesitation in recommending the 9x63.

Hope this helps!

Mike

Thanks Mike  

[rockystar]

if you do go into a shop, try to find a specialist telescope shop and not Curry's or Argos. A camera shop that sells telescopes will be better, but a dedicated one will be best as they will be run by amateur astronomers who have used the equipment and really know what they are talking about. Hope you find what you are looking and you'll both have years of fun when you get going.

[BritAngler]

Most of us own at least one pair of bins as they are useful for those quick grab-and-go sessions, but even a pair of 7x50's will become a little tiresome after a while, and of course any pair of binoculars is impossible to hold completely steady. Buy a pair that can take a tripod adaptor and invest in a metal one - you can buy plastic ones but they are a false economy IMO. A decent sturdy tripod made by Velbon, Hama or (my favourite choice) Manfrotto and a pan/tilt head will see you stargazing for years to come  

You don't have to spend a lot on choosing a pair, £50 at the very most will get you a good pair of bins.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi Amy + your daughter and welcome to SGL. 

Just some things you avoid/do not want when purchasing binoculars...

1. Zoom

2. Ruby coated optics

3. Plastic tubes & optics - (they do exist)!

4. Plastic tripod adaptor

5. A lightweight photo tripod with a 'simple' alt-az, (ie pan & tilt), head.

 

 

[BritAngler]

15 minutes ago, Philip R said:

Hi Amy + your daughter and welcome to SGL. 

Just some things you avoid/do not want when purchasing binoculars...

1. Zoom

5. A lightweight photo tripod with a 'simple' alt-az, (ie pan & tilt), head.

 

 

 

Yep, don't buy a zoom version, they are pants.

The tripod does need to be sturdy, as does the head. Some people prefer a ball and socket type head, others a pan and tilt, but whichever style you go for, it also has to be good and sturdy. Buying cheap will turn out to be a false economy....

Welcome to SGL btw

 

[Amyb]

4 hours ago, rockystar said:

if you do go into a shop, try to find a specialist telescope shop and not Curry's or Argos. A camera shop that sells telescopes will be better, but a dedicated one will be best as they will be run by amateur astronomers who have used the equipment and really know what they are talking about. Hope you find what you are looking and you'll both have years of fun when you get going.

Yeah I looked online yesterday there is a specialist shop in Oakham which isn't that far really  thank you 

[Amyb]

2 hours ago, Philip R said:

Hi Amy + your daughter and welcome to SGL. 

Just some things you avoid/do not want when purchasing binoculars...

1. Zoom

2. Ruby coated optics

3. Plastic tubes & optics - (they do exist)!

4. Plastic tripod adaptor

5. A lightweight photo tripod with a 'simple' alt-az, (ie pan & tilt), head.

 

 

Hi.Thanks so much for that info because the first thing I would of thought I needed would be zoom 

[Amyb]

2 hours ago, BritAngler said:

 

Yep, don't buy a zoom version, they are pants.

The tripod does need to be sturdy, as does the head. Some people prefer a ball and socket type head, others a pan and tilt, but whichever style you go for, it also has to be good and sturdy. Buying cheap will turn out to be a false economy....

Welcome to SGL btw

 

Thanks  

[rockystar]

2 hours ago, Amyb said:

Yeah I looked online yesterday there is a specialist shop in Oakham which isn't that far really  thank you 

Try and get to Green Witch South in Great Gransden if you can, you may need to call him first, but he has an excellent reputation with the guys from WADAS (Wakefield Astro Society) who are a group on this forum. (http://www.green-witch.com/contact-us-2-w.asp)

[Amyb]

4 hours ago, rockystar said:

Try and get to Green Witch South in Great Gransden if you can, you may need to call him first, but he has an excellent reputation with the guys from WADAS (Wakefield Astro Society) who are a group on this forum. (http://www.green-witch.com/contact-us-2-w.asp)

Thanks 

[ollypenrice]

21 hours ago, geoflewis said:

