Another new pair of Binoculars

[johnno]

Hi All,
Anybody that knows me, also knows I love viewing the night, and Day sky with binoculars.
I use them during the day for looking at Birds,aircraft and just general scenery,and of course I love their wide fields of view for some of the brighter nightime objects.
I recently bought a pair of 11x56 binos off A.O.E,and mentioned to my wife I would like a lighter pair for primarily daytime use,and when we travel away,I could then use them at night also.
As Fathers day is nearing,she suggested I pick out what I wanted,and she would buy them for me for an early fathers day present.
I decided on a pair of 10x42 waterproof fully multicoated bak-4 roof prism binos.
I must admit,I have allways been a bit leery of roof prism binos,especially for Astronomy.
I emailed Raff at A.O.E and had all my questions answered quickly,and as before,the invitation to return them if I was not completely happy was included.
The Binos arrived yesterday,and I checked them out during the day,They showed surprisingly little field curvature,almost nil chromatic aberration,(they are triplets),and compared to my Nikon 9x25s there is not a lot of difference. and as I am a night owl,I checked them on the moon,early this am,along with a few stars.
The moon was sharp and clear and if there was any Chromatic Aberration, I could not see it,usually you can see a green or yellow tinge around the bright area.
Stars were pinpoints,with very little flaring, even on the bright ones,and edge of field sharpness was better than most of the other 18 or so pairs of binoculars I own.
I must admit I did have a couple of minor gripes.

The tripod socket plastic plug,had snapped off inside the tripod thread,no big deal,I can remove it easily if I am going to use a tripod,(not likely on only 10x42 binos).
Very slight miscollimation,which I feel is quite within tolerences anyway,certainly did not impair the viewing or give me any eye strain problems.
I decided to keep them, Even though Raff was quite happy to take them back,I felt,as they performed extremely well,it was just not worth it.

Two things I really liked,was the twist up eyecups,which lock into place at the top,and secondly, the Click stop diopter setting that stays put.
If I could afford the high end binos,I would buy them over the cheaper chinese types in a heartbeat,however the last 2 pairs I have bought from A.O.E are advertised as,and seem to be the best of the Chinese imports.
I do not have any affilliation with A.O.E,or Chinese binocular Manufacturers,whatsoever.
I simply believe,if you get a good product and good service, at a good price,PASS IT ON.
Regards.John

[asimov]

Hi John. I too have dealt with Raff at AOE quite often lately. The whole team there are great!

[Stu]

Thanks for the great post and review!

I was concidering buying the 10x42 triplets sometime before the Ballarat IIS star party. I thought that a light weight pair would be good to help find where I should be aiming my scope at. The ones I currently have (7x35) have a good FOV but a lot of flaring.

What is the FOV like in the 10x42's?

[johnno]

Hi Stu,
I would not recommend the 10x42 for primary Astronomy,the fov is as claimed about 6 deg,they are roof prism,and I think you would be a lot better off with Porro prism for Astronomy.
As I said in my review,I got them mainly for daytime use,and as a backup for Astronomy.
I would suggest a pair of 8x40,they often have a 8.5 deg fov,and are fairly lightweight.
I am impressed with the 10x42s there is a tiny little bit of flaring on stars about the magnitude of Vega,for eg.but overall I still think Porro prism is a better bet for Astronomy.
Regards.John

[Starkler]

I just got a pair of 15x70's from AOE this week :)

They are kind of hand holdable, being lightweight. They have ample eye relief, nice sized exit pupil at 4.6mm and fully multicoated with bak4 prisms.
Excellent value at $119 :thumbsup:

[johnno]

Hi Asimov,and Geoff,
Asimov, You'r right, the crew at A.O.E do seem to go that extra yard to help,and answer your questions, which makes choosing something a lot easier.
Geoff,
I also have a pair of 15x70s,not as good as the ones you have,mine are Barska's with I think, a lower level of coating than yours ,they have the bak-4 prisms though ,and although I can hand hold them (just),they show a lot more mounted on an el cheapo camera tripod.
Have a look at m42 when you get the chance,the view is fantastic.
Regards.John

