Binoculars - A Basic Guide for Astronomy

[iceman]

Hi all

Dennis Simmons (Dennis) has kindly written a great and very comprehensive guide on buying and using Binoculars for Astronomy.

Dennis' article is about as comprehensive as you can get and has everything you need to know about choosing a set of binoculars for astronomy. It's a great guide for newcomers to Astronomy, where the first advice given to them is "buy a pair of binoculars". This guide will help to educate you in choosing the right pair!

You can find the article on the IceInSpace Projects & Articles (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/?projects) page, or directly by clicking on the link below:

Binoculars - A Basic Guide for Astronomy (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=63,374,0,0,1,0)

Thanks to Dennis for writing the article!

If you'd like to submit an article or review, please contact me (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/?contact).

[iceman]

Article uploaded.

[Omaroo]

Great article Dennis :)

Now - as an adjunct to this, go and do yourselves a favour peoples, and buy or read a book written by a fellow club member of the Macarthur Astronomical Society in Sydney, Bob Bee, called "Heavens Above - A binocular guide to the southern skies". A very good publication for we SCP'ers.

http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/heavensabove/ (http://home.st.net.au/%7Edunn/heavensabove/)

[DobDobDob]

Great stuff Dennis, well researched and presented. Thank you for your time and effort, well done :thumbsup:

[norm]

Hi Dennis,

Great article. A lot of time was put into this, greatly appreciated and worth reading. Well done.:thumbsup:

[Ric]

Great article Dennis, I have been thinking about a new pair of binoculars and your article has answered a lot of questions that I had.

Many thanks

[erick]

Thanks! Two copies ordered today :)

[Dennis]

Thanks for the information and link – much appreciated.

It’s terrific to see local astronomy publications like this. I’ll update the article to include the reference to this book, for those that may read the article but not browse the discussion.

Cheers

Dennis

[Omaroo]

A pleasure Dennis. It's a great read for people of all skill levels, and this is the book that got my wife Jenny interested in the night sky too.

[Neil Dwiar]

Thank you Dennis, I came on this evening to ask around about the best binoculars to look at prior to purchasing something suitable and the first thing I saw was yours. Great info and I am sure it will be a big help in my decission making. Well Done

[erick]

My copies arrived and I'm very happy with Robert's book.

It would be great for a binocular beginner. Robert has aimed the book at 10x, 12x users. Since I'm working at 20x or 30x, there are objects I could view that he doesn't mention, but I can supplement his text with my other documents and maps. The most useful for me is Robert's tour of 56 individual constellations - straightforward diagrams and descriptions of where to look and of what you are seeing.

I tested it out last night. I followed his tour for Orion and was starting on Leo when cloud (unpredicted by every weather forecast :mad2:) covered the sky and spoilt the show. But I had an enjoyable hour's viewing and Robert took me places in Orion I hadn't been before.

Highly recommended. Eric :)

[sandyinspace]

Guys,
I am in US, I dont find that book here anywhere, anybody has any clues...
Thanks in advance...

[erick]

Sandy

Email Robert:-

"Please contact Robert Bee at rmbee99@hotmail.com for more details."

I'm sure he'll find a way to help.

Remember the book is focussed on southern skies so several northern constellations don't appear in detail.

Cheers
Eric

[Whizgig]

Thanks for you great article it has helped me allot and has answered a few questions that I have had, I have a pair of binoculars but no matter what I do with them when I look through them I get two of the one thing I am looking at like double vision. They are 8-24 x 50 but I think that the eye pices are to wide for my eys and that is why I cant get them to work properly, any help on this matter would be most helpful.

Cheers
Eugene.

[erick]

Eugene, that doesn't sound good! They are probably out of collimation. As you describe them, they are zoom eyepieces? Have you ever had a good view through them? Can you take them back to where you bought them for checking and maybe replacement? If not, I'm happy to look at them if you want to bring them over - I'm just up the road from you.

Eric :)

[Whizgig]

Hi Eric, Thanks for the help I have contacted the shop that I brought them from as you have stated and I will let you know how I go with it, If they wont replace them I would gladly bring them to you to have a look at them as they are useless at the moment and if I do use them I start to feel icky. At the moment I am using my old pair that I had for years they are Panda 8 x 30. The new ones are Condor 8-24 zoom x 50, I should have just brought some from the local shop instead of an online store then I could have tried them before I brought them.

Eugene.

