Celestron 15x70's

[BluMoon]

Hello All,
being a complete begginer to Astronomy(apart from a couple of begginer mates).
I dont want to rush in and buy a telescope,so from advice and research I know bino's are the way to go.I have done some prelim shopping around and am currently steering to a pair of Celestron 15x70's.
However I would greatly appreciate any advice or knowledge on said Bino's.
Thanks in advance...

[leon]

Hi Blu Moon

I'm sure the Celestron 15 x 70's are top Bino's, but you will probably need to mount them on a tripod or something, as you will find it impossible to hold to your eyes and get a steady view.

Maybe you should try something in the 10 x 50 range, which are usually able to be hand held reasonably well.

And welcome to this site.

Cheers Leon

[AGarvin]

I have a pair of said binos and feel they're ok. I guess it really depends on what your main goal is with them. If you want them to learn your way around the sky I'd probably recommend a pair 10X50s. They're lighter and have a wider field of view which makes getting your bearings easier.

If you want to do more "observing" so to speak then they're ok. They have good aperture and power and are quite light for their size. I don't have a problem hand holding them for short periods but they do work better on a mount. They also have a reasonable 4.4 degree field of view which I find more than adequate. Some beginners however might find the field of view a bit narrow. As a guide Crux (the Southern Cross) is 6 degrees from top to bottom.

Very important ... try before you buy. The first pair I tried were out of collimation and I've read of others experiencing the same problem. If you feel that no matter what your doing you just can't get a clean focus, try another pair. Also, they do show a bit of false colour on bright objects. I get a faint, slim yellow fringe on the moon. Very faint, very slim, but there none the less.

All in all I really only use them for "sky surfing" and find them fine for that use. Just remember that they're not a pair of Fujinons. You get what you pay for.

Cheers,
Andrew.

[janoskiss]

Welcome to IIS Blu Moon!

I suppose you are referring to the 15x70 Skymaster.
You are probably better off with a pair of 15x70 from AOE (http://www.aoe.com). These binos are fully multicoated (and the coatings are good!) as opposed to the Skymasters which are multicoated, so you'll probably get better contrast with the AOEs. (If you want to lash out you might go for the new AOE MX Ultra 15x70. This is the same bino as the new Astro-Physics 15x70.)

Like others have said if you don't have a good pair of lower power binos get one of these first for handheld use. Something in the range of 7-10x50. (a 15x will need a mount - mounting binos for looking up high above the horizon is tricky)

[dugnsuz]

Hi Blu Moon,
I have a pair of the AOE (generic) 15x70 binos - they are excellent for the price. Don't pay the extra money for the re-badged Celestrons.They probably come from the same factory as the ones from AOE anyway.
Check out the buy and sell forum - someone's selling them for $90.
Bargain!!

I've used them hand held on a recliner and tripod mounted.
I preferred them on the recliner - although they're a bit wobbly, you can sweep the milky way for awe inspiring views. I like the freedom of not being stuck to the tripod! You may not be able to hand hold for long periods though.
Good luck
Cheers
Doug:thumbsup:

[iceman]

Asimov is selling some here:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=13154

[rmcpb]

Wise choice to get into the hobby through binos. I used a trusty set of 7x50s for years before getting a scope. A great way to really learn the constellations, the moon, jupiters moons and how the whole thing moves over the year.

7x50s are great for hand held sessions lying in a banana lounge with a beer. 15x70s can be used the same way for short periods but a simple parallelogram mount (http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1131610/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1/vc/1) can be made for more serious use.

I would recommend the AOE ones as starters and see how you go.

BTW go easy on the beer, alcohol lowers the eyes night sensitivity :)

Cheers

[johnno]

Hi Rob,

I also agree the A.O.E Binoculars are very good value,for the money,
and Alcohol, does lower the eyes night time sensitivity,
BUT,if I am going to ruin my night vision,Thats the way to go.

Good advice though Mate.

All the best.
Regards.John

[norm]

Hi Blu Moon,

I also have a pair of the said binos. I won mine in an Open Night. I find them optically aok. I'm no optical mechanics expert, but I haven't had any issues when viewing clusters or the moon. Omega Centauri, Tuc47 and the clusters around Scorpio for instance look amazing thru them. But as most people said, try before you buy. They do get weighty to hold after a few mins.

What I suggest you do is to grab a pair at the shop and literally hold them say at 45-60-80 degrees and see how you go with their size and weight. If you find them too cumbersome after 30-60 seconds then maybe start with the 10X50's
Also, when you hold them, try to put your arms vertical and close to your chest as opposed to having your arms out wide like 45 degrees. This helps the weight issue.

As for a mount/tripod thats certainly an option - but remember you gets what you pay for. Cheap ones are wobbly, vibrate and a waste of time. Good ones can be expensive, but worth it.

One more thing, from memory Celestron have a lifetime warranty on that binocular, even if you accidently do something with them, ie drop them etc. Check it out to confirm!

Good luck!:)

PS: if the AOE are cheap and do the same job, save the bucks and go for them.