Binoculars

[charmedkelly]

hi all i think its time i got some new binoculars but have no idea what the best ones to get are i would like to get some binos too maybe view dso's if possible.

i have a budget of £10-£100

also i need to get a good sturdy Tripod with a Budget of £10-£60

any help would be really appreciated

thanks you

kellyx

[Peter Drew]

Hello Kelly. What binoculars are you planning to replace?

[Peter Drew]

Hello again Kelly. Did I misinterpret your question and you are actually looking to buy your first pair. It just makes a difference as to any valid recommendation

[charmedkelly]

no i had a rubbish pair and i would like to get a decent pair now

[Neon]

Hi Charmedkelly,

I guess it depends on what you're looking to do with them, but I picked up a pair of Nikon 8x40's a couple of months back and was very impressed with them.

Nikon 8x40 VII Ultra Wide

I took them to Turkey with me on holiday star gazing and general nosiness, and they performed great. I got mine from Jessops, and they were £60 as I think they're being discontinued.

I've also got some 15x70's, but I prefer these smaller ones. They're much more comfortable and I can keep them around my neck when using the scope and get 'second opinions' on what I'm viewing.

HTH

[kniclander]

I had a pair of cheap (Revelation) 20 x80s which I think are around £80 and they gave some lovely views of clusters and galaxies (under dark skies) but they definitely need to be tripod mounted. If you are just getting one pair and want them for astro and are willing to use a tripod then I would get the biggest I could afford. They won't be much use for terrestrial though as they're too big to lug around and hopeless without a tripod.

[Peter Drew]

Hello yet again Kelly. If you are a relative beginner and working to a low initial budget you could do worse than consider a Meade/Bresser 10x50 they have excellent optics for the price and have the smoothest focusing mechanism I've come across. Lidl and some other similar outlets have often had them on offer from as little as £9.99! I've purchased several in the past and the've been consistantly good. They are also available from Telescope House on a regular basis for about £25. The point of this reply is that it would leave you enough to get a good tripod that would suit a larger upgrade when funds allowed.

[themos]

I have a negative recommendation: don't buy the Revelation 15x70 unless you get to check them out on the real sky first and are happy with their perfomance (for the price). Mine make a passable pair of monoculars but that's it!

[markystars]

I cant be much help here, however i have an old pair of 10x40 that have been handed down the generations and are decades old, these give me great viewing on dark nights, im just letting you know that even with old ones that can be picked up fairly cheap at sales etc could do the job you need.

[charmedkelly]

i was thinking more along the lines of the Helios Ultimate HR High Resolution but i have no idea how good they r