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View Full Version here: : Travel scope or Binoculars?


simmo
08-11-2014, 08:51 PM
Just like the title says I was wondering if people have any advice on the best option? I'm travelling quite a bit at the moment and there's no way the 10" is coming along. While IIS and S&T mag. fill some of the void they do little more than to fuel my urge to do a little visual observing. I have been thinking of packing my finderscope, which at 50mm isn't short of the aperture I'm looking at. As for price I might spend say $500-600 all up and a little more for a tripod. All thoughts and advice appreciated.:)

Edit: I should state that the 60mm scope would have to be a short focal length obviously for compactness and richer field of view. eg stellarvue sv60

simmo

Amaranthus
08-11-2014, 09:00 PM
For me, the most convenient compromise is image stabilised binoculars. They are wonderfully convenient, being compact and hand held, yet with image stabilisation in operation, they are rock steady and so feel like a small telescope. I take them whenever I travel to an interesting location (e.g. during my trips to the northern hemisphere).

I got a pair of Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars recently for $750. Just superb for astronomy, as well as for birdwatching and other daytime uses. Gary Seronik from Sky & Telescope will back me up here :)

http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/25

Allan
09-11-2014, 07:55 AM
My experience is similar to Barry's. I take my 10x50's to the US so I can have a look at the stuff I can't see from here. I guess it comes down to how much effort you want to put in. For me the bino's are good enough because I don't want the hassle of a bigger scope and mount to carry around.

julianh72
09-11-2014, 10:23 AM
Lots of good ideas on this thread:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=127796

My $0.02 worth:

10x50 or similar binoculars are a no-brainer, as they are easy to pack, and are great for both daytime terrestrial and stargazing use.

A compact OTA on a reasonably solid camera tripod can also be packed easily, and can also be used for both daytime and nighttime use, especially if you have an erecting 45 degree prism. My 90 mm Mak is a great travel scope!

ZeroID
10-11-2014, 05:41 AM
If you're a DSLR camera buff and carry a decent telephoto and tripod with you then an adapter for the lens is an option maybe. Couple of EPs and you're away with minimal extra to lug.
I'm looking around for a cheap 400mm non zoom or similar to try it with. Could also double as a guider scope.
My normal travel scopre would be the 80 F5 and the AZ3 but that would be in a car, otherwise binocs for air travel etc but the lens adapter option is a starter for that because I always have my camera gear with me.

N1
10-11-2014, 06:30 AM
Always great to be able to observe when travelling. A small fast refractor on a solid tripod is the best compromise for me. It shows all a pair of binocs can at low power due to the short focal length, plus gives halfway decent views of the Moon and planets when used with a higher power EP. True, it's not bino vision, but it makes up for that by great image stability when mounted. Arguably, it's also more comfortable when used with a diagonal. The OTA travels in my carry-on, the tripod gets checked. You can also use it terrestrially as long as the diag is upright. That way the image is mirrored horizontally but erect. The extra power is a bonus here too.

When I have a bit more room, I take my 7x50s as well though. They're great for scanning around but don't show Saturn's rings among other things :P

Brent, that camera lens conversion business is really interesting. Do you know of an attachment that allows standard EPs to be used? I understand the Lens2Scope thingy has its own pre-installed eyepiece? That, plus the price has been putting me off.

dannat
10-11-2014, 07:10 AM
i always carry binos but also have a 70mm mak scope -very small & i have 2 fixed ep's for it -one giving 18x & 2˚ fov, the other gives roughly 65x...it is a nice balance -means you can look at saturn & still see the rings ok

David Niven
10-11-2014, 08:47 AM
Recently I purchased a 20x80 Skymaster bono from Vti.
Great for general viewing and loved the portability.
Now I am using it more than my 8 ins SCT or 5 ins refractor!

mental4astro
10-11-2014, 09:11 AM
Hi Simmo,

If this is for visual, then I would suggest binos first. Keeping in mind that when we use both eyes to observe at night, by the way our brain works the resulting image is brighter than when viewing with one eye only.

The best example I can give is my own experience. I have an 11X70 pair of binos. The closest single aperture I've been able to give me as close an image as these binos is 100mm. 80mm is to small - tried that first and then went up to 100mm.

I had a 10X50 pair first, until they were damaged. In looking for a new set, I did contemplate 25X80 binos. Several factors led me to drop these for the smaller 11X70:

* 25X80 are big. Too big to hold for too long in your hands, and too much magnification to be stable in your hands.

* The true field of view in 25X80 is small. The wider field of the 11X70 makes them more versatile for both astro and terrestrial. Coupled with the lower magnification, makes for stable hand held viewing.

* The net aperture gain is not significant enough to overcome the smaller exit pupil of the 25X80. 11X70 won there again.

* The size and bulk of 25X80 makes finding a suitable mount for difficult. The 11X70 being smaller & lighter, and the lower magnification allowed me to use what I already had to make a very suitable tripod mount for it. The photo tripod I have would not have been suitable for the 25X80, meaning even more expense, and a bigger and heavier tripod/mount again. Not great if you are travelling and space and weight are at a premium.

