Lunt Mini Sunoculars 6x30 - Any Thoughts?

[Fozzie]

Morning All,

I saw these the other week and they just spiked my interest a bit.. small light weight, perfect for travel....

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/lunt-mini-white-light-sunoculars.html#SID=1662

Has any one seen or used them.. any one got any thoughts.. for £47 they could be a nice gift at Christmas for someone..

Ta

Fozzie

[Chris]

I saw them advertised a couple of weeks ago, my initial thought was; would you be able to see much at 6x?

[Peter Drew]

My thoughts, having used 10x50 binoculars with safety film filters is that 6x is not going to be effective to show other than the largest sunspots in any detail and with the Sun currently around its low activity point in white light their use could be limited. The plus side is that they are safe!   

[Fozzie]

5 minutes ago, Chris Lock said:

I saw them advertised a couple of weeks ago, my initial thought was; would you be able to see much at 6x?

Yeah I thought that myself, but I then I thought I'm sure someone on here.. trying to think who....... has the larger 8x32mm pair and I'm not sure if he said they weren't too bad..?

8 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

My thoughts, having used 10x50 binoculars with safety film filters is that 6x is not going to be effective to show other than the largest sunspots in any detail and with the Sun currently around its low activity point in white light their use could be limited. The plus side is that they are safe!   

Thanks Peter, I guess this is going to be similar scale to a decent 50mm finder view isn't it... so probably not that practical.. 

Worth a thought though..

Thanks Gents

Fozzie

[Chris]

Reading the description implies that they are aimed at eclipse watchers. I think they would be really great for that but as you know they don't crop up often. You could get a semi decent higher  mag astronomical binocular for not much more, this could be multi purpose if you make up some decent solar film covers and attach them very well.

[Mark at Beaufort]

Fozzie I have the Lunt 8x32mm solar binos and I really like them. Great quality and safe although I appreciate they are much more expensive. I initially bought them hoping that I might go to the Eclipse in 2017 in the United States. If you give me a few minutes I will go outside and tell you what I can see especially if I can see sunspots 2614 and 2615 - I know 2612 is very easy.

[Fozzie]

Thanks Gents, valued imput as ever.. I was thinking more for airplane travel, for those fleeting moments on holiday when you've not got a child pulling at your leg or another half nattering away in your ear drums....

Probably wont have use for a pair in hindsight.

ta

Fozzie

[Fozzie]

17 minutes ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

Fozzie I have the Lunt 8x32mm solar binos and I really like them. Great quality and safe although I appreciate they are much more expensive. I initially bought them hoping that I might go to the Eclipse in 2017 in the United States. If you give me a few minutes I will go outside and tell you what I can see especially if I can see sunspots 2614 and 2615 - I know 2612 is very easy.

Thanks, Mark.. that would be good to know.. I think it's the price that made them sound attractive in that sense.. you can't get more grab n go as a pair of bins.. but like Mr Lock has said some DIY filters on a pair of 10x50's would cost about the same.. if not a bit less..

Still someone at Lunt thought there was a market for these..

ta

Fozzie

[Mark at Beaufort]

OK Fozzie I have been outside and viewed the Sun . Sunspot 2612 is very easy to define and I could split 2614 into two separate parts but I could not make out 2615. I suppose if I was not going to the Eclipse next year I may not have bought them. I accept what Peter and Chris have stated above and I did consider making Baader filters for my Apollo 15x70 binos which would have been cheaper.

But these Lunt binos are very nice quality and it does give instant grab and go to kept a eye on activity on the Sun.

[bobxuk]

Astronomy equipment is analogous to fishing tackle, which catches a lot more fishermen than fish :-).

[SwiMatt]

Sorry for "necroposting", but has anyone got more use of the Lunt Mini Sunoculars 6x30 in the last 6 years? All I can find online is people reviewing it for the eclipse of 2017 (and thus who used these around the minimum of solar activity). Could they have a place for a start in solar observation, given the price, or I won't be able to see anything? 

I know filters for binoculars come at similar prices, but I like the idea of a dedicated tool, both in terms of easiness of use and safety.

[tooth_dr]

11 hours ago, SwiMatt said:

Sorry for "necroposting", but has anyone got more use of the Lunt Mini Sunoculars 6x30 in the last 6 years? All I can find online is people reviewing it for the eclipse of 2017 (and thus who used these around the minimum of solar activity). Could they have a place for a start in solar observation, given the price, or I won't be able to see anything? 

