New Helios 2x40 Starfield Binoculars

[DaveL59]

I see svbony now do this type too
https://www.svbony.com/SV407-Super-Wide-Binocular/

takes filters and can be tripod mounted.

[markse68]

3 minutes ago, BinocularSky said:

Field of view is fairly "flexible" with Galilean optics - it depends how close you get your eye to the exit pupil - which, just to complicate matters, is virtual and between the objective and eyepiece.

 

That’s what i’d read but oddly with these it didn’t make much difference if i put eyeball to glass (almost!) or at a more comfortable distance. I suspect they’ve messed up with the rim around the obj making it too deep so it causes the peripheral ring i’m seeing and restricts the fov. I’m sending them back anyway.

[markse68]

These just arrived- wanted to see how they compare. The 3x is huge and has a narrow afov but maybe useful as a monocular for recognising constellations and  finding stuff in my lp sky.

The 2x is much more like it- much wider afov so i’ll look for another and make a binocular as many others have- maybe a wearable for starbathing

Mark

[BinocularSky]

On 23/09/2020 at 12:57, markse68 said:

maybe a wearable for starbathing

(from http://www.kasai-trading.jp/widebino28e.html)

[markse68]

14 minutes ago, BinocularSky said:

(from http://www.kasai-trading.jp/widebino28e.html)

I already ordered one of these 😂 cheapest i could find with easily removable glass. Lucky it’s gonna be dark when (if ;)) i’m using them lol 

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by markse68

[PeterW]

I have wondered if I can knock up a bracket to hold onto a GoPro headband: But with eyecups they sit on my face nicely when looking zenithwise, so I’ve not got round to it yet.

petwr

[geeklee]

I thought I'd come back to this thread as my pair of the Helios 2x40 wide field binos arrived last week and I got a chance to spend an hour or so last night with them.

Fundamentally these do what I expected and provide the obvious wide field view of the sky, showing a slighter fainter magnitude of star and bringing everything out a little clearer from my light polluted night sky.  I found the FoV to match the claims when you're right up close to the eyecups - just about squeezing in the "big dipper" of Ursa Major.  I found similar challenges to the ones already mentioned - there seemed to be a brighter halo around the outer part of the view and setting up the focus meant that they don't fit in the soft case afterwards so a reset is needed each time (minor).  I occasionally couldn't get the image to coalesce and saw double - a quick blink or two and it was usually fine though.

I got a bit of a shock (which I shouldn't have) when I pulled out my simple Olympus 8x40s (I really like these) and the sky burst into a rich, coloured star field.  Of course this would be case but it hit home that I wasn't getting that much extra from the 2x40s over naked eye.

Again, repeating some comments above, I guess dark skies would benefit from these more than a light polluted back garden, so I'll keep these in the "toolbox" for another day.

As an added bonus, they get a laugh from the family when you're holding them up to your eyes in the house and they look towards you into the objectives 😄