Best Binoculars ~ £80

[jah79]

Have just ordered my first scope (can't wait for delivery!!) and now looking at some bino's. Didn't think it necessary and wasn't planning on getting some any time soon until I read that a decent pair can be your holiday telescope when lugging a 1200mm Newtonian reflector on an airplane doesn't really sound much fun

Are there any better bino's than these in the same price class?

Celestron - Celestron Skymaster 15x70

They seem to offer quality optics and a great aperture (if that's what you call it on binoculars). Any reason you'd want less/more zoom range?

Will certainly enjoy looking thru them at the Milky Way, moon, stars etc in the southern hemisphere on pitch black nights...

[oceanheadted]

The higher the magnification the more your hand shake is amplified so it's difficult to actually see through the binoculars. At 15x you won't be able to hold the bins steady with your hands so you will need a tripod (and adapter) unless you have a handy object to rest them on (Extra stuff to carry around).

10x is just about holdable by hand or 8x is comfortable. Of course at 8x you won't see as much detail, but you will get a much bigger field of view, so you can cover a lot more sky when you are looking for stuff.

It's a game of swings and roundabouts.

[PeterMammoth]

I can't fault my Opticron Vega II 7x50s for £75 at FLO. Porroprism, fully coated lens, very large exit pupil and long eye relief. And because of the low magnification you can keep them very steady in your hands. Great for finding your way around the night sky.

I also use them for bird watching because of the large depth of field. I can quickly scan a large area without having to change the focus.

[Dangerous-Dave]

At 15x you won't be able to hold the bins steady with your hands

I had a pair of Celestron 15x70s and had no problem holding them still. However my arms got tired a bit quicker than 10x50s. I would say 15x70 is about the limit of "hand held", anything above that your arms get tired too quickly.

As for the bins in question, the optics are great for the money but the engineering is not so hot. Mine dropped to pieces (the focuser bar sheared) and I know a few people who bought a pair and they were mis-collimated. If possible I would try before you buy.

I just make do with a pair of Lidl £9.99 10x50's these days, but I often wish I had a bigger pair for "grab and go".