20x80 Binoculars

[StephenRH]

I am considering getting a pair of 20x80 Binoculars. I have a pair of Meade 9x63s but want something that will see fainter. Like many people I am on a limited budget so want to get the best value for money without sacrificing quality too much. Steiner would be nice but outside my price range.

Has anyone used the BARSKA 20x80 WP Cosmos Binoculars?

BTW I will be using these for bright variable star observing down to about mag 9.

I would appreciate your feedback. Thanks

Stephen
NZ

[dannat]

havt used the barska but here is some posts on CN bino foum about barska binos -basic chinese binos (edge wont be great-neither will mechanics) -make sure you check the alignment when you get them & you have a decent tripod/pan head to put them on

what price are they -andrews have the 20x80 triplets for 200+

imo get the 15x70 lightweight-much easier to hand old for short peiods, lighter & require much simpler tripod.15x power is the sweet spot for me in binos

[brian nordstrom]

:) Hi Steven and welcome to IIS .

80mm binos are huge and you wont be able to hand hold them for long , way to heavy so you need a tripod of some sorts as Daniel say's to use them properly and you will be impressed with the views once they are mounted .

I had a nice pair of 25x100's and the views of DSO's from a dark sky were awesome , you just get lost in space ,, really good using 2 eyes .

To give an idea of what you need , here are my 100mm binos mounted on a set up I made using different gear I had lying around .

Brian.

[StephenRH]

Thanks for your responses.

Daniel, Amazon has them for $160.00. I already have 9x63 so 70mm wouldn't be much of an advantage. I really did want 80mm objectives. I have the fainter range covered with my 12" LX200.

Brian, I am getting a bigger telescope made for DSO and that will enable me to get down to about 165-170. I don't mind the weight as I will only be using them for short periods of time and I do have a really good solid camera tripod.

I have read a couple of reviews on the Barska 20x80 and people mentioned the importance of checking alignment.

Thanks again
Stephen
NZ

[Renato1]

Unfortunately, I haven't tried Barska ones. You will need a tripod for them. But having attached them to the tripod, you'll find that you can easily look all over the sky by holding the tripod legs and lifting the tripod and binoculars up - the extra weight stabilises things a bit.

I did once buy an extra cheap pair of Sakura 20X80s ($52 on Ebay) which were reasonably okay (except that they had a bit of that looking down a well experience to them), but their big advantage was that they were only really 17X, making them easy to hand hold.

Regards,
Renato

[brian nordstrom]

Renato , I read on CN's , I think it was that the Sakura 80mm binos are only about 70mm clear aperture , you get what you pay for , but $52 is cheap enough but I would rather have a good pair of 70mm binos , a lot easier to hand hold .

Brian .

[LightningNZ]

I think at that magnification/exit pupil you might be disappointed in the brightness of those fainter objects you are after.
-Cam

[Renato1]

Hi Brian,
The Sakura pair isn't as bright as my 20X80s, but are definitely brighter than my Celestron Skymaster 15X70s.

My guess is that they are actually 17x75s.

They are a fun knockabout pair. A few times at club nights, some people have wondered how I was handholding such a big pair.

I also have a heavy pair of 18X80 binoculars that were modified by Roger Davis. I don't have much trouble hand holding those ones either.

After posting here earlier, the clouds cleared briefly so I attached my 20X80s to my tripod, went outside and - the tripod leg clip broke, so that it wouldn't stay upright. It's unfixable. I was quite annoyed as that is my only fluid pan head tripod, and I've only gotten 21 years use out of it since I bought it at JB HiFi.
Cheers,
Renato

(P.S. I fixed the tripod, but it will never fully retract again).

[brian nordstrom]

Good point Renato , you would not want to take along a $1200 pair of fujinon binos to a public night and let joe public use them in the dark,,, OUCH !!.

Brian.

[Renato1]

Actually, I think it's best to keep all big binoculars away from inexperienced users. I remember years ago a fellow club member trying to use my pair of 20X60 Helios binoculars on a tripod.

These 20X60s are my sharpest pair, but in more ways than one. She did something wrong with the tripod, and they wound up belting into her nose, drawing a tiny bit of blood. She looked very distressed.
Cheers,
Renato