Binoculars, I need help making a decision

[Naughty Neal]

You guys have  got me thinking of a next buy maybe not a xmas prezzie but a post xmas one , there are times when I get in from work at 03.30 ish o'clock and find nice clear sky's but not the  will to set up the f1102 ed so a general scan with nice bins would suffice for a short while.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[Stormbringer]

FLO used to do the Apollo range maybe Helios have stopped producing them ?

[rwassell]

It sounds like I was lucky to be able to get the Apollo's from FLO then especially at the price I paid. They are in the post - I can't wait to receive them 🙂

[Stormbringer]

yeh you got them at a decent price 👍

[johnturley]

Has anybody owned, or had experience of the Helios Stellar II 16 x 80 Binoculars, I was thinking of getting a pair of these for the upcoming comet apparitions of Pons Brook (March 2024), and Tsuchinsham ATLAS (October 2024), and a step up from my Current Celestron 15 x 70 Skymaster (basic not Pro version) Binoculars.

I have also looked at the Lightquest version of these, but these cost about twice the price (£500 as opposed to £250), and although no doubt of better optical quality, don't have the tripod mounting rail that the Stellar II version come with (just the 100 mm Lightquest Binoculars come with the tripod mounting rail).

John 

Edited December 13, 2023 by johnturley

[johnturley]

19 hours ago, Stormbringer said:

FLO used to do the Apollo range maybe Helios have stopped producing them ?

I've just looked on OVL's (Optical Vision Limited, Main Importer of Helios Binoculars) website, and they only list the Stellar II and Lightquest ranges in Observation Binoculars, so I assume that they have discontinued the Apollo range, however some dealers may still have some models in stock.

John 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I gather the LightQuest was the replacement for the Apollo line.

[plyscope]

Stephen Tonkin has a review of the Stellar 16x80.

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/binoculars/helios-stellar-ii-16x80-binoculars

 

And Pinac has some comments on the Lightquest 16x80.

https://binocular.ch/helios-lightquest-hr-16x80/

[Stormbringer]

The Stellar's get a good review in that link 👍

[johnturley]

Arrived today from FLO (actually 'Drop Shipped@ direct from OVL), a pair of Helios Stellar II 16 x 80 Binoculars, I decided to go for the Stellar II version, as I don't think that I will end us using them enough to justify spending twice the price on the Lightquest version.

Although due to the weather, I've not had the chance to try then out yet, on first impression however I'm very impressed with the overall build quality, plus quality of the coatings compared to my Celestron (basic model) Skymaster 15 x 70's. I was also surprised by how much bigger and heavier they are compared to the 15 x 70's, despite just an extra 10 mm of aperture, I'm pleased that I didn't go for the 20 x 100's, which I briefly considered, and aren't actually much more expensive.

In addition I like the tripod mounting rail, which I find makes it much quicker and easier to attach then to a photographic tripod than the standard tripod adaptor that some large binoculars come with. I will probably use them mainly with a tripod, but maybe  occasionally use them hand held for short periods. I can't understand why only the 100mm, and not the 80mm, Liqhtquest Binoculars come with a tripod mounting rail 

Edited December 19, 2023 by johnturley

[Wanderers]

On 11/12/2023 at 09:41, rwassell said:

Thank you for all the replies. I am in no hurry to be able to access the classified ads and will just wait until such a time as that naturally happens. In fact, it is probably best I can't access it, especially right now just before Christmas, otherwise I'd probably try to justify why I should buy myself more presents 🙂

There are classified ads? Did you work out how to access them?

[Tiny Clanger]

@Wanderers , here's why you can't see it !

Edited February 23 by Tiny Clanger