[Dennis]

Hi Eugene

Sorry to hear of your troubles with the binocular.

I’ve looked through several binoculars, from budget to top of the range and although the quality of the image changed dramatically from the low end to the top end, my eyes were always comfortable and relaxed when the bino’s were nicely collimated.

At face value, it seems your binocular is probably not collimated, so your eyes/brain are struggling trying to make sense of the poor image and I suspect this will certainly make you feel quite uncomfortable.

Optical defects such as chromatic aberration or coma at the edges would produce an image that is poor quality, but if the binocular is collimated, your eyes should still feel relaxed.

I would certainly take Eric up on his offer!

Cheers

Dennis

[Whizgig]

Ok Eric looks like I might have to take you up on that offer if that is ok, I brought 2 of them from him one for me and my wife Raelene. The reply from him was:
Hi Eugene,

When I checked these they were fine before sending.

I think the problem is easily fixed. Can you please unscrew the main lenses and the rescrew them in. This should reset the collimation so that there are no double images.

Please do this and let me know.

Now I don't think taking off the main lenses and the putting them back on is really going to do anything??

Eugene.

[erick]

Sure Eugene, send me a PM and we'll arrange a time. We can check them during daylight hours and set collimation then. If you have a tripod they mount on, please bring that - else we'll see if they can be mounted on one of mine. It helps to have the binoculars rock steady to see what is going on.

His response is pretty "sus". So a barrel or both barrels unscrewed themselves and cross-threaded themselves during transport? :eyepop:

I have seen a cheap pair of binoculars where one barrel had been cross-threaded. Obviously no-one looked through them at the factory before they were shipped.

However, have a look and see if one or both barrels look to be on crooked? See if one will turn (undo) and turn it quarter turn by quarter turn for a turn or two and see if the view through the eyepiece changes. Probably not if a barrel is cross threaded, but maybe it will if one of the objective lenses just needs a rotation relative to the barrel.

I don't know zoom eyepieces in binoculars. Could be something funny happening in one of them?

Anywhay, happy to have a look.

Wait a minute - you said two pairs? Are both behaving exactly the same? Could always be a systemmatic error in the factory?

Cheers
Eric

[Whizgig]

Ok Eric, I tried what you said and nothing changed so I took them out and they aren't cross threaded so put them back in and again no change??
So I swapped them still no change so I put them back as they were, so I guess the mirrors are out.

Eugene.

[Whizgig]

Also it gets worse with the zoom the more zoom the more the 2 images are apart, so I guess that make things even worse.

Eugene.

[Whizgig]

Ok I did a bit more playing with it and I now have it very close to perfect what I did was to take off the the two front lenses and but them back on nice and tight you can barely make out a very slight image but not to bad but it still needs correcting to get it perfect. Thanks Eric for all of your help I will PM you to make arrangements for a time ect.
Eugene.

[Whizgig]

A Big thanks to Eric for helping me with the binoculars, I have done what you said and I have now fixed the left & right viewing so they are now perfect. Thanks Eric. As for the telescope it is still no good the image is flared like a comet and very hard to focus it so I have decided to get a 6" dob from Bintel and mount it onto the EQ mount for the time being until I can afford to get the 12" Dob later on. But thanks for trying to mke it better but alas I think its ony fit for the bin so thats where its headed Thanks for all of your help it was much apretiated. :)

[lostnumber]

Hi

this is my first post here. I've been looking around at various websites for binocular reviews but have come up lacking on any good current recommendations for astronomy binoculars. The guide provided here is excellent but for someone who hasn't looked at a pair of binoculars for many years I don't know what the good brands are, what people are using etc.

I am interested in getting a good quality set to start up, something with good sturdy build quality to last many years and with suitable magnification and aperture for star gazing. I am thinking 7x50 or 10x50, these seem to be the minimum specs for beginner stargazing.

So I would like to know if anyone can recommend a few models to check out at the local optical store. I work right near a York Optical shop, would I be best served going straight to them and seeing what they recommend?

My dad had a pair of Nikon 7x35's through which we saw the moons of Jupiter one year. He's had them for many years. I have seen a pair of Nikon 10x50 but haven't found much information or reviews on the specialty of each model range title e.g. Monarch, Action. Do these titles mean much? would you recommend a particular brand/model? Are there any brands to particularly avoid?

Thanks in advance for your help with this.

