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Which Binoculars Celestron Skymaster 15x70 or 25x70


meteoriot

Celestron Skymaster 15x70 or 25x70  

2 members have voted

  1. 1. Celestron Skymaster 15x70 or 25x70

    • 15x70
    • 25x70
    • Keep current 10x50 and save £80
    • Save up for something better


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Hi, this is my first post, I am wanting to buy some binoculars within a budget. I have done lots of research and the most common thing I have read is 'all you need are 10x50s or 15x70s' The celestron skymaster 15x70s are definately the most commonly mentioned and Im convinced. However, even though 'all i apparently need' are the 15x70, the 25x70 of the same model are the same price. I already own some reasonable 10x50s so I am more drawn to the 25x70 but I am not confident in departing with my cash as money is short. Any advice would be greatly appreciated by all and as many as possible. Many thanks

Richard

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So from the option available can i deduce that both the bins only cost £80?.

That seems fair for the 15X70 bins but seems a bit cheap for the 25X?...........but who am i to argue.

70mm bins really are a nice aperture size to have. The 15X is a nice view. But i personally think the 25X would be the way to go.

Ultimately though it is not about magnification with bins (although important). I would realistically wait and save up for more aperture.

I have a pair of 20X90 bins and they are fantastic.

I would LOVE a pair of 25X100...........but cant see it happening. I'm happy with the ones i have.

Really it would be a great help if you did mention your absolute final budget. Also dont forget that when buying bins of this size that you have to factor in the cost of a good solid tripod to mount them on because at this size they are too heavy to hold.

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hi, that was fast lol, thank you, I intend to buy a better tripod for the bins to probably stay permanently, i can use my 10x50s for hand use. Yes the price is £80ish for both sizes on ebay. I may save up my budget is around £100 but I may be willing to adjust that if it is worth it.

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Hi all

I've always been a fan of bins and have owned quite a few over the years.

I currently have the Celeston Skymasters 15x70, an old pair of 10x 50 and the excellent Strathspey 20x90's the only trouble going for the 20 magnification or more is you really need an 80mm but preferably 90mm or 100mm objective lens.

15x70 has plenty of magnification and the 70mm still pulls in a lot of light,the 25x70 image though magnified more wont be as bright or contrasty imo.

20x80 may be fine but all depends on coated optics etc.

Cheers

Jon

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Hi all

I've always been a fan of bins and have owned quite a few over the years.

I currently have the Celeston Skymasters 15x70, an old pair of 10x 50 and the excellent Strathspey 20x90's the only trouble going for the 20 magnification or more is you really need an 80mm but preferably 90mm or 100mm objective lens.

15x70 has plenty of magnification and the 70mm still pulls in a lot of light,the 25x70 image though magnified more wont be as bright or contrasty imo.

20x80 may be fine but all depends on coated optics etc.

Cheers

Jon

This is something i wonder about.

My bins are 20X90 (same as yours).

This aside.

I am wondering if there is any degrading of image with 25X70 against 15X70.

Same aperture but with higher magnification.

Same light gathering ability, but will/does the extra magnification reek havoc on the views?

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Hi Richard, if you do get the bigger bins like the 20x80's you will need a decent budget for a tripod and head, as has been mentioned already even the 15x70's could be a handfull

I realized when I got my 20x90's having a good combo for holding them was definately worth it, I tried to get the best I could afford, that was the advice I was given by other members of the forum

good luck with your choice :)

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Thanks for all the advice so far. What are the coated optics please? The 20x80 are apparently fully coated according to the advert and are £105.

I have bought a tripod but it is very flimsy, would you also have any recommendations at a good price.

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Alternatively what would the absolute best binoculars be that I could get for £150 bearing in mind I need a tripod within this budget also. I really appreciate this by the way and I hope to contribute to the lounge myself as I get more experience.

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For £150 have a look at these at First Light Optics Helios - Helios Quantum 4 binoculars They are an excellent retailer and will check the bins before they send them out. If you've got a problem better to deal with some reputable rather than an e-bay seller.

Optics are given coatings in order to allow as much light as possible to pass through them.