Hi Amy, Welcome to SGL. I have a pair of Revelation Astro 15x70 binoculars that I purchased from Telescope House a few years ago for about £50. Whilst not the best glass out there, they are inexpensive and pretty good light grabbers with enough magnification, but not too much for hand held use. I love to lay back on a sun lounger in the summer and scan the rich star fields of Milky Way. The Moon of course looks great and you'll see the 4 Galilean moons of Jupiter changing position each night. They also give excellent views of targets like the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), Pleiades/Seven Sisters (M45), Great Orion Nebula (M42), Double Cluster in Perseus and much more. They are a great way to learn you way around the night sky and with patience its amazing just how many DSO (deep sky objects) you can find, e.g. many globular and open clusters, galaxies, etc. are within range even from fairly light polluted skies, but if you have access to dark skies so much the better. Of course they double up for daytime use too, so often get taken on walks for bird spotting, or just general use. Good luck, Geof

I think that if you are usefully hand holding 15x binoculars you are exceptional. Absolutely nobody in the birding world advises hand holding 15x. The standard advice in this very binocular-expert world is 8x for most people and 10x for a few. As a self test, try reading some distant text at the limit of what you can read in 8x. Now pick up the 15 times and try to read the same text. You may find that the high power is not, in fact, delivering any new resolution.

I would strongly recommend 8x42 for starters. I can get 15x from a telescope on a proper mount. I don't want that in binoculmars, personally.

Olly

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I tend to use my 15x70s hand-held, and even had a stab at 20x80s, but most people I know cannot do that for any length of time if at all. I am not a bodybuilder at all, it is largely down to lots of practice, and good holding and breathing techniques. Whenever possible, I do use some kind of support for my elbows (the roof of a car can be quite convenient). For most people 8x42, 7x50s, or even 10x50 or 10x56 are much easier, and show heaps more than the naked eye. I got a free pair of "broken" 7x50s once, and could "repair" them by tightening a few screws, and adjusting collimation (sounds complicated, but is really easy). My youngest absolutely loves those binoculars. Really easy to hold, grab loads of light

[geoflewis]

2 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

I think that if you are usefully hand holding 15x binoculars you are exceptional. Absolutely nobody in the birding world advises hand holding 15x. The standard advice in this very binocular-expert world is 8x for most people and 10x for a few. As a self test, try reading some distant text at the limit of what you can read in 8x. Now pick up the 15 times and try to read the same text. You may find that the high power is not, in fact, delivering any new resolution.

I would strongly recommend 8x42 for starters. I can get 15x from a telescope on a proper mount. I don't want that in binoculmars, personally.

Olly

Thanks Olly, I agree that hand holding 15x can be challenging, but I frequently do that lying down on a sun lounger sweeping the summer Milky Way so the weight of the binos is nearer to vertical to my eyes rather than horizontal and consequently easier to hold steady. I don't think that I'm exceptional, but I have had lots of practice and it works for me. I also like the extra light gathering power of the 70s that will not be available with the 42s, especially for astronomy rather than birding. I do also use them tripod mounted and would recommend that for some targets, e.g. views of the Orion Nebula, where looking for say 15-20 minutes drinking in the view would not be possible hand held. Your recommendation for the 8x42 is an entirely reasonable and very sound suggestion for someone starting out. Cheers Geof

[ian_bird]

Hi

On the subject of books - I can really recommend this one.

 

It is brilliant for beginners (and not so beginners).

Cheers.

Ian

 

[LukeSkywatcher]

Cant ever go wrong with a set of 10x50. If you are looking for something a bit bigger, the 15x70 is a great set. If you really want to "go big or go home" as a start, then something in the 20x range works well. 20x80,20x90.........blah blah.

Expensive as a starter..........so something smaller that can be handheld is the way to go.

[Dave In Vermont]

Not all zoom-binoculars are bad - just about everyone made currently are. I have a double-don't pair of binocs - they are made by Vivitar, which today has devolved into arguably the worst of the worst. And they are 8 - 20X zooms. But I bought these new back in 1995 for the princely price of $149.00. They came perfectly collimated, nice and bright optics with full-multicoating, and a smooth & sure zoom-effect. Today a new pair of Vivitars is best avoided like a case of pneumonic-plague!

So these throw a distinct curve into the idea that 'all zooms should be avoided.' This particular pair I wouldn't let go of for the crown-jewels. People who've looked through my pair tend to plan to get some themselves. But I explain they are currently the worst thing with two-lenses on the planet.