I know filters for binoculars come at similar prices, but I like the idea of a dedicated tool, both in terms of easiness of use and safety.

I have a set I bring to work on partial eclipses, for myself and to show my staff.  You can only see the largest of spots and not in any detail but they are safe to use and handy. 

[SwiMatt]

6 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I have a set I bring to work on partial eclipses, for myself and to show my staff.  You can only see the largest of spots and not in any detail but they are safe to use and handy. 

That's exactly the use I intend to do... some "outreach" (colleagues, friends and family who have never seen the Sun, it can be a neat experience) and some quick solar observation for myself. For the price they seem worth it, and they fit in a pocket! Thank you 😁

[Mick H]

On 29/11/2016 at 10:34, bobxuk said:

Astronomy equipment is analogous to fishing tackle, which catches a lot more fishermen than fish :-).

😀

Agree. One rod is not enough, two is too many.😉

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have the slightly larger Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars, and use them quite a bit for a quick look (also to see if there is enough activity to want to set up the bigger solar gear). I did not buy them, but won them in a raffle at SolarChat. They are sturdy, and give good views, but you could get the same result by adding Baader film to any regular pair of bins (although that might not be that safe for use by inexperienced viewers at outreach events).

[SwiMatt]

On 22/06/2023 at 09:50, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

I have the slightly larger Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars, and use them quite a bit for a quick look (also to see if there is enough activity to want to set up the bigger solar gear). I did not buy them, but won them in a raffle at SolarChat. They are sturdy, and give good views, but you could get the same result by adding Baader film to any regular pair of bins (although that might not be that safe for use by inexperienced viewers at outreach events).

I thought the same, especially compared to the more expensive 8x32, the filters for normal binoculars are probably cheaper. But the 6x30 are very attractive, as for the price I could simply put them in my backpack and take them to work for a quick fun look over lunch, or on holidays. 

[munirocks]

I think they are unsafe, but not for the reason that you think I'm thinking. Although they are safe by themselves, if I got into the habit of picking them up for a quick look, I might unthinkingly and accidentally pick up a pair of my normal binocs some day for a quick look, out of habit, and permanently blind myself -- in both eyes.

Also, if you did any type of outreach with them, you'd have to drum into the head of EVERY single person who looked through them that these are special sun-filtered binoculars so don't try this at home. If you didn't do this, they are likely to do the same thing at a later date with normal binoculars and blind themselves permanently -- in both eyes.

Part of the safety of traditional solar gear is that it takes some thoughtful time to set up so you are less likely to absent-mindedly take a quick look with the wrong equipment, and you and everyone else can see the dirty great solar filter on the front as a constant reminder that this requires special equipment which is now in place.

[BinocularSky]

On 20/06/2023 at 19:18, tooth_dr said:

I have a set I bring to work on partial eclipses, for myself and to show my staff.  You can only see the largest of spots and not in any detail but they are safe to use and handy. 

I use the Celestron EclipSmart 10x25. You get to see a fair bit more at 10x, and the theoretical lower resolution of 25mm is not an issue at that magnification.

[SwiMatt]

3 hours ago, BinocularSky said:

I use the Celestron EclipSmart 10x25. You get to see a fair bit more at 10x, and the theoretical lower resolution of 25mm is not an issue at that magnification.

I did not expect 10x to be such an improvement from 6x. Do you use them for longer sessions or one should just expect to use them from time to time for quick views?

[BinocularSky]

On 02/07/2023 at 20:25, SwiMatt said:

I did not expect 10x to be such an improvement from 6x. Do you use them for longer sessions or one should just expect to use them from time to time for quick views?

Just for quick views to decide whether I think it's worth getting the PST out.

[tooth_dr]

18 hours ago, BinocularSky said:

Just for quick views to decide whether I think it's worth getting the PST out.

I would use this website to check the sun before setting up my solar scope

https://gong2.nso.edu/products/mainView/table.php?configFile=configs/mainView.cfg

[tooth_dr]

https://gong2.nso.edu/products/tableView/table.php?configFile=configs/averageIntensity10min.cfg

[BinocularSky]

On 08/07/2023 at 07:39, tooth_dr said:

I would use this website to check the sun before setting up my solar scope

https://gong2.nso.edu/products/mainView/table.php?configFile=configs/mainView.cfg

Ah. Thanks. 🙂