Astro bins for holidays

[parallaxerr]

I (very reluctantly) sold my travel scope a few weeks ago, due to a copmlete lack of use. The last few times I've taken it away I've been too pooped to set it up of an evening after chasing the ankle biter around all day. However, I'm off to deepest, darkest South of France in August and feel I'll kick myself if I don't take optics of some sort with me, so I'm in the market for some astro bins.

I was hoping you good folk could recommend me some based on the following criteria:

1. Astro use only, not bothered in the slightest if they're no good for daytime use (although I doubt this would be the case).

2. Handheld only, i.e. quick & no tripod. I'm thinking 50mm.....are 60's, 70's and 80's too big/heavy?

3. To be used at home for grab and go too, where, due to LP, I find anything over a 4-5mm exit pupil is getting too bright.

4. Field of view - my widest scope EP gives me 3.17°, so probably want to go 4°+ on the bins.

5. Budget, preferably around the £200 mark, £300 max. which I suspect means sticking to Porro prisms.

So far I've been considering Pentax SP and William Optics (ED) 10x50's. I can't quite make head nor tail of reviews on Helios & Celestron, they seem a mixed bag. Can anyone offer some pratical advice on what may suit?

Cheers all.

[Alfian]

Jon, I'm sure you will find Steve Tonkins " BinocularSky website useful in terms of good advice and reviews. The Pentax SP 10x50 WP  (the WP is important as there is a different SP model) is a very good bino. A little narrow in terms of fov compared to some but those 5 degrees are very good. I have the 20x60s which is excellent but not surprisingly they do need a tripod/monopod. I have also had the Williams Optics ED10x50s - a very good  binocular which gives really sharp contrasty views over most of the fov but drops off markedly at the edge. The draw backs I found, and this is obviously just a personal thing, was that they are very  heavy for a 10x50 and I found they were best on a mono-pod. The other thing was that the eye relief is much less than stated as the optics are well recessed into the eyepieces though this  would not be a problem for people who do not need to use specs'.  I now use Opticron iMagic 10x42s - optically very nice,  quite compact, much lighter and easier to use and given my slightly older eyes (!) a 4.2 exit pupil. The Opticron iMagic range tend to get pretty  good reviews so worth a look.

http://binocularsky.com/

[JeremyS]

Hello Jon, you might find this article on Binoculars for the travelling astronomer useful: https://britastro.org/node/8825

Jeremy

[Alan White]

Hi Jon

I have tried both a pair of 8 x 40 and 10 x 50 for use at home and when away.
The 10 x 50 work for me as I can just about hold them steady enough and they give a nicer view for me.
I have an inherent wobble with binoculars or cameras, I think many people do.
Clearly a pair of image stabilised ones would be wonderful, but very much outside the budget you have set or I could afford.

My 10 x 50 are a pair of Olympus DPS-1 and were just over £50 from Amazon last year.
Some CA and sharp out to 80% of the lens width, neither of which bother me one jot.

I spent what I did based upon them being potetially damaged travelling and how much the loss of them would cost me,
they withstood journeys around the UK multiple times in the roof box rammed in and are still spot on.

[parallaxerr]

Thanks guys for the comments. Good to get real feedback on the models I was considering Ian, sounds like the Pentax are a safe bet.

I had already given Steve Tonkins website a thorough read through and read the reviews, there a re a few other bins I'm considering now which he hasn't reviewed. This set of Opticrons have caught my eye at FLO...https://www.firstlightoptics.com/opticron-binoculars/opticron-srga-50mm-binoculars.html

Made in Japan is a big draw for me and the differential coating, I read, is superior to multi-coating. The only drawback being they're not Nitrogen purged so fogging may become an issue? Maybe not.

OR...the cheaper Chinese version, same coatings, same 30yr guarantee but Nitrogen purged....https://www.firstlightoptics.com/opticron-binoculars/opticron-imagic-tga-wp-50mm-binoculars.html

Anyone have any experience of these bins, or care to comment?

Cheers

[Alfian]

The Opticron SRs  look likea good binocular Jon and at a good price. Sky at Night Mag give a very brief  review of sorts which gives them  the thumbs up (88%) and a SG member also seemed happy with them.  I'd be surprised if Steve T' hasn't come across them even if there isn't a review and, if so, his comments would be interesting. The nitrogen purging is nice to have but not an essential I would have thought, and the Opticrons have a good warranty and Opticron are well known for giving excellent service.

[parallaxerr]

1 minute ago, Alfian said:

 Sky at Night Mag give a very brief  review of sorts which gives them  the thumbs up (88%) and a SG member also seemed happy with them.

