Binoculars

[jaspa]

Is it wort having a set of binoculars to go with my telescope ?

[Brass n glass]

Definitely - they're cheaper than they've ever been and they're ideal for quick glances at wide fields. It's surprising how much you can see with them.

[SteelRat]

Yes yes yes

[jaspa]

Any advice on what type, cheap as possible please.

[Andrew*]

I would go for 10 or 12 x 50 porro. Lidl occasionally stock up on Bresser ones for £10 - these are extraordinarily good for the money.

In the mean time, check out these ones: http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/binoculars/Praktica/12x50.html

Andrew

[FLO]

Definitely, absolutely!

The low magnification, wide-field views seen through a good 7x50 or 10x50 can be breathtaking.

There are threads galore covering cheap disposable binoculars on SGL but for really bright, crisp and clear views you need to be looking at something costing £100+

ie: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=bmontana10x50pp

[SteelRat]

10x50 or 7x50 are widely regarded as good for skyscanning and I can heartilly concur - anything bigger and you will want to look for a mount for them instead of just a comfy garden lounger to lie back in.

Many people highly rate the Bresser ones that Lidl sell for a tenner. Quite a few were bought to sell on ebay and although I've seen many with starting prices of £20 you might get a pair for around £15 (not including shipping of course).

As folks here know; I like Russian optics myself. All my bins are Russian - a pair of 12x40 (£11 from ebay inc post) that always come out with the scope, a pair of Zavod 10x50 (recently £18 from ebay inc post) which are yet to really be used in anger, and a pair of 8x30s (£12 from ebay inc post) that are compact but still got me good views of comet Swan, M13, Andromeda amongst other stuff this year. The 8x30s are my birding bins too - light enough to keep hung round yer neck when out for a walk on a sunday - spent an hour watching a kingfisher down at the river one day last month The 12x40's get used alot for plane spotting too - always good around airshow season as I get to see stuff flying in the direction of airfields with a show on, and then again later on when they're heading back home. If I had to get rid of two pairs I reckon I'd keep the 12x40s - mine were an absolute steal as they are mint and I've seen some sell for £40, but they do sometimes go for under £20 on ebay.

Many folk on the birding forums don't get on with the slightly yellow image colour you get from some older Russian bins when viewing in daylight (a side effect of the same mega high contrast coatings they use with the scopes and finders) I mean kingfishers are blue - not slightly greenish blue, yeah? But the contrast, detail and bang on alignment they give beats anything else I've ever owned EASILY!

The wife says I really don't need three pairs as I can only use one pair at any time - I've still got my eye open for another pair of 7x50s and a pair 12x45s to complete my collection though

Hope that helps some - and soz for the long post but the you-know-what is working now (hic!)

[FLO]

I know what you mean about Russian optics

If buying secondhand, also look out for the East German CZ Jena Jenoptem and Deltrintem models. They are remarkably good and serviceable. As with Russian binoculars, check for proper alignment and for optics that haven't turned milky from condensation - expect to pay up to £70. (They occasionally fetch more but only when people mistake them for West Carl Zeiss!)

[radioactive]

I concur with all thats been said on the subject Its just that I have had three (3) no shows off ebay 2 of them were for Binoculars having looked at great feedback it seemed in each case of the seller it just makes me cringe to put Ebay and bino's in the same sentence

Oh well such is life

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Absolutely, you need bins.

You also need to know that you need low magnification ones, so instead od 20X50, go for 10X50 as you will struggle to a) get enough light to allow the magnification to be seen, and struggle to hold them still enough.

Captain Chaos

[Brass n glass]

I'd offer one other bit of advice: don't buy zoom binoculars because the eyepiece design means that you always get a narrow field of view. So you lose the main advantage of having binoculars in the first place.

One good thing about buying old ones such as the top-quality Zeiss series from East Germany is that their value will go up instead of down. But make sure they're not so old that the lenses are uncoated, because that makes the image a lot less bright.

[GordonCopestake]

you dont get much more "grab and go" than a good pair of bins

[SteelRat]

I have had three no shows off ebay and 2 were binoculars

That's a shame RA. I've only EVER had one no-show (touches wood) - it was a badge that cost only 99 pence

B&G's note is a good'n Jaspa... do NOT buy zoom bins.

[FLO]

I was caught myself on ebay a while back when I bought an Optolyth 7x50 binocular. Buyer had a good rating and claimed that she'd used it only once and felt that they it was too big/heavy for her.

The focus bridge was cracked and they were out of alignment :roll:

[SteelRat]

Alignment can be sorted - but cracked bridge? (have read that this is a week point with lightweight bins - Optolyth etc)

Makes me cringe when I see OBVIOUS FAKE pairs of Zeiss bins that have already been bid past their actual value of £5-£10. Seen some at £90!!! There's lots of em out there too - Beware! You'll be paying a Zeiss price for a pair of 80's Jap's.

[mightymonoped]

I would strongly recommend Strathspey binoculars http://www.strathspey.co.uk/

In particular, the Marine 10x50 for general astronomy and the 15x70 for tripod-mounted.

I have a pair of Lidl (Bresser) 10x50's too, which I use for general browsing and they are fabulous value for money (I've bought 3 pairs for family and friends). Note: The Lidl bins need to be checked carefully however, as there are always a few lemons amongst the boxes in the store, check em out beforehand is my advice.

IMHO the quality of the Strathspey bins is in a different league. They may not be threatening Miyauchi or Fujinon (or Zeiss ) but they are pretty damn close for the money. The pre and post sales service is very good too. Give John a call and have a chat with him, he's a keen astronomer and won't steer you up the garden path.

I used my 15x70 for a year before I bought my ED80 and they still get a lot of use. IMHO, there's no easier way (short of goto) for finding your way around the easier Messier objects.

Tony

[SteelRat]

Yeah Tony, I do like the look of the stuff Strathspey are selling - nice spec levels etc. 10x50 marine & 15x70 models both look nice and I suppose £60 and £75 respectively (+vat) with shipping at £6.50 (+vat) is quite good for brand new bins of those sizes with their highest spec coatings, but a bit dear for the likes o me at the mo. Nice to hear something about them though and something to keep in mind for the future 8) They do a pair of bog-stock 10x50 for £35 (+vat) with the basic optics - know anything about these?

[mightymonoped]

No sorry

Might be worth giving John a call though, as I'm sure he be happy to give you an honest opinion on what he can do within your budget.

Tony

[SteelRat]

Cool 8)