Astronomy Binoculars - £50?

[Denic]

Hello guys.

I've been really interested in astronomy for some time and I'd like to step it up a level, however I'm only on a tight budget of £50 and I don't really know much about binoculars, so I was wondering if anyone could please tell me which set to buy for £50? A UK retailer would be nice.

Some one I know suggested these : Pentacon Praktica 8x56 astronomy and night binocular

I would just want to be able to observe the moon clearly and maybe a few other things.

Advice is appreciated.

Cheers!

[jgs001]

At that price point, there's probably not a lot in it. I have a pair of Bresser 10x50's, but they are the same as Meade 10x50 Binocular Special Offer. The other option, for a little more money is Revelation 15x70 Binocular Special Offer. I have the Celestron 15x70's, they do need tripod mounting as they are heavy though.

[kniclander]

for the moon (cos its so bright) you can get away with more mag, less aperture; for most other things, cos they're fainter, you need less mag, more aperture. 8x56 wd be good for things that aren't so bright - for the moon ideally you might want a bit more magnification. A decent compromise might be 10x50s. You should be able to pick up a decent pair for £50.

[Denic]

I already have some 10X50 binoculars, but I don't know much about them and they're pretty old, but when I did some moon observing with thm previously, you couldn't really see the moon in as much detail as I'd like.

[kniclander]

I already have some 10X50 binoculars, but I don't know much about them and they're pretty old, but when I did some moon observing with thm previously, you couldn't really see the moon in as much detail as I'd like.

er, then why do you think you'll see more detail in 8x56s? at least with the moon, you can buy them from a shop when the moon is out and have a look at it through them. i would think that's the best way.

[jgs001]

I don't see that you're gonna get any more from a set of 8x56's than you will from 10x50s... The magnification isn't high enough to get more detail, and in fact is lower with the 8x56's.

The numbers for binoculars are made up

magnification x objective aperture

a set of 15x70's would give you more magnification, but I'd say you'll not get close enough to see the detail well, even with those.

[JamesK]

Look on FLO (sponser at the top of the page) for some 10x50s or 7x50s. All the binos sold by FLO are of good quality and are useful for astronomy. If you can save up £20 more, I observe just with the previously mentioned 15x70s and a tripod (absolutly essensial for anything more than a quick sweep, because the weight of the thing plus the high mag means the FOV shakes like hell and you can't see anything properly unless your like the terminator or somthing...), I use them as my main observing tool (16 year old on a budget... ) and I can see great detail on the Moon and a large number of brighter DSOs (Deep Sky Objects) amongst other things.

Look for 10x50, 7x50, 8x40 8x56, or that sort of range, but personally if they're going to be handheld I would go for a smaller/lighter pair, no more than 8x.

Good Luck!

[Denic]

The ones I have at the moment are actually 12X50, so if I did buy some 10X50's, they'd be a step back I assume?

I guess for the money, I'm not going to get any better than 12X50 for astronomy.

[kniclander]

or you could look at the second hand market - I just bought some old (1984) 20x60s for £40 that are awesome for the moon albeit they are a bit smelly . Between 10 and 12 times mag, I don't think you'll see too much difference but, yes, you would be taking astep back if you go from 12 to 10 in terms of magnification. having said that, i see much more detail through my expensive (relatively) 8x42s than my ultracheap 10x50s. Seriously, get to a shop and look through a few pairs.

[pvaz]

Well, I started out with binos, without tripod adapter. The shaking really got on my nerves so I bought a scope in just a couple of weeks.

If you ask me I would advice on saving a bit and buying a cheap scope. I know it's at least twice your budget but you can't compare what you see with binos to even a small budget scope.

Check this 2:

Dobsodian with 130mm Apperture (x26, x65, x86 with suplied EPs, can give you a decent, small but clear, view of Jupiter, Saturn and some DSOs) cost: 129

Or this refractor (less aperture) decent for planets, maybe some DSOs too cost 86

[pvaz]

I must add, binos are great to learn the sky at 1st. You should probably be able to identify most large constelations, a few bright stars (like vega, deneb and altair) and locate Andromeda (M31), Pleiades (M45) and say Hercules Globular Cluster (M13) with binos and a decent star chart, before you jump to a telescope. Locate Jupiter too, it's high in the south this time.

Any binos will be a enough to get a feel for what's like to locate an object through starhopping. Mine are pretty old so don't waste money on some new ones. Save for a scope.

[Teddy]

whilst this thread is about binos i will also ask a question if you dont mind.

I am going to buy a pair of binos in the next few days and with out sounding stupid............I plan to get some 10x50's (people seem to advise this) and i will not have any sort of mount at the beggining. so.....

Whick pair should i buy for my £150 (or so) budget and also where is the best place to buy them (for ease) i am also a touchy feely kinda guy so internet is not my cup of tea when making purchases

Any help would be great

Teddy

[pete_gamby]

Your location shows Manchester so I'll guess one or more of these could be "in range" depending on exactly where you are:

BINOCULARS UK LTD BLACKPOOL 01253 300600

FOCALPOINT OPTICS LTD WARRINGTON 01925 730399

INFOCUS ORMSKIRK 01704 897020

LAMBERTS OF LANCASTER LTD LANCASTER 01524 37384

LONDON CAMERA EXCHANGE CHESTER 01244 326531

PENNINE PHOTOGRAPHIC ROCHDALE 01706 524965

SBTC BINOCULARS & TELESCOPES STOCKPORT 0161 4298002

UK DIGITAL CLITHEROE 01200 444007

And Wildings has branches all over the place in your neck of the woods. Always best to call ahead to see what they have in stock of course :-)

Cheers, Pete