[jmb]

new beginner

<HR style="COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->HI
I am very much a beginner, actually i have decided to buy a pair of binoculars and not a telescope at this stage. My problem is, like many, which binoculars to buy...:confuse3:
i have seen a pair of SAXON ZOOM binoculars. 10~30 x magnification 50mm. lens
and a pair of AOE11x56 56mm broadband fully multicoated Binoculars

could anyone please give me some advise...firstly, am i on the right track...secondly, if so which of these would be the best....lastly, any other suggestions.

thanks very much:prey2::help3:
jmb

[seeker372011]

Hi jmb and welcome to the forum


getting binos and learning the sky is the way to go!!


The choice of which binos to buy is dependent upon many factors, one being your age and an other being whether you are going to hand hold your binos or mount it somehow (mounting adds significantly to cost, also reduces the grab and go appeal, but you get at least 0.5 to almost 1 magnitude more from your binos)

Many years ago the standard recommendation used to be 7 x50s. More and more however I see 10 x 50s recommended for hand held astronomical use.

I have a 7 x50, a 11 x 70 and 20 x 80 myself.

The 11 x70 -for me- is the best-has the greatest eye relief, can be hand held reasonably comfortably. Works well in a mirror mount and costs only around $119 from AOE or Andrews.

Bear in mind that exit pupil-the aperture divided by the magnification is an important consideration. If you are over 40 you are theoretically unlikely to get any benefit from exit pupils greater than 4 or 5. If you are younger, then maximising the exit pupil to say 7 could be beneficial.

Whatever you do, since binos do go out of collimation-try before you buy... make sure there is no double vision-nothing is guaranteed to give you a headache faster than badly collimated binos.

hope this helps.

ask away if you have any further questions.

[johnno]

Hi all,
And welcome to the forum JMB,
I think most members agree,Binoculars are very usefull for Astronomy,especially for beginners.
They not only give a correct image,but provide a reasonably wide field of view,"fov",which makes finding things a lot easier for newcomers,like you AND me.
My main grab and go handholdable binoculars,are the 11x56s,they weigh about 1140 gram,and to me are easily handholdable,I am 5' 2",and weigh about 10 stone,(yeah,I,m a giant).
Hope this helps,although you will find a lot of more experienced people here than me.
Regards.John

[jmb]

thanks John

well i ordered the 11x56 and am just waiting now for the delivery...i think it will be a long wait over the weekend. thanks for your help in making that decision...
is there a book or two you think are must have items???
i am finding it very hard to find a site geared to binocular astronomy (for beginners) any suggestions???:confuse2: i must have visited a couple of hundred sites, some i am even recognising now as revisits...so that is about the level of accomplishment i have at this stage.
I've got the latest copies of Australian Sky and Telescope,,and Australian Sky & Space...are there any magazines aiming for binocular astronomy...???
any other ideas or suggestions would be welcome.
thanks again.

[jmb]

thanks Seeker:nerd:
for your advice and encouragement.

janine :)

[johnno]

Hi All,
JMB,
I get the 2 mags you have found,as I said there are many other members,more experienced,and qualified than I.
I have heard of some books that offer LIMITED advice for binocular astronomy,however have never seen a magazine devoted to it.
I would suggest 2 programs that I find very good.
1: is the "ultimate messier object log"or TUMOL,this is free,and can be found via a google search.
It shows where to find Messier objects,and what size Binoculars you need to see them.(your 11x56 should bag heaps)
2: is another free program called "starry night enthusiast",it was provided in the April edition of pc world.
I find this program extremly good,as it allows you to view the night sky from YOUR LOCATION,AS YOU WOULD SEE IT FROM ANY DIRECTION.
if you desire,you can have it display,where the Messier objects,as well as the NGC objects are as well.
Its only my personal opinion,but it is the best thing for the beginning observer,Binocular or Telescope,I have seen so far.
So the upgraded versions,(which you have to pay for),would be to my mind,even better.

Hope this helps,but as I said,there are many very experienced friendly,and helpful members on this forum,who have far greater knowledge than me,I just happen to love observing with Binoculars,because of their large fov's and quick grab and go ability.