Caveat Emptor -

Dave

[BritAngler]

On the other hand, no binoculars will give you the magnification you want to see anything more than dots. Even the strongest bins will not show Jupiter as much more than a dot with up to 4 other fainter dots (the four main satellites) in a line. However, buying a good (but not much more expensive) 'scope and mount will allow you to not only see the moons of Jupiter, but the main belts and the Great Red Spot under very favourable conditions, as well as the polar caps on Mars, and when you point that 'scope at the Orion Nebula, you will have a WOW moment....

Biggest 'bins = 25x magnification

Typical telescope = 100 - 250x magnification

Go figure

 

[ollypenrice]

No, you can see more than dots, but I take your point. You can see galaxies, for instance, as soft smudges of light and you can 'see where they are' which is part of the point of binocular observing. It's about learning your way around. You can also see plenty of nebulae from planetaries like M27 to extended ones like M42. Bins also intensify the star colour, very often.

I think that image brightness in binoculars may have more to do with exit pupil than aperture.

Olly

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Surface brightness is certainly dominated by exit pupil. Star brightness by aperture. Objects like the NGC 7000 (the North America Nebula) are better in binoculars than in most scopes. Open clusters are wonderful in bins. A short refractor with wide field eyepiece may be even better, but that is much of a hassle to set up, and more expensive.

[Amyb]

9 hours ago, ian_bird said:

Hi

On the subject of books - I can really recommend this one.

 

 

It is brilliant for beginners (and not so beginners).

Cheers.

Ian

 

Thanks I will add it to my list to buy  

[starnut]

I have just bought the Celestron Skymaster 15 x 70 and tripod, the mount that comes with the Skymasters is only plastic so bought a alloy mount up to now well pleased

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151723712734?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152006933798?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121877936655?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

[gnomus]

I'd certainly not go too 'heavy' on the magnification of the binos - you'll quickly get tired of holding them.  I bought a pair of these http://www.firstlightoptics.com/pentax-binoculars/pentax-sp-50mm-wp-binoculars.html and can recommend them (and the retailer).  Easy to find objects like the Pleiades and the Beehive cluster will look superb in binoculars (possibly better than they would in a scope).  Also the advice on getting something to hold the binoculars is sound - look at this link http://binocularsky.com/binoc_mount.php  I bought the trigger grip ball-head mentioned on that link.

Turn Left At Orion (already mentioned) is a great book to get.  Another is 'Nightwatch' http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightwatch-Practical-Guide-Viewing-Universe/dp/0713679395/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458811091&sr=1-1&keywords=nightwatch.  These will help you find your way about the sky when outside.  (If you only get one I would suggest TLAO)

I am not sure I could be happy with just binos alone though and, if I had your budget, I would be torn between binos and something like - http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html - but I would check out the size of that before deciding if you can get fit it into your home/car.  

Under no circumstances be tempted to 'stick a camera' on the end of anything - that way lies much heartache and huge expense (I know from personal experience) 

[Adrian Condon]

Hi Amy,

You are getting lots of opinions and it must be confusing....

You are correct in opting for binoculars to start, they usually give the widest view across the sky. I have two binos, one 15x70 (tripod mounted) and a pair of 8x42 fromLeica (very expensive). You can get a good set of Binos 8x42 for around £150.

Which do I use the most.... answer 8x42 because I can hand hold them, they are lighter, clearer and can be used for birdwatching as well because they give a wide field of view. Given that you live in the Peterborough area there are plenty of places to see a great assortment of birds  and meet up with small groups of birdwatchers.

Next, most of the astro clubs are very welcoming groups, so approaching one and talking to the Secretary should help them to understand your needs and fears. 

You can see lots of equipment and find out from members the pros and cons of the various pieces of gear before you buy. ( a great benefit to the wallet! )

I agree with the comments from Olly above.

The book "Turn Left at Orion" is very good as it can be used with both binos and telescopes. There is another book called

"Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars" by Stephen James O'Meara 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-James-OMearas-Observing-Night-Sky-Binoculars/dp/0521721709/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458809309&sr=1-1&keywords=observing+the+night+sky+with+binoculars

Going to a local astro shop is a great idea has they can show you lots of different options to suit your wallet.

Best of Luck......... 

Adrian

 

 

 

[Amyb]

10 hours ago, ian_bird said:

Hi

On the subject of books - I can really recommend this one.

 

 

It is brilliant for beginners (and not so beginners).

Cheers.

Ian

 

Thanks I will add it to my list to buy