20x binoculars - recommend?

[iPeace]

I'm currently considering acquiring a pair of 20x binoculars - yes, for astronomy. I plan to use them on a monopod or tripod. Still working on a short list, but so far I am looking at:

Pentax 20x60 WP

Nikon Monarch 5 20x56

I have read the binocularsky review on the Pentax, as well as good feedback on them here on SGL.

I will appreciate any comments or suggestions on these or alternatives.

Thanks!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

At 20x I would want more aperture, personally.

[Alfian]

The Pentax 20x60 does have a narrow fov that some people manage OK (includes me) and others not, so it's not a given that you will get on with them. Build quality is very good and  optics are great, I particularly love them for viewing open clusters. Hand held is pretty much out but well braced not impossible but a monopod makes a big difference. Tripod and trigger grip better again. 

A search on cloudy nights should bring up quite a few results with fans and not-fans!

As to alternatives, the only other binos I've looked through to compare, were the Helios Q4 20x80 which were good but are a much bigger bulkier bino. One of the nice things about the Pentax is their relative compactness, but then again thats down to the 60mm aperture.

[BinocularSky]

11 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

At 20x I would want more aperture, personally.

As would I ... unless  weight and/or exit pupil size were considerations.

[SpaceBass]

I've seen it mentioned that restricting exit pupils, to say 4mm or less, can be beneficial in heavily light polluted areas but no idea if this is true or not.

[BinocularSky]

The solution to LP is aperture. (With 50mm binos, it is not that difficult to see stars as bright as Aldebaran when the Sun is still above the horizon, as long as the sky is extremely transparent - any haze, forget it!)

A benefit of smaller exit pupils is that it can reduce the effect of astigmatism in the eye; useful for those of us who prefer to observe without spectacles.

[SpaceBass]

Thanks for the clarification. I have age-related presbyopia, possibly astigmatism (often see a very slight crescent to the left of the left barrel) and live in London, albeit the outskirts.  Maybe something like a 25x100 or 20x70 would be ideal, then, as I prefer not to wear glasses.  Either that or move somewhere more picturesque with less LP!