Regards.John

[johnno]

Janine,
I should mention,although I find the 11x56s,handholdable,ANY binocular is better mounted on a tripod,or other mount,or at least sitting in a chair,with your arms resting on a stable surface of some kind.
See (attached file hopefully),I allways have trouble doing this.
it is simply an armrest,that is held in place with my legs,on a swivel chair.
To look lower,spread elbows.
To look higher,bring them together.

Regards.John

P.S,unbelievable,I got the attachment to work.

[jmb]

hi John
thanks again for your suggestions.
i will certainly look up the 2 programs you mention...i should probably mention however that i don't even know what ultimate messier object log"or TUMOL

are....so i am not understating my 'beginner' status...:sad: :confuse3:

as for the chair, sounds like a good idea...i can't really get a mental picture i'm sorry, where would i find an arm rest???
regards
janine

[seeker372011]

Charles Messier was an 18 century comet hunter who came up with a list of deep space objects ..his intent was to avoid getting side tracked in his hunt for comets..though he did discover his share of comets, his memory lives on in his list of Messier Objects, most-if not all(?) of which can be seen through binoculars.

the easiest Messier objects for binos are considered to be


(M)4, 6, 7, 8, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21,22, 24,25,31,35,36,37,38,41,42,43, and 45

however a good star chart or the starry night software mentioned above is needed to find these objects.

A great starting point is to go to

http://skymaps.com/

and download a copy of the free sky map. This map also lists the interesting objects each month, for visual, binocular and telescopic observation.

clear skies and take the time to enjoy the hunt.

[johnno]

Hi All,

Janine,
Seeker has covered the Messier objects question very well,and the link to the skymaps will be of great value to you also.
The only thing I would add is some of the messier objects, as well as some of the brighter NGC objects can look like little cotton balls in binoculars, so you wont see objects like the glossy pictures,in magazines show.

As for the arm rest on my chair,
It is simply something I made.
Its 2 pieces of timber,with another piece across the top fitted with a cushion,just high enough for my elbows to rest on,and just wide enough,to be held in place with the pressure of my thighs,its no great carpentary masterpiece,it simply allows you to rest your arms,thereby removing some of the shakes.

Regards.John

[jmb]

thanks

i'll give the seat a try...:nerd:

[jmb]

hi

well the wrong binos were delivered which was very frustrating...7x50s instead of 11x56s...what really stirred me up was that they were in the exact same packaging as a pair i got off ebay for $35.....same plain black box, accessories, even the instruction LEAFLET was the same with the exception of the company stamp...
there are no major problems as the binos will be exchanged...
just extremely frustrating and annoying!!!:wink2: ;) :mad2: :mad2: :wink2:
Janine:nerd:

[[1ponders]]

Hi Janine.

If you're able to get the Starry Night Enthusiast program it allows you to select what "sort" of objects that appear on the screen. For example you can clear all objects and view just the Southern Binocular Deep Sky Objects which is really handy when your first learning your way around the sky.

[seeker372011]

yes we can fully understand how annoying it must be..hopefully the problem is fixed by the weekend!

[jmb]

Just thought someone else may find this site useful:)


The Constellations Web Page

http://www.dibonsmith.com/stars.htm (http://www.dibonsmith.com/stars.htm)ffice:office" /><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com /><o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

<FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3>The Binocular (and Naked Eye) Tour of the Stars</FONT></FONT></FONT> (<FONT)<FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">. <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT>

You'll find how to locate any of the current season's constellations, learning how to find the principal stars with the naked eye. <o:p></o:p>

Those with binoculars are taught how to find many interesting objects suitable for binocular study, such as star clusters or wide binaries. <o:p></o:p>

The tour features over 300 views as seen through binoculars, so you know you're looking at the right object. <o:p></o:p>

regards

Janine:nerd:
<!-- / message -->

[jmb]

hi Paul

thanks for the suggestion of the starry night program...i had problems with the free program that was mentioned...they wanted my credit card details for the trial month period...so decided against it...:lol:
i believe a version was available in PC mag...i'll order back copy...
thanks
janine:nerd:

[jmb]

thanks seeker;)

for the info on Messier Objects, makes more sense...i feel i have come a long way in the last couple of weeks...;)
i think i will work through the list you mentioned .... when the binos finally arrive.
thanks
Janine:nerd:

[johnno]

Hi All,

Janine,
I can fully understand how you must fell after getting the wrong binoculars sent to you.
I had the same thing happen to me,and ended up keeping the wrong pair as the replacements were totally out of collimation,and my patience was taxed to the limit. needless to say,I will NEVER buy binoculars from this dealer again.

