Binoculars (yes, that old chestnut... again!)

[milkyjoe]

Hello to all,

I am (and have been for quite a while now) thinking of buying a good pair of bins, I have had lots of advice from lots of different people and it would seem the best would be a pair of 7x50's. That said, I find porro-prism bins a bit too bulky for my liking and have found an alternative in the form of roof-prism, particularily a pair of Opticron 8x42 bins with Phase Corrected coatings.

Would these bins be sufficient for astronomy use or should I forget this idea and go for a pair of 7x50's; obviously, this comes down to personal choice, which I understand, but I do prefer the roof-prism design?

Thanks in advance.

Richard.

P.S. I quite fancy these little beauties... Opticron Binoculars - Full size binoculars (scroll down to Opticron Trailfinder II Binoculars)

[rowan46]

Not an expert on bino's but for astronomy the front end is the main thing as its the bit that collects the light, there is a saying in astronomy that "apparture is king" however there is one other saying that trumps this and thats the saying "The best scope is the one you use" I magine the same is true for bino's if you can't get on with 50's then get the 42's. they will not be as good as 50's but they are better than nothing and will certainly enhance your viewing.

[milkyjoe]

Thanks rowan. Very sound advice. ;-)

[Nexus 6]

Hi Richard, those bins you are thinking off look fine to me, in fact its surprising how well even a cheap pair of 10x50's will perform and they certainly open up a new window for observing the night sky, could'nt believe what I had been missing out on until I bought some myself

hope you do buy a pair

[milkyjoe]

Thanks Alan,

I just think it might be easier to grab the bins if the night sky is clear as I sometimes can't be bothered dragging the telescope outside, setting it up and then fiddling about trying to locate something to look at when all I would have to do is to point the bins somewhere and look! lol

Sometimes I do like to setup the telescope, but I can never decide what to look at and have already looked at the moon, jupiter, saturn etc... or am I missing the point of astronomy, perhaps I am just a casual enthusiast?! :-\

Richard.

[Nexus 6]

Thanks Alan,

I just think it might be easier to grab the bins if the night sky is clear as I sometimes can't be bothered dragging the telescope outside, setting it up and then fiddling about trying to locate something to look at when all I would have to do is to point the bins somewhere and look! lol

Sometimes I do like to setup the telescope, but I can never decide what to look at and have already looked at the moon, jupiter, saturn etc... or am I missing the point of astronomy, perhaps I am just a casual enthusiast?! :-\

Richard.

the bins are great for open clusters for one, try M44 the Beehive Cluster, M45 the pleiades, a favourite of mine M11 the Wild Duck cluster in Scutum, is on its way back now, an incredible sight! to name but one or two.

as you say, there good for instant get out and go compaired to setting up the scope.

just ordered this lot as I had given my 10x50's to a friend, cheap yes, but looks a bargain all the same.

Stargazers 10x50 Binoculars Starter Pack

[milkyjoe]

Thanks again Alan,

When I get my bins, I will be sure to try and look for those objects you kindly suggested. That starter kit looks OK, but the eye relief is not good for me as I wear glasses. :-(

Regards,

Richard.

[Capricorn]

I use a standard set of 8x42's quite often. Do a perfectly good job. If someone did 8x50's I might be tempted. Bothe sets I have are roof prism and not a problem.

Do you really need Opticrons? They are good but always seem a little pricy, equally they should last a lifetime.

Suggest that you give a set a try first, and if possible walk out with the set you find best in your hand. I looked some years ago and found that even in the premium makes, Nikon and Swarkovski, 2 sets of supposidly identical binoculars could vary.

Not sure but I think Sherwoods may do a good range of binoculars and at good prices if you order on-line.

[milkyjoe]

Thanks Capricorn,

What make are your 8x42's and do they have phase coatings?

I don't need opticrons, no, but the only reason I chose them is because I've heard good things about them.

What do you recommend?

Thanks.

[scogyrd]

I think that, generally speaking, porro prisms are better for astronomy because roof prisms have more glass in them for the light to go through, which can produce dimmer images. Of course this only applies if both the bins have equal specs/coatings etc.. A £1,000 roof prism will outperform a £50 porro prism but given the same price/specs/etc. roof prisms are better.

[nicnac]

you will not go wrong with the opticrons, you have heard good things because they are good, these and Helios

got to admit, i am no fan of roof prisms, great for terrestrial but porro's are better fro astronomy in my opinion

have you seen opticron's imagics, they aint bulky

Porroprism - Opticron Imagic TGA WP Porro Prism

[NGC404]

Think for less than £50 , you will struggle to beat the Pyser 7x50s

Probably the lightest pair of 50mm bins I,ve tried

Plus if you wear glasses they have about 24mm eyerelief

[4lefts]

another vote for the opticron imagics. i have the 10x50s and will tell anyone who'll listen how great they are - yes, they're porroprism, but they're only 40g heavier than opticron roof prisms here: Roof Prism - Opticron Discovery WP PC (which come in 8x50 btw)

[Nexus 6]

just had a look at those Pyser's, do look good but could not find a weight for them but don't imagine thats an issue for bins that small anyway.

[milkyjoe]

I've not heard of Pyser, and you have a lot of bins!

Think for less than £50 , you will struggle to beat the Pyser 7x50s

Probably the lightest pair of bins I,ve tried

Plus if you wear glasses they have about 24mm eyerelief

[Ad Astra]

I can't tell you much about any brand or model for sale in the UK, but there are a few general points.

1. A 50mm bino gets about 50% more light to your eye than a 42mm, this means much more reach in terms of faint objects such as dim stars or extended nebulae. This is much more significant to the eye than you might think.

2. Porro prism are always far better than roof prism (straight through) models. Porro prisms are more efficient with light and will give brighter images. In daytime viewing, this doesn't matter because there is plenty of light; but for astronomy, you will notice a significant difference.

3. Fully multi-coated optics (all surfaces!!!) can be as significant as aperture. Uncoated binoculars (I don't think anyone makes these anymore!) lose up to 50% of the light before it reaches your eye. FMC optics can cut the loss down to just a few percent. A fully multi-coated 42mm pair can be brighter than a poor quality 50mm pair.

For what it's worth, the 7x50 is the primary binocular I use in teaching astronomy (I have over 40 pair in service on 3 campuses). We do have 10x50's, and binos with 70, 80, and 100mm apertures for special work, but the 7x50 is the real workhorse of the program. Bins, as you call them over there, are really wonderful and deliver views that few telescopes can match.

Let us know what you decide!

Dan

[milkyjoe]

Hi Dan,

Thank you for your interesting comments.

OK. So porro-prism bins it is then, and 7x50 are better than 10x50 for astro work?

I will let you know which pair I decide to buy very soon.

Thanks again to everyone for their help.

Rick. ;-)

[mcro89]

Hey,

I have been searching around for a while now, getting advise on what is the best sort of bins to get for general beginner stargazing and most people say 10x50.

I have found this pack which i will probably go for because i have less than £50 budget. Stargazers 10x50 Binoculars Starter Pack

Anyone have any comment on this pack? is it good?

The main things i have learnt is that good astro bins should be-

Porro Prism which are Bak-4,

Exit pupil between 5mm-7mm.

Also that anything bigger than a 10x50 you most likely will need a tripod to get steady images.

Matt

[milkyjoe]

Does anyone rate the Helios Naturesport Plus 10x50's?