10x42 Binocular ,a good compromise?

[tico]

Hello,
Lately I have become quite fond of bird watching, long walks, nature in general but when the night comes I also continue with my other passion, observational and casual astronomy, I have several binoculars but sometimes they weigh me a lot, 10x50 for example, or have a little diameter ..I'm looking for some model that I think can be good for both hobbies, a 10x42.With enough lens and magnification, not to weigh too much, comfortable for walks.and good for casual astronomy ...
I would be happy to recommend some, I do not know if roof or Porro.
Thank you
Paul

 

[Doc]

I used to have a pair of Hawke 10x43 ED Frontiers, they were very good indeed, I used to use them for bird watching and sweeping the night skies.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/hawke-binoculars/hawke-frontier-43mm-open-hinge-ed-binoculars.html

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I personally don't mind fairly hefty bins, like my Vixen New Foresta 10x56 which I use for birding, or even the very much heftier Helios LightQuest 16x80 (not recommended for birding!). However, many prefer either 10x42 or 8x42 models. The lower magnification of the latter means they are a bit easier to hold steady, and give bright, crisp views. They are certainly good for astronomy as well (at least, Olly Penrice's Leica 8x42s were superb).

[Buzzard75]

I have a pair of Steiner Predator 10x42's that I got several years ago for hunting and target shooting. Turns out they are actually fantastic for sky watching as well. You won't get much detail with such low magnification or aperture, but if they have high quality optics the views can still be pretty great.

[Star Struck]

I have a pair of 10x42 binoculars for bird watching sweeping across the night sky.

I tend to find my hands shake a bit these days and that shows up with 10x binoculars.

I am seriously looking at getting a pair of 8x42 instead as this will help keep the views of the night sky a bit steadier.

[Scooot]

I love my 8x42’s for star gazing.  

[Louis D]

I've been using my Meade Safari 8x42 binoculars for 20+ years for astronomy and bird watching.  They're Japanese-made porro prism binos with a 65 degree AFOV and 18mm of usable eye relief.  The only retailer selling an equivalent today is Orion USA's UltraView 8x42 Wide-Angle Binoculars.

[mark81]

I think 8x42s are a good comprise but that little extra aperture really can pick out the fainter objects under dark skies.  I use 10x50s for nature walking too and although they are bigger and heavier I don't find that an issue....

[Louis D]

46 minutes ago, mark81 said:

I think 8x42s are a good comprise but that little extra aperture really can pick out the fainter objects under dark skies.  I use 10x50s for nature walking too and although they are bigger and heavier I don't find that an issue....

I just pull out my 15x70s and find some way to sit and brace them when I want higher power and more light gathering.  Ironically, they were cheaper than the 8x42s.  It just depends on what you want to look at.  The 8x42s are better for observing really large star clusters (e.g., Hyades) and associations while the 15x70s are better for slightly more compact large clusters (e.g. Pleiades and Collinder 70).

[Alien 13]

What ever happened to 7X50 binoculars, the only type that Sir PM would recommend? They seem as rare as hens teeth these days.

Alan

[Scooot]

23 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

What ever happened to 7X50 binoculars, the only type that Sir PM would recommend? They seem as rare as hens teeth these days.

Alan

An article about them here although I’m not sure how old it is. 

https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/blog/7x50-binoculars-for-astronomy-04/

[Alfian]

As a once owner and user of the Pentax 20x60, they are a  nice binocular with very sharp optics but need a good mount for them to be useful and not  really a hand held binocular. I have the Opticron imagic 10x42 (porro) and for the money a very good binocular.

[Paul73]

Obviously these are personal views from owning and using 8x42 and 10x50. I certainly wouldn’t go for anything less than 40mm. In fact there is a big difference in what you can see between the 50mm and 42mm, but if the binos are waving around due to too much weight, useless. 8x is good, but 10x gives noticeably better views of most targets. So, although I haven’t tried them, the 10x40’s look like a good bet for you.

Don’t forget the ‘first light report’?

Paul

[ollypenrice]

I'm glad Michael liked our Leica 8x42s. These suit me to perfection as a relaxing hand held binocular. The price new is pretty terrifying but mine came at about half price from Clifton Cameras second hand. They are fine for both wildlife and astronomy, have lots of eye relief, a lovely crisp field stop (something you appreciate when you have it) and very natural colour.

Olly

[Louis D]

3 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

I'm glad Michael liked our Leica 8x42s. These suit me to perfection as a relaxing hand held binocular. The price new is pretty terrifying but mine came at about half price from Clifton Cameras second hand. They are fine for both wildlife and astronomy, have lots of eye relief, a lovely crisp field stop (something you appreciate when you have it) and very natural colour.

Olly

If I'm going to spend that amount of money on a pair of binoculars, it's going to have image stabilization.  The amount of detail (and faint stars) visible in image stabilized binoculars is shockingly more than in unstabilized handheld ones, especially at 10x and above.  The view is also so much more relaxed when the jitteriness is taken away.

[ian_bird]

I have the Canon 10 x 42 L Image Stabilising Binoculars.

Whilst they are phenomenally expensive - they are also  phenomenally good.

Try a pair. When you hit the Image Stabilisation button - you will understand.

Almost everyone who has tried my pair says the same two words when they hit the IS button.

The first word starts with F, the second word starts with H. Either word would breach the Code of Conduct. So I won't repeat them.

These binoculars really are utterly amazing. It's a shame they are so expensive. I feel very privileged to have been able to afford a pair. 

Cheers.

Ian 

 

PS - Why do we say "A pair of binoculars"?

[rml63]

+1 on the Canon 10 x 42  , amazing  for astro.  Yes they are that good.

 

Mike