Andrews 11x70 Binoculars - Can anyone please post their views

[Draco]

Hi all.

I have looked at multiple binoculars over the past few weeks. I want to make a well researched purchase. I have visited Paxtons (camera shop), Teds (Camera shop), Bintel website, Andrews Website and the more I look the more I get confused.

Some people have commented to me that you get what you pay for, which IMHO is quite true. But I am a believer that there might be some binoculars out there that would be not too expensive yet be in par with some of the more expensive brands.

I have stumbled upon Andrews 11x70 Binoculars. Currently they are priced at $AU149. Has anyone bought one recently? How are they in quality? I do realise that at 70mm aperture, these can be abit on the heavy side. Is this reasonable to assume? How is the field of view and the clarity? Do the objects appear dim or bright? Have you been able to see the moons of Jupiter with these? I do know they would look like points of light. Can Jupiter be seen with its full glory or does it appear as a white circle? What about Saturn?

Sorry for a bombardment of questions. Like a little grasshopper I am hungry for knowledge ;) I guess at $149, even if I make a mistake with these binoculars, I dont lose out that much. However, since it takes me a while to save up, this could mean that in order to get another pair, I might have to wait a few more months :(

thank you guys.. you all have been awesome and very helpful.

[Wavytone]

You don't get what you didn't pay for. But you know that already.

Cheap and cheerful is OK provided you understand that's what you have.

Bright as can be.

yup.


Nope, not a chance with binocs. You need a proper telescope for that, a 200mm dobsonian, SCT or Maksutov.

yup, they are cheap crap. Enjoy while they last.

... or find a better job...
Good luck !

[mental4astro]

Those 11X70 are the best thing I've bought!

Not as heavy as 80mm binos, I've comfortably used them hand held as their magnification isn't too high. But as with most astronomical viewing over an extended period, support is a good idea.

These binos literally had my jaw hit the ground first time I used them at a dark site. The amount of detail they showed in the Milky Way is astounding. I never imagined there was so much dark nebulosity up there. Even around Omega Centauri. Speaking of which, these binos actually resolve this bugger! The detail it shows around Scorpius & Sagitarius is gorgeous.

11X magnification is enough to show Jupiter's moons, but is really too little to show detail on the disk. Saturn too. It may just define the rings, but nothing too definate.

Even from home from Sydney these are excellent.

These binos have an effective true field of view of 4.5deg.

I also considered 80mm binos, & bought one (not the Andrews one) & found it just too big. These are big enough to use by hand, but pack plenty of aperture punch. The lower magnification allows for a very generous true field of view that I prefer.

I love 'em, :D

[mental4astro]

Oh, Wavy, such a cynic...:P

[rogerco]

I've had a pair for a couple of years now. As you say for the price they seem fine and I have nothing to say against that. I find that we one hand I simply can't hand hold them though so they have had little use. I recently tried cobbling together a binocular mount out of a mono-pod attached to a tripod with a lump of weight on the other end. It made the world of difference, see attached pic ;)

[knightrider]

I'd suggest when choosing your binoculars research or ask what quality the glass prisms are inside them.

Here's a link for some basics on binoculars: http://www.chuckhawks.com/binocular_basics.htm

Extracted from that site on prism glass:


You do pay more for the better quality BAK4 prisms but IMO it's worth it.

The kind of quality in the views is mind blowing.
My Bushnells I bought has these BAK4 prisms and they are stunning in both day and night, nature or astronomy.

[mithrandir]

I've got a pair of Andrews 11x70 binos and they are labelled as having BAK4 prisms.

[Rigel003]

I have a pair of these and they're worth the money but don't expect great optics. Very good though for scanning rich starfields. There are noticeable aberrations in the outer 30% of the field and they are hard to hold still. A tip is to support them at the ends, under the lenses - gives better balance. Something to consider is that the exit pupil (the diameter of the light cylinder emerging from the eyepiece into your eye) is 6.4mm which is larger than most dark adapted pupils unless you're very young. That means that some of the light those large objectives are gathering is wasted as your pupil can't accomodate it. For older folks and those not completely dark adapted the 5mm exit pupil from the Andrews 12 x 60 will show equally bright images as all the light will be used. They'll be somewhat lighter and cheaper too. Just a thought.

