7x50 recommendations

[hunterknox]

Hi all,

Has anyone got any 7x50 recommendations under around £250? I only need them for astronomy. Birds all look like birds to me.

Thanks!

[Darren B]

William Optics 7x50 are the best binoculars I have ever used. Sharp to the edge, great contrast. They are very solidly built and are garaunteed to be water proof and shock proof. I bought them for astro use only, but I like to take them out during the day as well, looking at ships out to sea.

I would not recomend these for bird watching as they have individual eye focusing and weigh 1.6 kg / 3lb+. The other good thig about these binoculars is that nothing moves unless you actually move it.

Here is a more detailed review from someone with more binocular knowlege than me CN FORUMS ARCHIVE Telescope Reviews: William Optics 7x50 ED binocular minireview .

[Darren B]

Another review http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbarchive/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/1381029/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

[yeti monster]

Surely for 250 notes one could grab a HUGE set of tripod mounted bins for astro work, and go for a few drinks down the pub to celebrate.

[Darren B]

Surely for 250 notes one could grab a HUGE set of tripod mounted bins for astro work, and go for a few drinks down the pub to celebrate.

Good call Yeti

[yeti monster]

Well, it would be rude not too, wouldn't it?

[hunterknox]

Surely for 250 notes one could grab a HUGE set of tripod mounted bins for astro work, and go for a few drinks down the pub to celebrate.

True, but then I'd still need to buy a pair of 7x50s for my super portable, super wide field views. How about we compromise and say I'll get the 7x50s and spend whatever change I have down the pub anyway ?

Darren - interesting suggestion, thanks. I'll add it to my list.

[nicnac]

did you see the group test sky at night mag did, i believe that was for 7x50s

[hunterknox]

did you see the group test sky at night mag did, i believe that was for 7x50s

I didn't but I will check it out, thanks. I've done a bit of googling and they've gone for a relatively cheap Helios pair, which makes me a bit wary as I have a more expensive Helios pair now that I've never been 100% happy with, but it won't hurt to read the write ups.

I switched back to my grandad's old wartime naval binoculars for a while and they were excellent, but have sadly now perished .

[joanna11]

There are some Eyeskey 7x50 binoculars http://www.eyeskey.com/products.asp?keyword=7x50 But I think the magnification is low, So I recommend Eyeskey 9x63.

Eyeskey 9x63 astro roof prism binoculars with its large aperture offer phenomenal performance for astronomical viewing at a price that is too good to be true. Combining superb optics, quality construction, and affordability, the new Eyeskey astro binoculars series is perfect for the serious bird watcher who demands a binocular that is lightweight and easy to use, or the outdoor enthusiast who relies on rugged durability and resistance to the rough weather conditions. The new design elements include a waterproof body, shock-resistant rubber covering, and twist-up eyecups. They also feature superb image quality with BaK-4 prisms, fully multi-coated optics, diopter adjustment for sharp focusing, and super lightweight design. And with large fields of vision, these binoculars are well-suited for astronomical and other low-light observation.

[lzlever01]

when buying binoculars for bird watching or astronomy, and need handhold to watch. 7x magnification and 50mm objective lens is ok. If the objective lens is bigger than 50mm, it will not suitable for handhold. It seems that you are professional. Here I recommend you this model:Binoculars,Zoom binoculars,eyeskey technology It is military standard binoculars, and the prism type is Bak-4.

[argonaut]

To me 7x50's are not a good choice. The exit pupil is 7mm and I don't know anyone with a 7mm pupil dilation. My suggestion would be 8x42's or even 10x50's. This will give you around a 5mm exit pupil with no 'wasted' light.

The best bet is to go to a local shop were you could try them out. There are quite a few binoculars in your price range. The more you pay the less likely it is that you will get undersized objectives.Look for comfort as well as power.

Glen.

[russ]

7x50's used to be my preferred binocular size when i was a teen. Loved the massive FOV. But i tried a pair recently and it's fair to say old age has caught up with me. I think as a teen and into your twenties the pupil will dilate to 7mm and match the 7x50. But by the time you reach 40, the max pupil size is 5mm and better suited to 8x42 or 10x50. I think that's right?

[argonaut]

Yeh, you're right Russ.

I've never had a 7mm dilation myself

I still think it's best to get the 'feel' of a binocular at a local shop. Different face shapes, small or large mitts and IPD make a huge difference to comfort.

Widefield views are good as long as the quality of the image goes out to cover the widefield. Not much good if you have a 8° FOV and can only use 60% of it due to aberrations. That's why lots of the cheaper end binoculars have masked optics to help with aberrations.

Glen.

[fmeireso]

Sure you lose light with a 7x50. A 7x50 is for young people, they might benefit. Older people (i am almost 50) will have no real benefit in buying a 7x50. With a say 5 mm dilation it will be reduced to a 7x35.

However the indeed wide sharp field of an BA8 series and the 7x magnification may be still a reason to obtain one.These are really good binoculars and the WO 7x50 is even the better version with ED glass and have a wider sharper field then the 10x50 BA8

One might look also at the eg Orion resolux 10x50 or TS Marine 10x50. (Same BA8 series binoculars).

Don't forget also that for 285£ you get an Apollo 15x70 or 10.5x70. Those however are better suited on a tripod but are again thesame BA8 series and give very good views...

[Darren B]

I'm planning to do a little shoot-out between a Nikon Action VII 8x40, William Optics 7x50 and the Lidl 10x50 within the next couple of weeks weather permtting.

The test will be for day and night time use, hand held and tripod mounted.

[fmeireso]

Good luck!