Binoculars

[Flib]

I'm after a pair of bino's for a maximum of around £80.

The Celestron Skymaster 15 x 70's come to precisely that amount. Are they worth it? What would be a better deal? The Bresser's at Lidl are causing a bit of a stir but surely they can't be great for £15 (if they are even on sale - my local Lidl only had 10 x 25's for the same price).

Obviously the cheaper the better, but not at the cost of quality reduction.

[Bigwings]

I have the Skymaster 15x 70 and love them BUT you will need a good tripod unless your Mr Universe.

10x50s can be hand held.

Good luck

[GazOC]

The 10x50 Bressers are good binos.

[Jarndyce]

I picked up a pair of Practika 8 x 56s from Ebay for £30. Really pleased with them. Very bright, relatively easy to hold still (important with bins), crisp views.

Amazing for the money.

[gliderpilot]

Don't forget to include a good a bino mount as well. Any pair of binos will benefit from being held steady so that you can star hop, make notes and rest your arms!

I started off with a pair of 15x70 Strathspey binoculars and thoroughly recommend them.

Mark

[Flib]

Thanks for the recommendations.

After a long scout about and reading previous threads similar to this one, I've decided to go for the 8 x 56 Prakticas as recommended by Jarndyce. I'd like something portable and I think these fit the bill. I may even buy a pair of the Lidl Bressers aswell seeing as they're so cheap, for comparison.

The mounts are just as expensive as the larger bins. After my first (decent) scope I'll see about getting some larger ones with a tripod.

[MartinB]

The thing about the Lidl binos is that they are sold as loss leaders to get people into the store.

[Jarndyce]

Found myself passing Lidl and picked up a pair of the Bressers. £14.99!

Build quality isn't up to the Prakticas, and they do have a slightly warm tinge to the colour, but they are pretty crisp and for the money, you can't go wrong.

They're smaller and lighter than the Prakticas too.

I'll keep them in the car as back-ups.

[Flib]

Local Lidl store didn't have any in today so had to travel to Hartlepool. Man, was it worth it These things are terrific for £15! My last pair of 10x50's were quite old and the sharpness on these things is leagues ahead. Unfortunately very cloudy outside so no gazing tonight, though the image is great even through the murk.

The Prakticas should be arriving in the next couple of days.

[beetlejuice]

The 10x50 Bressers are good binos.

I've had two pairs of Bressers. Maybe I was just unlucky but neither could maintain collimation and were soon consigned to the junk bin. The optics were not bad but I wouldn't buy another pair.