[killswitch]

How about the Andrews 15x70 (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/76-718-0-0-1-0.html) instead?

Ive got the Orion version from bintel ($149) and its pretty good value for money. It uses BAK-4 prisms and fully coated, also comes with carry bag and tripod adapter.

I could see 3 of jupiters moons and make out saturns ring. Great for terrestrial viewing too.

[Draco]

Thanks killswitch.
That sounds really tempting ;)
The Orion 15x70 Astro was my initial choice however I got told that it was cheap because the workmanship wasn' too good on it and it might not be able to deliver as crisp and sharp images as a more expensive one would .. eg the Orion mini Giants 9x63 :confused2:

[Draco]

Thanks mental4astro.
That helps alot ;) Unfortunately Andrews doesnt seem to have any stock left for the 11x70 :( Would you recommend the Orion 15x70 from Bintel as killswitch as suggested?

[dannat]

i was going to recommend the 15x70 model from andrews but they are also sold out of them, oh well all the andrews binos are bak4 , with broadband multi-coat
bk7 isnt neceearily inferior -there have been some great binos -a great bk7 will be superior to a poor bak4

the orion 15x70 is prob a very simialr model if not the same, its a great size but needs to be mounted

[Draco]

Rogerco .. that is soo cool.. I saw something similar being sold at Bintel from Orion for ~$370

[Draco]

The Orion 15x70 at Bintel seems to be a close match to the Andrews 15x70 that is sold out at the moment. Orion 9x63 is more expensive than the Orion 15x70. Is the 9x63 better than the 15x70 in that regard? (since it costs more?)
Also, is the quality of Japan made binoculars much better than those from China or Taiwan?

[killswitch]

Im pretty sure they are all made in the same factory, just branded differently. To be honest with you, the 9x63 look exactly like the 15x70mm but it likely has better glass, not sure how much better though.

I think the best way to decide is to have them in your hands. Perhaps drop by Bintel

Also, i didnt have to collimate the prisms on my 15x70. I did find the coatings on the objective lens too soft. I managed to put micro scratches them using the cloth they included.

[Draco]

thanks killswitch. i will try to go around Bintel today to have a look. Btw when viewing the moons of jupiter.. did you use a tripod or handhold the 15x70 ?

[killswitch]

Best to use a tripod. Your eyes will strain from the shake. Your hands will eventually get tired too

I just use a manfrotto photo tripod with a ball head. Works well enough.

[Draco]

thanks killswitch. Yea I have a cheap 10x50 Digitor Binoculars that I had picked up from DickSmith a while ago (dont ever get this.. they have a ruby orange tint which makes the stars appear in spread colors :( ) and though they are good for the price I paid ($50) .. they are unable to resolve jupiter .. let alone its moons :( and they are quite hard with just handhelding.. esp cause of the shakes at that mag

[atman]

Hi Niv,

I have a pair of Celestron Skymaster 15x70 bins.

(With 2 friends got 3 pairs from USA - worked out at $98 each delivered.)

We were aware of the risk (freight too expensive if there were warranty related issues), but half the price of buying in Australia.

Provided they are held perfectly still - can see the moons of Jupiter.

They are light enough for terrestial use also.

Everyone is happy with them.

There is also a 25x70 version ($120 delivered from UK).

The guys at Bintel were recommending $400 plus bins which I'm sure would be great but my reasoning was that I had spent $500 on an 8" dob, and the binoculars were just a supplement - I couldn't justify spending a similar amount on them.

BTW - the binoculars are a really nice easy way to look at the sky.

Regards Mark

[Irish stargazer]

I also have the 15 x 70 Celestrons. Nice binos. You need to replace the supplied tripod mount adapter with a metal adapter as it is pretty wobbly. The smaller exit pupil (around 5mm) helps in not so dark observing sites.

[Draco]

Got my Andrews 11x50 Binos yesterday. Took them out for a spin last night and managed to see the moons of jupiter and those of saturn.. Yay! They looked like smaller pinpoints around a larger point of light but still very exciting. Should I expect to see an form in Jupiter in this binoculars or is it ok to expect it as a point of light? Also I was just about to make te ring of saturn though the light was quite spread so couldnt make it out that well. Is this expected?