Review: Celestron Skymaster Pro 15x70

[BinocularSky]

For a while, I've wondered how much a step-up from the standard Skymaster the Pro version is. I was very pleasantly surprised. Full review here.; mini-review in October's Binocular Sky Newsletter.

TL;DR: Significant step-up from the ubiquitous budget 15x70s. Well-implemented centre-focus Porro binocular, definitely worth a look if you're after something that won't break the bank.

Thanks to @FLO and Celestron UK for arranging for me to borrow the review instrument.

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by BinocularSky

[Ben the Ignorant]

Ever since I tried several basic Skymasters I felt a 70 should be waterproof and have stable prism housings. Spending less than 100€ on a twin 70mm telescope doesn't seem very realistic if one hopes to use it for a long time without problems. On one humid night some guy's cheapo 80mm binoc fogged up inside and it felt like being stranded with no rescue in sight. My Fuji 16x70 was there and saved the day.

Sincerely, the view through a basic Skymaster and my Fuji FMT-SX is shockingly similar (because the Fuji is not an apo) but the Fuji is like new after sixteen years while a sixteen-years-old Skymaster would surely be out of alignment after such a long time. A friend bought two of the earlier versions and both got cracks in the adhesive that holds the prisms so they became skewed. Attempts at repairs failed because the thing is not designed to be repaired but replaced because of its expendable nature.

So, spending a little more for stable prism clamps and fogproofing seems vey reasonable. In truth I want an APM 16x70 apo since I got my APM 10x50 apo six weeks ago but I am getting another car this month so spending 600€ on a binoc is not for now. For those who want a non-apo 70 the extra expense will be justified and very moderate with the Pro. I own a seven-years-old waterproof 10x50 and a six-years-old waterproof 8x40 an they never leaked of fogged up.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Ben the Ignorant

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

These sound really interesting. Especially the fact that they are not stopped down makes them a great alternative for the old BA-1 crowd

[BinocularSky]

7 hours ago, Ben the Ignorant said:

Ever since I tried several basic Skymasters I felt a 70 should be waterproof and have stable prism housings. Spending less than 100€ on a twin 70mm telescope doesn't seem very realistic if one hopes to use it for a long time without problems. On one humid night some guy's cheapo 80mm binoc fogged up inside and it felt like being stranded with no rescue in sight. My Fuji 16x70 was there and save the day.

Sincerely, the view through a basic Skymaster and my Fuji FMT-SX is shockingly similar (because the Fuji is not an apo) but the Fuji is like new after sixteen years while a sixteen-years-old Skymaster would surely be out of alignment after such a long time. A friend bought two of the earlier versions and both got cracks in the adhesive that holds the prisms so they became skewed. Attempts at repairs failed because the thing is not designed to be repaired but replaced because of its expendable nature.

So, spending a little more for stable prism clamps and fogproofing seems vey reasonable. In truth I want an APM 16x70 apo since I got my APM 10x50 apo six weeks ago but I am getting another car this month so spending 600€ on a binoc is not for now. For those who want a non-apo 70 the extra expense will be justified and very moderate with the Pro. I own a seven-years-old waterproof 10x50 and a six-years-old waterproof 8x40 an they never leaked of fogged up.

Ben, I used to have 3 BA1 15x70s - I use them for demo stuff, and cheap stuff I can loan to newcomers to the hobby. I now have two: two of the original three became unusable, but I managed to get one working binocular out of the serviceable bits.
I agree entirely with what you say about waterproofing and expendability.
Where prisms are concerned, BA1s can sometimes be remedied: there are collimating screws under the rubber.

I have the Lunt Magnesium 16x70 - lovely binocular - I'd like the  APO version, but I can't justify both 🙂

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

These sound really interesting. Especially the fact that they are not stopped down makes them a great alternative for the old BA-1 crowd

Yes, the "unstoppedness", and the WP with N2 filling do make these an attractive option to people who want the convenience of centre-focus.

Edited October 8, 2019 by BinocularSky