[DobDobDob]

Hi, if you work close to the store, go in and be honest with them and just ask them straight out to show you the best ones and explain why, then ask if you can go outside (in the company of a salesperson) and try them on something a few kilometres away, that way you will get a feel for the weight, grip etc. and see how the focusing works. They work just as well in the daylight on Earthly objects, if you feel good during the little test on the footpath, then they will work just as well at night on heavenly objects. That's my very humble opinion anyway :P

[PCH]

... or if you don't want to spend too much, yet still be reasonably assured of getting a good chinese pair and great service, you could go here ...
www.aoe.com.au/binoculars.html

I bought the 20x90 giants with the associated stand for a very reasonable $400, although they're a bit more now I see. Still great value though.

Cheers, :thumbsup:

[dannat]

lostnumber, what sort of price range are you looking at? can yougive a range like 0-100, 100-250 etc.. I like 7x50 but you need to have eyes which can take in the 7mm exit pupil & relatively dark skies to take in all the light. 10x50 is now afar more popular size i think.Also you might want to consider whether waterproof/nitrogen purged is important to you, obviously it adds to the price.
As for the nikons you mention - their binos come in a huge range from relative cheap to expensive. The action is at the lower end but expensive in Australia compared with the US price.As an example I bought some celestron regals 10x42 (which retail in Aust for about 1000) in the US for about 330 shipped here - they are well worth it,crystal clear views, & a joy to use
My last pair were bought from AOE, 15x70 ultras - am happy - their site states they check binos before selling which is a big plus in my book

[salt3d]

Hi all

I found this site via a link to the excellent article at the top of this thread. I've only been interested in astronomy for a short while, and one of the best bits of advice I found once I decided to spend some money on it was to start with binoculars before purchasing a telescope.

The article and other threads in this forum have answered most of my questions, but a couple remain. Firstly, at about what age does one begin to lose the advantage of a 7mm exit pupil? My 32nd birthday is approaching, so if I only have a few years of youthful vision left (or if my time has passed already) should I get a pair of 10x50s?

Secondly, I'm happy to spend anything from $150 to about $350. Before I go buying the most expensive binoculars I can find, does anyone have advice along the lines of 'don't spend more than $X unless you're willing to spend $Y, because...'

Finally if there's any general advice anyone wants to share, I'd love to hear it. Cheers!

[lostnumber]

I would be looking to spend $200-300. Those 10x90s look good @ $300, would anyone else recommend the AOEs? I would almost certainly need a stand for them for the sheer weight of them right? What do they weigh?

What are the advantages of waterproof / nitrogen purged? Less susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity?

Thanks for the pointers. Any other recommendations would be much appreciated.

matt.

[erick]

Matt, if you are looking at the AOE products, email them and ask the questions. Then come back here if you would like comment on the answers you receive.

[scottdmann]

Hello IIS,

This is a very beginner question.

I have a 10x50mm set of binoculars, which I mount on a camera tripod. It's great and its definitely helps viewing, however I have the following problem.

When trying to view objects of high altitude (high up in the sky), the stage gets close to 70 degrees and its really uncomfortable on my neck to virtually get underneath to view the object.

How do others get around this issue?

Thanks, IIS is a great forum.

[mswhin63]

I have a deck chair and blanket :).

[Dennis]

Hi Scott

The way that I addressed this problem was by building a binocular parallelogram mount or, just using a camera tripod, by viewing the object either before if got to approx 70 degrees, or after it had passed the zenith and was on its way down, past the 70 degrees altitude “pain-in-the-neck” limit.

Cheers

Dennis

[PCH]

Hi Scott,

this is my answer to that, - but they're a bit more than a pair of 10x50's ;) Definitely worth the extra though :thumbsup:

[dannat]

if you only have 10x50's then the deck chair is the cheapest & most comfortable option - any reclining chair will do, once you go bigger than 12-15x60 then the p-mount or something else is the way to go..I use a large video tripod but sit in a stellar observing seat (gets me to about 85deg)

[scottdmann]

Thanks Daniel, PCH (nice setup you have), Dennis and Malcolm.

I'll try the seat option and timing to get a more comfortable view.

Thanks again,
Scott.

[Lumen Miner]

Any updates? I only ask as my bino's are acting up similar to yours. I'm not sure if I have cross threaded, as the threads are so so damn fine and aluminium.

[scottdmann]

I've been able to solve most of my issues by persisting with the tripod and timing my observing for more comfortable positioning, i.e. objects are lower in the sky.

