beginners binoculars?

[coffee_prince]

Decided to maybe buy binocs first before a telescope, but even then, there seems to be so much choice available, and it seems I will need a tripod anyway, what kind of tripod can I use and what do they cost?

I was thinking something like 10 x 50 as a minimum or something like 15 x 70

:s

1) Prices for binocs/tripod I want something cheap, but decent to learn the basics

2) Cheap eBay ones?

3) Do I need to try before I buy or can I just buy from the internet?

[Doc]

You don't need a tripod for 10x50's. Of course the heavier they are the need for a tripod increases.

[coffee_prince]

so would 10 x 50 be the best? I would only be using them in my garden, would mind buying a larger aperture binocs if it meant i would gett much more out of them

[philsail1]

Hello and welcome to Stargazers Lounge Astronomy Forum "Coffee_prince."

You have the right idea in going for a pair of binoculars before buying a telescope.

Binoculars will give you (if you don't already know) a good insight to finding your way around the night sky.

There are two ways to look at buying binoculars.

You can either buy a pair with a modest magnification (7x50, 8x40, or 10x50's) which will give a reasonably bright view of the heavens, will have a good field of view - and which can be held steady in your hands for reasonably long periods, or you can go for a binocular with a bigger magnification (12x60, 15x70 or 20x80). The larger magnifications will give you nice views of the Moon, and wll show some deep sky objects reasonably well. You will also be able to just about see Planets such as Venus, Jupiter and Saturn as tiny discs - with some of their moons as pinpricks of light. Binoculars with bigger magnifications than 10x50 are generally heavier, and more difficult to hold steady in your hands. Their fields of view will be narrower and because of the difficulties of holding them steady, the images you see will move about a bit. Bigger binoculars are best used with a tripod.

My own personal view is that a good pair of 7x50 or 8x40 (or 8x42's) are great at showing the magnificence of the star fields on a clear night. You can hold them steady for perhaps up to an hour. They can be picked up and used at a moments notice to scan around the sky. They are also a great addition to a telescope when you decide to buy one. Because they generally have a wider field of view, smaller magnification binoculars will enable you find things easier - and finally, you can take a small binocular out and about for terrestrial viewing.

I personally use a pair of "Opticron" 8x40's and have found them to be a really nice instrument to use.

I would advise you to try and visit a shop selling binoculars and try a few pairs out to see if they "feel" comfortable in your hands, and against your eyes, and are easy to focus. You will know when you have chosen the "right" pair for you.

Best wishes,

philsail1.

[The Warthog]

I havve a pair of 10x50s that I bought primarily for terrestrial observation. They cost me $32 US, as I was in South Dakota and realizeed I could appreciated the wonderful scenery better if I had a pair of binocs. As astronomical binocs, they give me nice tight stars with a bit of a bluish cast which doesn't bother me. I use a tripod when I am looking at the Moon or clusters. The main advantage I find with binoculars is cutting through the LP to show me stars that I can't see naked eye.

They have a FOV of 7º, which is more than I expected. I have tried cheaper binoculars which kidney-beaned like crazy, so I think the price point I hit was about right for the cheapest decent binoculars.

I wish I could afford a really good set of binoculars, but with a little care you can get a cheap pair that will do a reasonable job of showing you the sky.

[iamjulian]

I bought a pair of 8x40 from Jessops. The make was Centon and they were about £17. Probably not the best quality but they have BAK-4 prisms so not terrible. Even though I now have a scope, I still take them out and use them quite often. Nice and light to hold and carry. Go to somewhere like Jessops and get a feel for weights of various bins. Even if you don't buy from them, you'll get some hands on research.

[kniclander]

the difference between no binoculars and cheap binoculars will dwarf any difference between the cheapest and the most expensive. Also, if you get a cheap pair, you'll know what to look for if (when) you decide to upgrade and you'll appreciate the better quality. Having said that, with cheap bins there is a lot of QC variability so you really should try them out in the shop - I suspect that with more expensive ones, you'd get a decent pair every time.

