What do you prefer mono or bino?

[Stardust1]

I'm curious what your preference are, bino or mono and why?  Do you see more with binoviewer then mono? Which objects (planets, moon, deepsky) are you observing. Are you using glasses when observing with bino or mono?

Edited July 7, 2020 by Stardust1

[JTEC]

I think there’s no question that, given sufficient image brightness, binocular vision brings your scope to life in a way that mono viewing (itself an unnatural way for people with two eyes to look at things) never can.  For planets, lunar and the smaller, brighter DSOs, you see more detail. With brighter extended DSOs, the experience is deeply immersive. (I don't wear glasses to observe.) That said, some people don't seem to get on with them.  I’m convinced that this has nothing to do with any sort of mysterious skill like dowsing or matter of taste like enjoying oysters.  There is no special skill required. But you do have to get the practicalities spot on for you: interpupillary distance, focus for each eye, etc, and you must have a binoviewer that’s well made and retains orthogonality through focus, eyepiece clamping, etc. If I had any money and hadn’t spent it all on eyepieces, I’d bet that quite a few people who say ‘I’ve tried binoviewers and I just don't get on with them’ might change their minds if they experienced an optimised setup.

The received wisdom seems to be that the process of perception enables data from each eye to be combined in a single image that incorporates the information from both.  I expect the truth is a lot more complex than that, but, subjectively, the experience is very much along those lines.

Edited July 7, 2020 by JTEC

[Ags]

I've never been able to form an image with both eyes with binoculars (I have tried many pairs over decades). With bins I just see double whatever I do. So it is mono for me, even with binoculars.

[Don Pensack]

I'm the opposite.  Merging images is not the issue, it is my non-observing eye, which is dominant and has visibly lower resolution than my observing, non-dominant, eye.

ε Lyrae is an easy naked eye double star to my right eye, but a single star to my left, even with glasses that correct perfectly for astigmatism.

When I binoview, I see an improvement in contrast, but a significant loss of sharpness, even in high-end binoviwers.

I enjoy the loss of floater issues when observing the Moon, but I see both a brighter and more detailed view with a single eyepiece using my observing eye.

Too bad, too, since I have a 70mm IPD and can use a lot of eyepieces in binoviewers that many people cannot.

BTW, I have the same issue with binoscopes.

[Timebandit]

 

 

Hello. I absolutely love bonoviewing on the Luna in my ED refractor. You seem to get an 3D sort of impression that you are flying over the Luna surface.

But with DSO and planetary targets I prefer mono. Don't ask me why but to my eyes I just seem to get a more drawn in feeling with mono on these targets. Each to their own I suppose. 

 

 

 

[bomberbaz]

good topic this. I have had some sterling viewings of the moon with my binoviewers but there lies the limits of my experience. 

I tried using them on white light solar but my eye/brain got all confused with it and I couldn't get the hang of it.

Currently my only paired eyepieces for it are 25mm std SW eyepieces. If I start using them more I may consider buying a pair of higher magnification eyepieces but no rush. (Did I just say that)

Steve

[Ricochet]

Mono for DSOs, bino for lunar and planets. I don't need to wear glasses with either, but if I did I don't think it would change my preferences. 

[John]

I've tried binoviewing quite a few times but each time I've just not got along with it. I can seem to merge the images OK but I find it easier to pick out details when just using one eye. Maybe I'm similar to Don in this respect ?

My latest attempt to get into binoviewing is shown below. 130mm triplet refractor which is binoviewer ready, ie: can reach focus without the need for an extender element or barlow. The setup worked wonderfully but I still found myself preferring the mono approach 

Shame really

 

[johninderby]

I’m another one that finds I can see a more detailed and sharper image using just one eye. I have poorer vision in one eye and using binoculars or binoviewers brings the overall image down to the vision level of the eye with poorer vision which also gives me a headache. Just not for me. 🙁

 

[jetstream]

Lunar, hands down binoviewing. Planets are vg in binos too but under my best seeing the bino optical train limits my mag to about 435x whereas mono goes 700x+. This is with my 15" dob.

[Louis D]

Mono mostly because it's a hassle to setup the binoviewer and to keep readjusting the angle as I move around the sky.  Binoviewing is excellent for full moon viewing because there's no eye fatigue since both eyes see the same brightness.

[ronl]

I love my binoviewer, the Moon and planets seem to be more prominent, there is more detail too,

globular clusters are sharper and splitting doubles, well for me it's superb.