You certainly have come a long way in the last couple of weeks,
Well Done.

Regards.John

[jmb]

:)Just wondering about a tripod for the 11x56s...i actually have a camera tripod...is there anything I need to be aware of before mounting the binos to the tripod....
:help3:has anyone any suggestions as good spots to go to in the Brisbane area for dark skies...
Thanks everyone for your help to date...very much appreciated

Janine:nerd:

[[1ponders]]

Yeah come on up to Astroron's place near Kenilworth. It's only about an hour and a quarter drive. Quite a few of us usually end up there during the weekend of the new moon. There's a group going this weekend and another next weekend.

If you want to mount your binocs on a camera tripod you need to get an adapter. Sort of like a gooseneck for the handlebars of a pushbike. You should be able to get a relatively cheap one from camera house for about $12-$15.

[jmb]

thanks a lot, you people have been just so friendly and helpful...i am really enjoying myself:lol:...and the binos still haven't come...:mad2:

i'm seriously considering your offer...
regards
Janine:nerd:

[jmb]

ps forgot to say that it looks like i will be set up once the binos do arrive...the sale price included a tripod adaptor...
Janine:nerd:

[jmb]

Hi All;)

Just thought I would let you know the new binoculars finally arrived on Friday.
Unfortunately, the nights haven't been too good with the exception of last night (Mon) But I am very happy with the binos although I haven't had a lot of use, and I can hear it raining now, so doesn't look like I'll be going out now...
Oh well, back to the skymaps I guess.

I would appreciate suggestions re special needs for tripods for binos ...the one I have is about 4foot tall, the binos appear to be mounted securily...although they do appear to a bit 'top heavy' the mount lifts at times which is a bit of a worry ...once they are screwed to the mount of the tripod, they are fixed in that the binos cannot be tilted up or down...just sideways...also I hadn;t used the tripod much...it came with the digital camera..are these things normal....
any suggestions
thanks
Janine:nerd:

[norm]

Hi JMB,
I've got a pair of 15X70 binocs and admittedly they get a bit tiresome after 5mins of holding up at anything over 60degress.. I then bought a cheap camera tripod from ebay which turned out to be a fizzer - too light, the height was not what was specified, shakey when fully extended (1.5metres). That height is useless to me since I'm 6feet !

Unfortunately to buy a good quality tripod or binoc mount is not cheap. But as a thought I was browsing thru a JayCar catalogue and came across a pair of Heavy duty Speaker Tripod stands. From the specs, they will extend up to 2m and can told up to 45kilos!

To get alt-az movement you then need to take off the head off a camera tripod and somehow work out a way of mounting them onto the speaker tripod - it might just need some brackets/bolts. If that works, all up you could be setup for around $130 and have a very solid tripod.

btw: I haven't persued this as yet, I've resided to just scanning the skies quickly and if I want to look at something for an extended period of time I whipout the old bean bag and contort myself accordingly !:P

[johnno]

Hi All,

Janine,
Norm is correct,
however,
A lightweight tripod might be ok for your binos,as they are 11x56,and therefore Way lighter than 15x70s.

I have both sizes,and found a heavy duty tripod off Ebay,works fine for my 15x70s,paid about $24.00 for it I think,plus postage.

I dont mount my 11x56s,I just handhold them,although ANY size binocular is much better when mounted.

I am a lot shorter than Norm,a Whopping great 5' 3", so the shorter tripod height is not a problem for me.
You can still sit in a chair and straddle your legs with the tripod,even if you have to pull it back and rest it on 2 legs,it is still way more stable than handholding.

Regards.John