[coffee_prince]

the best spec for price ratio I have found are these...

Bresser Bresser Travelview 10x50 porro binocular

what do you think? there are no real telescope shops near me, only camera ones, and they sell expensive binocs and gear

[coffee_prince]

cool, will check out jessops

[TheThing]

the best spec for price ratio I have found are these...

Bresser Bresser Travelview 10x50 porro binocular

what do you think? there are no real telescope shops near me, only camera ones, and they sell expensive binocs and gear

These are the same one that come up in Lidl every now and then for around a tenner.

I have a pair that came from the same shop as the link and they are excellent. Intially, I bought them for birding, but they have been used frequently for astronomy too. They have the BAK4 prisms.

If you can get a pair for £25, they are still a bargin!

[brianb]

You don't need a tripod for 10x50's.

But, if you have a decent tripod, use it. You see much more when the device is held steady. It's also very useful to be able to "park" the bins whilst you consult charts etc. without the bother of having to find the field again. I reckon a decent tripod at least triples the value of 10x50s. With larger/heavier/more powerful bins, a tripod is essential.

If you can get a pair for £25, they are still a bargin!

Only if you get a good pair. Experience indicates that over 90% of the Lidl bins are miscollimated...

[TheThing]

Only if you get a good pair. Experience indicates that over 90% of the Lidl bins are miscollimated...

It pays to read the post!

The £25 aren't from Lidl, but are still a bargin at that price.

[coffee_prince]

er... still confused, so will the ones from the internet be collimated?

:s

[kniclander]

I suspect that no cheap bins wil be "perfectly" collimated (if there is even such a thing at all) but it's unlikely to be a problem or really even noticeable unless you compare them with an expensive pair or are used to using an expensive pair.

I don't think Brianb was saying that the ones that Lidl sold were specially badly collimated - I think what he was saying was that cheap bins are unlikely to be rigorously QC'd so lemons will get through and if possible it's worth actually looking at a few pairs in a shop. TBh, if you just order them online, i'm sure they'll be fine but what you're getting is something cheap and cheerful.

As i said in an earlier post, the biggest difference is between no bins and bins....

[Capricorn]

Roughly how much are you expecting to spend?

Where about are you?

Have youy got a camera tripod that you could use or would you need one of these if the binoc's were heavy or a bit more powerful?

[brianb]

I don't think Brianb was saying that the ones that Lidl sold were specially badly collimated - I think what he was saying was that cheap bins are unlikely to be rigorously QC'd so lemons will get through

Precisely. Lots of lemons.

[TheThing]

But if you buy them thru Scope and Skies I believe, IMHO, that you are less likely to get a lemon. Don't be put off by cheap and cheerful. I have a pair and there is nothing wrong with them. They compare favourably to a pair of Opticrons I have that were more than 8x the price new.

[kniclander]

But if you buy them thru Scope and Skies I believe, IMHO, that you are less likely to get a lemon. Don't be put off by cheap and cheerful. I have a pair and there is nothing wrong with them. They compare favourably to a pair of Opticrons I have that were more than 8x the price new.

why do you think you are less likely to get a lemon from S&S? Do you think they QC the bins themselves (which I doubt) or do you think Lidl are selling seconds (which I can well believe)? I'm not saying you're wrong -I'm just curious...

i bought my bressers from astrofest and tried out a few pairs - the main difference was actually in how stiff the focusser and IPd adjustment was although it's hard to test them optically inside a building.

My opticrons (imagic TGA WP) absolutely knock spots off my bressers in terms of light transmission, sharpness and mechanics which is what i would expect given that I did buy them new for 8 times as much!

[TheThing]

Lidl unboutedly pile them high and sell them cheap. Scope and Skies aren't likely to sell as many and so there *may* be an element of QC at their end as well.

I can only report as I find. the Bresser bins I have are of excellent quality. If the original poster buys a pair and isn't happy with them, then I'm sure he can return them. As I've said before though - £25 is still a bargin for a great pair of bins!