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My first question on this forum... About binocular viewers


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Hello Stargazers,

Aside from first post to say hello over a year ago, this is my first ever question on this forum, yay!

Do many members here use binocular viewers? I have a wonderful achro that I use for deep sky (Celestron C6R at 150mm f/8) and over the years it has been a wonderful companion. Rather than let it gather dust when I one day get myself an apo, I was hoping to diversify its use by getting a bino viewer. I hear pros and cons, the former being that you get a super 3d experience; the cons are that it weighs the end down further, somewhat dims the object being viewed, as well as requiring the viewer to have two identical EPs for viewing sessions (I don't mind the first and third conditions, however). 

Thanks for your input in advance.

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Binoviewers can give spectacular benefits to those whom they suit and used on the objects that reveal that benefit.  Their main strength lies with bright objects such as the Sun, Moon, planets and the brighter DSO's where the perceived 3D effect is most noticeable.  There is inevitable light loss through the system but this is outweighed by the comfort of using both eyes and the reduction of the affect of floaters.  On a C6R which is significantly front heavy, binoviewers help balance this out somewhat.  You may find that the binoviewers don't come to a focus without some mild barlowing or reducing the OTA length.     🙂 

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Hi Starsailor,

  Quite a number here on SGL use binoviewers and love them. It is true that they add weight to the focuser end of the telescope, but not so much that it becomes a problem. Simply slide your tube up the rings a little and all will be well. The good thing regarding eyepieces is that simple designs such as Plossl's and Orthoscopic's work really well, and can even outperform top end brands that are used in mono. Mostly, binoviewers are used for observing the Moon and Planets, and yes there's a real 3D effect. You also don't need to use short focal length eyepieces, as with a 2X barlow on the nose of your binoviewer you'll get an approximate 4X amplification. This adds greatly to the pleasure and ease of use, as longer focal length eyepieces having greater eye relief yet producing high power views allows for relaxed study of fine and intricate detail. Also, using both eyes increases sensitivity to fine detail because you're using both retinas and the brain receives double the information it would receive from just one eye.

Edited by mikeDnight
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Thanks for your inputs. I use binoculars with my spouse and for her it works great. However, I can never fully merge anything I look at, in spite of perfect focus, and some folks from the searches I have done have noted that if you are unable to get an image to merge with a binocular, then it will be difficult to do so with binoviewers. I have yet to be able to verify this as I have yet to make it out to any star parties lately to see how well binoviewers work. Maybe I will start with less pricey units and see how they perform. For now, I have been using an eye patch, intermittently switching between eyes when I view. Surprisingly this reduces much eye fatigue. I never view without them.

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14 minutes ago, starsailor70 said:

I use binoculars with my spouse and for her it works great. However, I can never fully merge anything I look at, in spite of perfect focus,

Maybe your binoculars are out of collimation - a common problem with binoculars especially if dropped or knocked. 

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You have the 'Yard cannon' !! 😀

I'm sure you'll benefit from a Binoviewer, certainly for Lunar and planetary observing.

If you are on 'Cloudy nights' they have a dedicated 'Bino-viewer dedicated forum, and there is a ton of stuff on there, with loads of expert advice.

 

(I've asked before on here for this : a dedicated forum for binoviewers, as well as splitting up 'Scopes / whole setups' in to smaller, better organised groups, like refractors, reflectors, cats & casses etc, but my request was just ignored without logical explanation 😒)

 

I can recommend the Baader Planetarium viewers. Excellent all round, a very flexible T2 system, and very well designed gpc,s to take care of your focusing requirements, as well as correct for bino induced aberations.

 

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Just a word of warning. If you struggle to merge properly collimated binoculars, it’s very likely you will struggle with binoviewers too. So if you can possibly test a pair first it might save you a significant amount of money. Even some of the most experienced observers have trouble with them - so it’s not uncommon.

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1 hour ago, starsailor70 said:

Thanks for your inputs. I use binoculars with my spouse and for her it works great. However, I can never fully merge anything I look at, in spite of perfect focus, and some folks from the searches I have done have noted that if you are unable to get an image to merge with a binocular, then it will be difficult to do so with binoviewers. I have yet to be able to verify this as I have yet to make it out to any star parties lately to see how well binoviewers work. Maybe I will start with less pricey units and see how they perform. For now, I have been using an eye patch, intermittently switching between eyes when I view. Surprisingly this reduces much eye fatigue. I never view without them.

Some binocular viewers use a locking screw to secure the eyepieces, and the screw can push the eyepiece askew which emerges the image. There are usually three screw holes to choose from, so it might be a case of trial and error, but once set for your eyes it should be ok forever. Binoviewers tend not to be friendly towards multiple observers as they are usually set for one observer. If altered to suit another person's vision they can take time to readjust again.

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55 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

If you are on 'Cloudy nights' they have a dedicated 'Bino-viewer dedicated forum, and there is a ton of stuff on there, with loads of expert advice.

 

Agree there's loads of excellent info on Cloudy Nights, for me Denis Levatic & Eddgie certainly know their bino-viewers!

 

1 hour ago, Space Hopper said:

I can recommend the Baader Planetarium viewers. Excellent all round, a very flexible T2 system, and very well designed gpc,s to take care of your focusing requirements, as well as correct for bino induced aberations.

And if your budget can't stretch to Badder Maxbright BV's then I've been very happy with my mid range Williams Optics BV's, I bought these second hand in excellent condition (£150ish)

IMO its an excellent starter package which includes two good 20mm eyepieces and a 1.6x glass path corrector, if you find you are having problems merging or you can't get on with them then you should be able to resell with minimum loss.

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22 hours ago, Space Hopper said:

(I've asked before on here for this : a dedicated forum for binoviewers, as well as splitting up 'Scopes / whole setups' in to smaller, better organised groups, like refractors, reflectors, cats & casses etc, but my request was just ignored without logical explanation 😒)

When I asked, the responding moderator said it was to prevent siloing of discussions.  However, by that measure, why not just lump all equipment discussions together?

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22 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Maybe your binoculars are out of collimation - a common problem with binoculars especially if dropped or knocked. 

Exactly.  I literally bought a pair of used binoculars off of CN classifieds that were way off on collimation.  The seller claims they never had merging issues.

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54 minutes ago, Louis D said:

When I asked, the responding moderator said it was to prevent siloing of discussions.  However, by that measure, why not just lump all equipment discussions together?

Exactly.

A siloing of discussions ? 😆 Thats just nonsense.

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On 14/03/2023 at 09:23, starsailor70 said:

somewhat dims the object being viewed,

This can be an asset as it will reduce brightness induced glare depending on the exit pupil compared to mono. ie if your seeing only allows lowish mag and the image is too bright then binoviewers thru the beamsplitter halve the light to each eye- at the same exit pupil as used for mono.

Some binoviewers also exhibit "polarization" and can dim one side more than the other on objects like the moon, atmosphere considered.

I use Binotron 27's, very highly recommended- for many reasons.

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