Yes I do have a 100mm f/5 refractor, and I do use it more frequently than the binos. But, they are different creatures for different purposes. The refractor is bigger and heavier and less versatile than the binos for travelling. On the occasions I go bush with the family, the binos are all I take and I'm as happy as a pig in mud, :D

I certainly do not feel these 11X70 binos are inadequate aperture wise either. I've managed to resolve Omega Centauri with them, and it is extraordinary how many galaxies you can see with them. As far as rich field scopes go, I wouldn't trade them for 15X70 or 25X80. What this set gives me far out strips anything the other binos can offer.

Just be careful where you buy your binos from. A mate of mine got his 11X70's cheap from ebay - flaming disaster they are. Field of view is narrower, and the distortion of the image starting from 60% out from the centre is appalling. Mine were not overly expensive either, house branded from Andrews Communications. But they perform very, very well, sharp across the whole field of view, and generous AFOV and eye relief.

I also made a very simple mounting block for it to couple it to my existing photo tripod. That miserable 'stalk' mounting block is more of a hazard than a help. That stalk leaves the binos way too high above the altitude pivot point of the tripod head, making it not only unstable, but you need to overtighten the tripod clamp to get the thing to hold. The block I made uses this same stalk, but attached in a different way. It is nothing more than a plywood off-cut that holds the binos in line with the pivot point of the tripod head. I've attached the mounting block of the photo tripod to one end of the plywood and the bino stalk to the other. The tripod mounting block is easily removable so I can use it with a camera. I've worked out the centre of gravity of the binos well enough and positioned it on the block so that I can now leave the clamp totally loose and point the binos to any angle in altitude, including directly vertical, and the binos don't move - totally impractical in this situation, the vertical, but it shows what a little bit of thinking and tinkering can do. The photos below shows the binos rig I use. Best of all, it cost me nothing to make, :) weighs next to nothing, and makes use of what I already have.

Some food for thought.

Mental.

PS: My post while a suggestion, I hope it will cause you to think about what you want out of the gear, and some of the pros and cons. A scope could be just fine, but there are trade-offs with any piece of kit - eyepieces, finders, mounts, cables and power (if an eq mount), portability (stowage, weight, complexity of set up and take down, even robustness), visual capabilities (aperture, focal ratio so magnification and FOV particulars), versatility (terrestrial & astro). All this for both binos AND scopes. I'm also working on a 114mm f/4.4 travel scope. Very different beastie to the 11X70 binos, and will be more complex to set up, but offers different things too. No one single correct decision.

ZeroID
10-11-2014, 01:18 PM
No, I haven't seen anything commercial although I've heard rumours. I will make something to fit my 300mm KM tele when I've sorted the ob out. Biggest issue is the short distance to the focal point so the EP would just be in line with the OTA, no diagonal. A barlow might work here maybe.
My other option would be to pick up one of the little 80-90 f8 mirrror camera lenses. Some of those come as tele and scope options with their own diag etc. I've seen a few go through on trademe recently. Biggish centre obstruction but very compact with longish FL and no CA.
I'm also keeping my eyes open for an old 400mm manual lens from the old days. 85mm objective, f 4.5 or so. Would be a good conversion as a guide scope even.

simmo
11-11-2014, 04:42 PM
Thanks for the replies everyone,

For this trip I have brought my viewfinder along to gauge what a small aperture is capable of if that is all you have. I was glad I did as I got quite a few Messier objects around Sagittarius last night. The cross hairs got in the way but something was definitely better than nothing. I suppose I haven't seriously taken notice of how much I can see through it. Being a finder I usually only briefly look through it before going to the main scope. A forgotten hero in some ways. The experience only confirms that I could definitely use a smaller aperture aid not only for travelling but also if I just want to pop outside without setting up my 10".

The binocs from Andrews at this point in time seem like the best deal if they are as good as you recommend Mental. I don't have a camera so that kind of rules that out Zero. I have been looking at the Orion mini giants but at twice the price not sure now.

I'm interested in the fact that the binocs are equal to a single aperture of greater size. It was what I was hoping for that because there are two apertures than it would be plausible that twice the light could be gathered. Am I right in thinking this?

ZeroID
12-11-2014, 07:00 AM
Two eyes always seems to be better than one, hence Binoviewers which although they don't give a true 3D effect still seem to offer a better depth of field effect.
I always enjoy my 12 x 50 binos while I'm in the Ob imaging. Scan around for stuff, locate next target or hop stars, follow satellites and planes. Curse at clouds ....

N1
13-11-2014, 12:07 PM
Thanks Brent, yes that only leaves a DIY solution using rear lens caps and the like. Re the Mak lenses, I'm not sure how pleasing they would be in terms of contrast. Would be interesting to look through one. I guess if scopes like the C90 work, so should these - to some degree anyway.