Binocular help

[CaptPaul]

Hi

Im trying to buy some binoculars so i can do some observing when i dont have my telescope with me.

What would the best size without a tripod be?? would it be 10x50??

Also i have seen binoculars that say they are 10x50 then some that say 10-30x50 zoom binoculars, are these worth the small extra??

Thank you

[greenkat]

Hi Paul

I suppose it all depends on how steady your hands are

10x50 is a decent size for handheld, the more the magnification, the more shakey the image will be.

Lots of people dont recomend zoom binos because of the extra lenses ect, I havnt tried any so couldnt realy advise.

Try shopping for some when the dark nights come in and shops open late and its a clear night, then nip outside and test them

Greenkat

[CaptPaul]

Thanks! thats a great idea shopping for them in the darker months!

[Peter Drew]

Hello Paul. Best to avoid zoom binoculars, small field of view, lots to go wrong and no comparison to 10x50's for astro work.

[Martin-Devon]

Hi Paul, I bought a pair of Canon 10 X 30 image stabilizer bionoculars. They are not cheap, but the image quality is spectacular. When you have to hold normal binos to the sky for any period of time, focussing almost to infinity, even the slightest movement makes for shaky images. The Canon binos eliminate virtually all of the shakes, it's remarkable - you just press the button, and the image magically smoothes out and presents fanastic images, which are comfortable to view for long periods. You can scan the sky as normal in stabilized mode as well. Without the shaky image, the details really comes out much more, and I can actually see more (and for more relaxed time) than I can with my previous binos (Celestron 10 x 50). I highly recommend these Canon binos.

Martin

[CaptPaul]

Brilliant thanks everyone for the recomendations will be looking into them and loosing the zoom binos. Thanks!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I hold my 15x70 free hand frequently, and this works quite well, especially if you can rest your hands on something (a car works nicely!). Freehand my Bresser 10x50 is a lot easier though. The 10x30 with stabilizer might be very steady, but the aperture is too low for much astronomical work. For starters I would certainly advise a 10x50, preferably with a wide field of view.

Cheers

Michael