For tripods and heads have a look here Tripods and tripod heads from Redsnapper . Camera tripods from a leading manufacturer a number of forum members use there equipment. And also here http://firstlightoptics.com/products.php?cat=134

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The 15x70 are really useful, and can be hand held, unlike the 25x. At that magnification you really need the tripod. I also do not know how well the objective handles 25x magnification. There are quite some 20x80s out there which already sport "semi-apo" triplet lenses, so I think 25x on the doublet is stretching things a bit. I went for the 15x70 precisely because the 20x80 would definitely require a tripod at all times.

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£80? You can have my Celestron 15x70s for £45 if you like (boxed and as new).

I bought them because I was advised to before I bought a scope. I've used them probably 3 times, and don't think I'll ever use them (or any other astronomical binoculars) again now I have my scope. I was only really intrersted in the imaging side right from the start.

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£80? You can have my Celestron 15x70s for £45 if you like (boxed and as new).

I bought them because I was advised to before I bought a scope. I've used them probably 3 times, and don't think I'll ever use them (or any other astronomical binoculars) again now I have my scope. I was only really intrersted in the imaging side right from the start.

Hi I would certainly be interested, if you can guarantee me they are like new undamaged etc and can come up with a safe way of trading like paypal then please get back to mr asap

Many thanks

Richard

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  • 1 year later...

Hi, I am new to astronomy so also in the same boat between Celestron 15x70 or 25x70. From what I read above I get the idea that the higher you magnify the image without increasing apperture, the grainier the image.

What I really want to do with binoculars would be to get a decent view of the planets - ie be able to visually recognise Jupiter and get a more three-dimensional view of the Moon. Would either binoculars allow me to do this?

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Binoculars are not the best planetary instruments. You can resolve the disk of Jupiter and see its moons at 10 or 15 times, but more detail is not forthcoming. Craters on the moon can be seen, but for more detail you need a bigger instrument. The key problem is not so much that the aperture cannot take 25x magnification, but that it becomes very difficult to keep the bins still enough to see anything. For me the 15x70 hits the maximum weight and magnification that can still be hand held. Even so, I frequently mount it on a parallelogram mount. 25x70 cannot be hand held.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi,

I am also new to Astronomy. I attended a great one-day introductory course run by The City Lit in London. We were advised to get hold of some binoculars (and Sir Patrick Moore's book) and go out there to look around before thinking about telescopes and other (more expensive) equipment. Having decided to take this advice, I'm not sure which binoculars to get. I've got some cheap and nasty 10x50s already, but they put a coloured ring around objects when I use them terrestrially so goodness knows what they would do for astronomical use. I've got a slightly bigger budget (£100-£250) and I've already got a decent Manfrotto camera tripod (which I hope to use with the new binoculars).

My questions boil down to:

1) Is Celestron a good make of Binoculars for Astronomical use?

2) If not (or even if so), are there other makes that are as good or better (Meade etc)?

3) Are there any makes that stand out as exceptional (even if I have to wait and save up)?

4) Are there any makes to steer clear of (eg Sakura - which seem too cheap to be true)?

5) Will a decent camera tripod be OK when using binoculars for Astronomy or do I need to think about a special tripod too?

6) I can get the Celestron 20x80s from Amazon for about £110, but the 25x100s cost almost £250 - are they worth it for the extra magnification and light gathering?

My initial interest in Astronomy started when I saw some of the amazing photographs of galaxies etc. One day I hope to be able to do something similar - although I do recognise that I will need a whole different set of equipment (and experience and patience) before that is a possibility. In the meantime, I'll be happy with seeing things in our own Solar System.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Mike

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Hi Mike,

There's several topics on SG whereby all of your questions (and more) are answered. Just search on 15x70. That's how I started out a year ago. I bought the Celestron Skymaster but they were out of collimation so I sent them back for an exchange to a £300+ pair! I am now parting with those for a smaller pair of 10x50's as I now also have a great scope that I use at every opportunity. I should add that Celestron Brand some of their gear which is also available from other names and is manufactured in China by UO (United Optics). To confuse matters even more, they sell budget equipment from UO where the quality control is designed to be performed by the consumer upto top notch, much sort after equiipment. The Skymaster 15x70's are also sold by others (Strathspey I think) whereby they are identical, but put together better and cost more accodringly.

Hope this is of some help.

Just read all you can find on here and it will all become clear ... unlike the skies tonight!

Regards

Mark

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