Orion 15x70 Resolux binoculars

[Allan]

Used my new binoculars for the first time tonight. I have had a pair of the 10x50 Resolux for about 3 months now and absolutely love them. So I decided to get the 15x70 with the paragon binocular mount. I wasn't expecting too much between the cloud breaks and near full moon, but was surprised to see the rings of saturn plus the moon in the same field of view.
Can't wait to give it a good work out when it gets dark again. I absolutely enjoy ticking off Messier objects with binoculars, but was strugling with some of the fainter galaxies with the 10x50's.
I would be interested to know how many Messiers' people have managed to observe from Australia.

[mental4astro]

Hey Allan,

Of the 110 Messier objects, 100 can be seen from Oz. A keen eye would be needed with binos though with the smaller galaxies, as you mention, even 70mm ones.

The aperture grunt that 70mm binos have is truely amazing. I have an 11X70 pair (not Orion's though), & from a dark site the image is spectacular.

I had been so focused on the narrow field of view that a scope offers that I was totally unaware of the different perspective that a really WIDE field given by binos offers of the sky. My binos give me a 4.5deg true field of view, which totally changes the context of DSOs in relation to their surroundings: I never knew of the grainy texture of the Milky Way that surrounds Omega Centauri, or the striking juxtureposition on the Coal Sack with the Jewel Box, or the amazing finger like dark nebulae the riddles the entire Milky Way.

I haven't aimed my binos at Saturn, but I'm not expecting to see much by way of ring structure with only 11x magnification. But yes a few of its moons are in easy reach. Jupiter is cannon fodder, & Uranus & Neptune are in reach too (Uranus is easy in just about any size binos as it sits at mag 5.5 - just need to know where to look).

Let us know how your first dark sky session with your binos goes, Allan. Enjoy!

Mental.

[Draco]

Hi Mental

I think I have the same bino as you. Is yours the Andrews 11x70? They are amazing and I love using them however with shaky hands, the best I can do is put them on a tripod. I did see titan and an oval really close to saturn and was able to make out its orientation. So yea although the ring is not distinct, it is not hard to make out ;)

Allan, those binos sound really nice. Are you able to hand hold them or do you need a tripod for it?

[mental4astro]

Yep, Niv, mine are the same ones.

I made myself a really simple jig to attach the binos to a photo tripod. The difference with mine to the typical bono-to-tripod adapters is that it leaves the binos in line with the pivot point of the tripod, not 20cm above it. Means I can release the altitude clamp, point the binos to any height & not need to tighten the clamp - the binos stay put. Adapters that hold the binos way above the pivot of the tripod head are always unstable, particularly with big, heavy ones.

Here's a link to the jig I made:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=95823

[Allan]

The Resolux binos give really sharp, satisfying views. I've ticked off 80 Messier's with the 10x50's with some easy ones still to go. I really hope to get all 110 with the 15x70's. I go to the US a bit so will take them with me to see the rest of the northern objects. I would be interested to know if the bino viewers out there think that would be possible using 15x70's.
It's very hard to get a steady image in the 15x70 when hand holding. They are quite heavy as well and I find after 5 minutes or so I start to get the speed wobbles. So I don't try and hand hold them much.
I can hold the 10x50 steady all night. I picked out Neptune with them recently, and while it didn't appear as a disk, it had a really nice blue colour that made it stand out quite noticeably.
I'm still buying goodies for my new XT12g as well. At the moment I feel like I've got too much cool new stuff and not enough time, clear skys, dark nights, etc, etc, to use it all! Cheers

[skysurfer]

It looks like the 1.4kg version (http://www.bintel.com.au/Binoculars/Orion-Binoculars/Orion-15x70-Astro/1044/productview.aspx) (like the Celestron Skymaster) it is the the same as I have (http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p1420_TS-LE-15x70-Porro-Weitwinkel-Fernglas-mit-besserer-Verguetung.html) as they all come from the same Chinese factory Kunming I believe.
I can keep the image steady as long as I sit or lie in a garden chair (particularly when I can lean my shoulders) and while standing only for low objects. Objects high in the sky while standing is for me indeed hard to keep steady.
But the gain over a 10x50 is enormous, 2x the amount of light makes it 0.7 mag brighter. And it provides crisp images and pinpoint stars until at least 2/3 of the FOV and beyond that it is acceptable.
The only con is the rather wobbly eyepiece bridge which finally broke as it is a cast aluminum alloy. I put a piece of 1mm brass sheet between them and an M4 bolt+nut and replaced the center M5 screw and now it is sturdy !
The nicest views for me are:

- Orion Nebula (very nice in a real dark sky)
- Carina Nebula
- M81+M82
- North America Nebula (yes I can see it visually)
- A bigger challenge is IC1396 in Cepheus, but requires a REALLY dark sky, so go to the outback ... I saw it once in my 15x70s + UHC
- Coal Sack area in Crux,

etc. etc.
But all 110 Messiers can be a bit tough, the faintest ones (M108 and 109 in UMa) require a really dark sky.
Not only aperture rules but a dark sky even more !
Buying two 1.25" UHC filters and mounting them into the eyecups can make even a more amazing view of nebulas !

[Allan]

Hi skysurfer,

I hadn't thought of UHC filters for binoculars but I might give it a try. I think M108 and M109 will be difficult along with all those mag 10+ galaxies.
The Resolux are Orion's top end binos. They have high standard collimation and optics, plus a few other nice features. But that makes them heavy at 2.5kg, so I don't try and hold them for too long.