Anyone have Celestron 15x70 binoculars?

[nightfisher]

had mine a few weeks now, i also got the heavy metal bracket, wise move, i will use mine most when out fishing on overnighters as i have a bedchair that i can lie flat on so supporting the bins while star hopping, they really are a great bit of kit:)

[brantuk]

I mount mine on a standard camera tripod - not very steady but the addition of a fine tuning head has made all the difference - I can now track with them in alt/az

[jonstarrysky]

lets be honest, the Celestron 15x70s (i had mine 3 years) are fantastic *for the price* and will provide much enjoyment per se. Great for larger Messier objects. Nice wide AFOV. Sharp in the centre.

But optically they would be blown apart by a high end binocular of the likes of Fujuinon, Nikon, Zeiss, Canon etc. But honestly I dont care for that, I've burned the big bucks for a more general purpose size binocular 8X40 that is more useul in the day as well.

IMO main limitation of 15x70 for astro is neck ache. Idea of deck chair + parallelogram mount doesnt appeal either. Give me my scope and astro chair :-)

[pvaz]

lets be honest, the Celestron 15x70s (i had mine 3 years) are fantastic *for the price* and will provide much enjoyment per se. Great for larger Messier objects. Nice wide AFOV. Sharp in the centre.

But optically they would be blown apart by a high end binocular of the likes of Fujuinon, Nikon, Zeiss, Canon etc. But honestly I dont care for that, I've burned the big bucks for a more general purpose size binocular 8X40 that is more useul in the day as well.

IMO main limitation of 15x70 for astro is neck ache. Idea of deck chair + parallelogram mount doesnt appeal either. Give me my scope and astro chair :-)

I guess it all depends on the purpose. At home I can be out with my dob in a couple of minutes so the binos will never be 1st choice.

I bought them cause I wanted a decent pair to take on travels, to southern countries, and for that they are perfect. I wouldn't wan't to be worried about loosing them on a trip and for the price I really don't care much if I get mugged or if they get broken. I may use them as well at home but that's not the main plan.

All and all they seam pretty good, definitely better then I expected for the price. (Now that I think of it, the travel camera bag I stored them in cost a lot more... )

[Quatermass]

I got my celestron 10x50s for those time when I just want to quickly nip out and do a bit of star gazing. There also very handy when I go fishing or go for a meal by the beach in the evening. Sometimes there quicker then my finder scope and make a nice break from the telescope when I need a rest. Great value for money and crisp and clear I love them but I love my telescope as well so they go well together.

[Adrian Condon]

Hi Folks,

I ordered a pair of Celestron 15x70 (£49.95) from FLO on last Friday 22/10/2010 and they arrived safe and sound by Fedex yesterday 26/10/2010. Always a good reliable service from Steve.

As usual the weather here has rained incessantly since they arrived!!

I did a quick look through them using a Manfrotto professional monopod and they were reasonably steady and could make out the individual leaves on a tree about 150 yards away through the rain. I agree the use of a sturdy tripod is recommend so I will use my Manfrotto heavy duty tripod once the greyness disappears.

First impressions are that for the price they are good value and should be more than adequate for stargazing.

I own a pair of Leica 8x42 bins costing £690, the quality and performance are superb, the Celestron are not as crisp, but I will do a number of tests between them once we get a few clear nights. According to the BBC Weather map that should be tonight at 19:00 !!!!!!!!

Jupiter and moons seems a good target.

Cheers

Adrian

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Best of luck. I find my Omegon 15x70 (clone of Celestron) less crisp than the 10x50 Bresser I own, but still great for Messier-hunting.

[nightfisher]

i got mine mainly for fishing but since i got them i have refurbished my old evo star and will use bins to locate items and scope for proper viewing of found items

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

i got mine mainly for fishing but since i got them i have refurbished my old evo star and will use bins to locate items and scope for proper viewing of found items

Somehow this conjures up images of someone clubbing fish with binoculars

A bit like the fishing technique developed by Billy Connolly, involving a waterfall and a crash helmet. He called it "nutting the salmon" (no further explanation need, really ).

[Dangerous-Dave]

Most of the BIG bins come from the same factory:Celestron,Revelation,Strathspey. They are just branded differently.

I have never heard a bad thing about the Celestron 15X70. Never heard a bad thing about the Revelations (any size) and i own a pair of 20X90 Straths and cant say a bad thing about them.

Definitely for anything above 10X50 a tripod (strong and sturdy) is needed for observing. For less then £100, the Horizon 8115 tripod or a Redsnapper tripod will do a very nice job with the 15X70s you have bought.

Mine dropped to pieces - the focusing bar attaching the eyepieces to the central fulcrum sheared. When I returned them the dealer said I wasn't the first person to return them for mechanical defects and was going to stop selling them.

Optically they were superb, just not altogether convinced with the build quality.

My wife bought me a pair of Pulsar 15x70's last year which don't seem as well corrected, but are still sharp and good in the field.

[pvaz]

Mine dropped to pieces - the focusing bar attaching the eyepieces to the central fulcrum sheared.

I think that's bound to happen with any mass-production/no-quality-control product. Anyway if they can maintain the low price, and ensure a quick, free of charge, replacement for the faulty ones, then it's something I can accept.

I just hope mine don't break apart after a year... It would be harder to claim warranty then.