johninderby Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Have been looking around at lightweight bins and settled on something around 8x42 or 44. Budget around the £100.00 mark. Used to have a pair of Swift UltraLite 8x42 which I really liked but can’t find a pair of the old ones anywhere so am considering the Swift Audubon 8.5x44. Lot of tatty examples for around £50.00 but mint ones go for over £100.00. They may be old but have excellent Japanese optics that still perform better than anything modern in their price range. Looking at a pair on eBay and trying to make up my mind. Do look mint in the pics. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormbringer Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 they do look mint but if you do go for them use paypal but not paypal gift ( ithink its gift anyway . if you use gift it takes away a lot of your rights under paypal ) at least if they arn't as described you have some comeback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 It’s eBay so at least you have buyer protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demon Barber Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Hi John,just a thought,when i started i bought a pair of Celestron 8x56,the early ones very good optics and a pair i use to this day,well worth searching for,hth Regards Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 8x56 is a bit bigger than I want and the old Celestron ones aren’t very common but thanks for the suggestion. If I won the lottery it’d be simple. Just get a pair of Leica Noctivid 8x42. Only 1800 quid or so. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demon Barber Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Quite!!!!!!!!!!who would`nt,,now where did i put me ticket? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Quite weighty, but very well respected. I picked up some Nikon 8x30 recently, there are other similar older Porros that you can pick up cheaply. Quite wide and light. If you get a bit tatty and out of collimation you can get them cleaned and adjusted quite reasonably. Old Japanese Porros are very plentiful and can be quite good too. PEter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BinocularSky Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 I found the Swift Autubon 8.5x44 to be pretty good at the centre of the field, but the "extra wide" angle ones (Mk II?) had abysmal edge performance. Also pretty heavy. I would be more inclined to go for a modern bino like the Opticron Adventurer T WP 8x42, which is both lighter and waterproof. I recently acquired a dozen of them for an outreach project, and the quality is consistent, despite widely varying serial numbers (but they have a decent guarantee and returns policy in case you do get unlucky). I'll do a proper review of them at some stage, but my review of the 10x50 version is here if you want to get an idea. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 While I’d love to get the Audubons just couldn’t click on the buy button this weekend. Bit more thinking to do and just found out it’ll be 200 quid for the tube refurb on the Carton 100 so there goes the bino budget for a little while. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony210 Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 Hi - I have a pair of Audubon 8.5 x44 - was worried about reports of misalignment and mine were a bit out but they are beautifully made so aligning with a star was really quite easy and improved them a lot -I love the bright big field views- recommended - Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollypenrice Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 On 07/07/2018 at 01:27, johninderby said: 8x56 is a bit bigger than I want and the old Celestron ones aren’t very common but thanks for the suggestion. If I won the lottery it’d be simple. Just get a pair of Leica Noctivid 8x42. Only 1800 quid or so. ? My second hand 12 year old Leicas were a third of that and we did a back to back yesterday with a new pair of Noctivids. Really not much in it in a casual test. Still a bit minty though! Olly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 The Noctivids would fit nicely in the glovebox of a Ferrari though. . ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollypenrice Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 16 minutes ago, johninderby said: The Noctivids would fit nicely in the glovebox of a Ferrari though. . ? I'll never know... Olly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15Rules Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 Hi John, I recently bought these from FLO on their clearance offer.. Opticron SR.GA 8.5x50 Binoculars ..superb build, Japanese, with good accessories and real leather case. I am very pleased. Not the widest field of view but very sharp and great colour rendition. Very worth considering if funds allow at a BIG saving.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 10, 2018 Author Share Posted July 10, 2018 Unfortunately no longer available at FLO. Pity would have been a great buy. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceBass Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 On 09/07/2018 at 12:32, BinocularSky said: I found the Swift Autubon 8.5x44 to be pretty good at the centre of the field, but the "extra wide" angle ones (Mk II?) had abysmal edge performance. Also pretty heavy. I would be more inclined to go for a modern bino like the Opticron Adventurer T WP 8x42, which is both lighter and waterproof. I recently acquired a dozen of them for an outreach project, and the quality is consistent, despite widely varying serial numbers (but they have a decent guarantee and returns policy in case you do get unlucky). I'll do a proper review of them at some stage, but my review of the 10x50 version is here if you want to get an idea. HTH Steve, is there anything between the 8x42 and 10x50 performance wise for astronomy only? (above and beyond the obvious exit pupil, aperture and weight differences). I'm thinking of getting a x10 pair of one or the other model but still undecided. No probs waiting for the review though..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BinocularSky Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 The 10x50 is slightly brighter on most stuff, and I prefer the 25% greater magnification, but I'm really glad I got the 8x42 for the outreach project. Kids in particular seem to take to it like ducks to water: easy to hold steady, wider field of view. Review is in the pipeline, honest! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greymouser Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 I have a pair of Helios Fieldmaster 7 x 50 binoculars which whilst not high end, seem to have decent optics, ( better than my Revelation ones anyway, ) to me anyway. You can get them new from FLO and are light enough to use easily. I find the 7x mag do be enough too. Only £49 too, so not ones to show off with I guess. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Interesting, but quite narrow, I found an old Tasco 7x50 with 10degree field, waiting for some darkskies to give them a proper test. Quite heavy though. PEter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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