I just found the same two references, they sound positive.

Right, it's going to be the Pentax or Opticrons. Pros & cons to both....let's find a coin to toss!

[parallaxerr]

I knew I should have stopped researching. Another pair of bins in the mix here, Ostara Elinor 10x50's which won a SAN group test (beating the Opticrons)...

http://www.opticalhardware.co.uk/PDF/information_and_retail_price_lists/skyatnight1050grouptest.pdf

Mostly going for £150-£160 but found one last pair on Amazon for £135......and I happen to have a Prime membership which means they'll be in hand tomorrow if I buy in the next 3hrs.....

[BinocularSky]

The Ostara Elinor is stopped down to 44mm and suffers from "focus lag" (it's the same as the "Strathspey Waterproof", just with different branding).
The Pentax has really irritating lens caps and bag. This is a big deal for a travel binocular.
The Opticron SR.GA isn't waterproof.
Based on my experience with the 8x40 version of the Opticron Imagic TGA, I'd be inclined to go for that one. Decent optics & mechanics, WP and N2 purged. Much better than average case.

HTH

[parallaxerr]

Hi Steve, thanks for the input.

I just ordered the Ostaras from Amazon before reading your reply, they have duly been cancelled. If there's one thing I hate it's stopped down aperture!!!!

I had looked at the Imagic TGA too but I think the old saying "you get what you pay for" was ringing around in my head which made me favour the SR.GA. I am, however, aware that they were dicontinued in 2009!

Back to the drawing board (reading up on the Imagic's)

[Alfian]

Hi Jon, if you haven't come across this web site, its worth a look, though there is so much to look at it, in terms of choice, it will probably just confuse matters.

http://www.allbinos.com/binoculars_reviews.html

There is a review on the imagic 10x42 there. Just to throw a spanner in the works you say your Max is up to £300. This would buy you a nice roof prism binocular - something like the Vortex Diamondbacks which some people seem to rate.

 

[catburglar]

Canon 10x30 image stabilised- pretty good 6degree FoV, reasonably sharp and image stabilised. I'm sure I saw a pair on UKABS recently. Also crop up on ebay within your price range....if you could test them first.

 

[PeterW]

Image stabilisers have quite small exit pupils and hence summer views. You could have a look for some old 7x35 Porro bins (many different models), look out for the "extra wide" versions, up to 10degree field of view for Milky Way sweeping. Make finding stuff a breeze. You could make some 2x54 "constellation bins"' (add a magnitude of stars to your eyes for 25 degree field of view)... couple of old digicam lenses and some 3d printing... cheaper than the vixen model.

 

enjoy the trip!!

 

peterW

[Jeff-Colorado]

I'd be tempted to get something with more aperture. I just got some 12x70 bins and I am struck by how much more I could see (twice the light gathering power of 10x50s), and they worked well when I was in a chair with my elbows tucked in for stability. I wonder if anyone makes 10x70s for astro use.

[BinocularSky]

2 hours ago, Jeff-Colorado said:

 I wonder if anyone makes 10x70s for astro use.

Yes. Fujinon (about £700) and Nikon (about £1400) do. Somewhat more affordable are the Lunt 11x70 and (if you can still find one) the UO BA8 (Helios Apollo, etc.) 10.5x70. The budget 11x70s and 12x70s (Celestron Skymaster/Cometron/Cavalry, Strathspey, Opticron Oregon, etc) tend to be internally stopped so that their effective aperture is usually in the 62-65mm range. Also, it is useful to know how big your dark adapted pupil is of you are considering this class of binocular. If, like mine, it only opens to about 6mm, then a 10x70 will effectively be stopped to a 10x60, so it would be better to save on weight and get a 10x60 in the first place.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I took cheap and cheerful BA-1 15x70s (Omegon branded) to South Africa and Australia. Far from perfect bins, internally stopped down to 63-65mm as Steve mentions, and easily knocked out of collimation. They were a lot of fun, however, so I never regretted getting them. I have since bought a second-hand Helios Apollo 15x70, which can be had for close to your limit, especially second-hand. Very, very good instrument indeed. I could use it free-hand, but prefer to pop it onto a monopod with trigger grip. It has recently been replaced by a pair of Opticron 16x80 Observation binoculars (same as Vixen ARK) the extra aperture helps, and the FOV and magnification are essentially the same as the Helios Apollo 15x70

 

There are some Helios Apollos for sale on ABS-UK:

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=127587

and

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=127510