I suppose a reclining seat or bean bag would work.

[Esseth]

G'day I pretty much new to this, but I’m already getting rather into the whole scene. Reading everything I can find about starting up an interest in astronomy. This site has been great in that regard.

So after much much reading I have decided against rushing out and buying a telescope (as much as I want to do it lol) and going to get a decent pair of binoculars either some 12x60's or 11x56's.

So I have two questions that I can’t find the answers to online.

1, I have seen some binoculars with the tag 10x50 HR, what if any is the difference between standard 10x50's and HR ones.

2, I've looked around at several dealers and "Aquila Optical & Electronics (AOE) (http://www.aoe.com.au/)" seems to be the best value (I found it on the "Binoculars - A Basic Guide for Astronomy" on this site *Awesome guide BTW*), considering I have no experience with it and although I feel a passion. I want to be sure it lasts before I really invest into it. Has anyone had any experience at dealing with AOE?

[PCH]

Hi Alan,

sorry there's been no other replies, so I'll offer my 2c worth. Firstly I don't know what the HR means - sorry. Normally, bins and scopes are described as multi-coated or fully multi-coated. The first means just the lenses are coated while the FMC means all surfaces that light could bounce of are multi-coated. So FMC is the best of these two clearly. And most binocs are fully multi-coated these days anyway, - but worth checking.

AOE have always been really good to deal with in the past, but more than once I've read about people having much trouble getting thru to them. And now seems to be one of those times according to another thread on here right now. Bintel or Andrews have very similar ranges at similar prices.

As for advice about which pair - hmmm !

Bigger is often better, but then you need a mount to keep them steady. So for mininal outlay, I'd probably start with a pair of hand-held 10x50 or similar. And a deck chair and blanket to aid in the viewing process, as you'll need to be comfortable and warm if you're to give this hobby the chance it deserves.

When you're hooked, a pair like this will further enhance your enjoyment of star-gazing .... hope this helps :thumbsup:

[Esseth]

Hey Paul,

Thanks for that, i just had a read of the other post about the AOE contact, i tried to track down a contact number but if they dont want my business (in my line of work, 3 days is more than ample time to respond to an email) ill try Andrews like you suggest.

I did find some fancy binos before i had done my research, but they were only multi coated and they were BK7 prisms so im glad i over reserched it.

Now i am looking at Andrews and ill give them a call tomorrow, now i know i am looking for binos with an exit pupil diameter of about 5+ which means either 10x50 or 12x60, now i live in a city, so would the 60's be better (but i know light pollution is bad in any city so the BEST thing is to get away:P ) or does the bigger aperture make light pollution worse?

Either way i will be taking more trips out of the sity once i get them lol

[PCH]

Hi Alan,

aperture always wins at the end of the day, - whether we're talking about bins or scopes. With more aperture, of course you get more of everything, including the city glare, but you either put up with it or move away - or try a couple of filters which can be effective in a limited way (see bintels filters section for guidance).

Your only consideration now it seems, is what size. Really Alan, for the two sizes you mention there, there won't be any noticeable difference in perceived glare from the city.

I have a couple of pairs of 100mm bins and city glare or no city glare, you definitely get to see more of the good stuff too. Get the 12x60s. Hey, you can always get the 20x90s the following week :thumbsup:

[Esseth]

haha thanks for the help, and yeah i CAN but i doubt ill be allowed by the other half lol

[el_draco]

Be careful of the numbers. They may be impressive but often come with substandard lens and prisms. I spoke to a reputable dealer a while back and he was pretty adament that if you want "excellent images" you pay for it. For 80mm objectives, start around the $1k Au and above. If you want easy to use, no mounting issues, stick around the 50mm objective. magnification 7X to 10X. No higher or you wont be able to hold them steady. $300 on 50mm objectives will get you a good set... IMO anyhow.

[Mousehound]

Excellent initial research. I am a "birder" who is just starting to get into astronomy. Therefore I may have it wrong but these are some observations having reviewed and owned many pairs of bins over the years.
As stated already: big magnification is rarely the thing to go for. I use my bins to get an general view and a scope to get in close if needed. Light gathering capabilities are very important and lower power seem clearer. A wide exit lens is usually a good sign. Make sure you know the proper way to focus bins - look it up. If you think you know or didn't know that there is a correct way then you are most likely not doing it right. Ensure that the lenses can be brought together so that they form a single clear circular view. Generally the more you pay the better but I have had great results with a pair of Pentax 8X45 ($140 on ebay) and Nikon Monarch 10 X 40 (the latter are possibly the best value on the market at about $300). I have also had some nice Olympus and Bushnell (Elite) over the years but have not beeen so impresssed with Steiner. Zeiss and leitz are out of my league although I do have quite a nice Swarovski scope.

If, like me, you might like to use your bins for things diurnal then I wouldn't go past the 10X whatever the brand.

The link below gives a reall good summary of "in the field" use.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/LivingBird/Winter2005/Age_Binos.html

[oosh]

More newbie bino question time ;) I've thoroughly read the article so I have a basic understanding. I've used some nice 10 x 50's comfortably, but am hoping to get something with a bit of a wider diameter to increase exit pupil size.

We originally had our eyes on some 10 x 60's from andrews which were a bargain price of $49, bak4 fully coated. A couple of other IIS members have used them and loved them, but unfortunately Andrews is out of stock of that model and can't seem to tell us when they'll have more. We're hoping to keep things fairly cheap for our first pair of binos, under $200 for sure, which of course means it'll be a trade off between optics and price.

Hoping for something around the 10 x 60 mark I found these Meade 9 x 63's:

http://www.staroptics.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=532

Any thoughts would be appreciated! I'm sure I could go for a pair of 10 x 50's but I'd really like the extra light :)

Thanks guys!

EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention. I remember reading that in regards to more light entering the lens this obviously applies to LP as well. Now we plan to be observing in dark skies as much as possible, but living in suburbia we want them to be able to resolve with moderate suburbian LP without much trouble too. I know this is really a "just go out and try them" kind of thing, but do you think we'd be best off just sticking to something simpler like the 10 x 50's? Of course we don't want to find ourselves wishing for the latter if these Meade ones (or any other model as bright) is so much less usable in suburban skies.

[dannat]

Jason, cheap roof prism's aren't the best buy for astro, in LPareas, good 10x50 pro will be better, under dk skies 9x63 can be better, but it depends on your eyes & your own preferences. A 11x79 or 10x70 ( premium like ultra) may be a better buy

[oosh]

Oh no, I didn't even realise they were roof prisms... and it says it right there. I think I assumed (big mistake!) they weren't becaue they didn't look like the typical roof design, at least to me. Thanks for pointing that out Daniel.

Andrews have some 11 x 70's that are "broadband fully multi-coated", not sure what the broadband is really meaning, for $149. I can't direct link to them, but they're just about half way down the page here:

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm

These aren't roof are they? Am I right in thinking the 11 x 70's will be a better compromise for LP/dark skies?

If not I may just go for a cheapy pair of 10 x 50's and look at a 2nd set down the track pending how they go for a few months.

Thank you again :thumbsup:

[erick]

Hi Jason. Though unfortunately this shop (AOE) is closed, their website remains up. There is useful information in the articles on this page:-

http://www.aoe.com.au/information_educational.html

The Andrews pair you are looking at should be pretty good. Coatings are discussed in the reference above. "Broadband"? - I don't know but maybe there is an answer here?

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbarchive/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/870011/page/131/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all

Edit - Found this:-

What does "broadband" mean?
Broadband is a type of multi-coating, and is the highest-quality multi-coating available from our factories. If you measure the reflectivity of standard multi-coating across the entire range of visible wavelengths (380-780nm), you'll see that reflectivity increases (is less efficient) at each end of the spectrum. Broadband multi-coating has less of an increase in reflectivity at the ends of the range, or in other words a "broader band" of efficiency, across the entire range of the visible spectrum. Note: Every pair of Oberwerk binoculars is fully broadband multi-coated.

ps. Get one of the metal L-brackets ($19) down the bottom of the page to mount the binoculars on a tripod.

[oosh]

Thanks for the tips and the aoe link, looks like a good resource Eric. Might put a pair of the 11 x 70's on order.

[joebee]

I bought the 11 x 70's from Andrews Comms and they work really well, heaps better than the 10 x 50's I had. I got mine for $149 as well, and at the same time got the GSO 12" Dob. I'm lucky as I only live 15 minutes drive from them.

[Jan Masu]

I will grab myself a good pair of binocular to start off...

[erick]

Sadly, no more :sadeyes:

[Joanne Rees]

Now I am confused! I am a newby and have just purchased 10x50 Nikkon bins (ok, i'm jiggy with the lingo now) as that is what was recommended to me. Have I done the right thing? They were not cheap as some mentioned here ($185) but cheaper than the telescope my husband bought for me that I cannot seem to manage. I am off out to Western NSW this Monday, so I will take the above advice and pack my banana lounge. Looking forward to being part of the 'iceinspace' forums.

[Shark Bait]

They should be fine. If you can get the stars to become pinpoints of light then the optics are up to the job for astro work. If you have a tripod and tripod bino mount you will be able to keep them steady and take a lot more time to enjoy the view.

If you are having trouble with your scope, start a post in the beginners equipment section and ask for some assistance. Provide as much detail as you can about the type of scope you have and the areas that you need help with.

This is a great forum. The people are helpful and willing to share their knowledge.

[mkeech]

what is the easiest and cheapest tripod mount adapter for basic binoculars

[Dennis]

This may depend on your particular make/model of binocular.

Most seem to have a ¼ inch Whitworth thread into which you can screw in a post which then fits to a tripod head.

Does your bino have a mounting socket? Manufacturers such as Leica, Nikon and Swarovski make a sort of cradle for binos without a mounting socket.

Cheers

Dennis

[Devilbabi]

Guys, I am a complete noob!
I have read it is best to grab a good pair of bino's before a telescope, I have no idea what any of the lingo I have just read means, can some one link me to a good starter page to read so I understand better what I should be looking for?
Links to good binos would be appreciated too!
Thanks, Amanda

[SkyWatch]

I don't know about the cheapest, but Andrews and others stock a very solid one for around $19. I have one and it hold my 80mm binos quite happily.
See: http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm - click on the "Andrews" bino link and and scroll down to the bottom.
Most binos have a female 1/4 thread under the cover at the bottom of the central join (the cover just screws off).

[pw]

10x50 means 10 times magnification, things look 10 times closer, and 50mm objective lenses (the size where the light enters).

This size is hand-holdable, but quite powerful and gives a good bright view.

Pentax, Olympus, Nikon, Vanguard, Orion are all decent brands (I'm sure there are many other good brands too), decide on your budget and see what they have to offer in a 10x50 or similar size.
Google search for astronomy binocular reviews.

[SkyWatch]

Lots of guides out there. You could try: http://www.ozscopes.com.au/guides/binoculars-guide
- of course they link to binos they sell as "examples"- but they give you a fair bit of information too. They have a big variety of binos on their site, as do Procular: http://procular.com.au/

A good place to start is to look for "7x50" or "10x50" binos: ie 7 or 10 magnifications and the front lenses are 50mm in diameter. If your budget is limited, look for "porro prism" binos (these are the "normal" looking ones that you see everywhere). The other type, "roof prism" binos, require more manufacturing steps and are generally more expensive for comparable quality. This size is a good compromise in terms of power, weight and light-gathering ability, and are good for day-time or night-time use. It would be best to go to a specialty shop and check out what they offer so you find something that you can hold easily and feel comfortable with.

There are big mobs of brands out there too, but if you look around the $150-200 mark you should find something nice. Pentax PCF, Olympus DPS I, Nikon Aculon are all good starter binos that you can't really go wrong with. You can also go for good quality "generic" ones that are re-branded by lots of people, like the "HG" series that Andrews sell (see their site: http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm )

Have fun! :thumbsup:

- Dean

[ManUtdFans]

I just got a 20x50 binocular, able to focus on each eye.
BUT the problem is I cannot get both eye piece overlap. No matter how I adjust the distance of both eye piece still no luck, is it because the distance between my pupils does not match the binocular?

And also it is very easy to get myself to look through the binocular by one eye only with a tiny move.

[Amaranthus]

The interpupillary distance should be adjustable for all eyes. Try getting it right during the daytime, on a distant object.

If you can't ever get a single image, then it suggests your binoculars are out of collimation (they may have been dropped/jarred). Most units can be recollimated, if you remove the cover and turn the collimation screws:
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=416

[ManUtdFans]

I can "see" both images are moving towards each other when I manipulate the individual ones (fold and unfold) but both images hard to merge.

So far I could only get one time to merge them successfully.

[Amaranthus]

Then I suspect the prisms are miscollimated.

[ManUtdFans]

Oh...
I don't know how to do the collimation. How about I just use one eye?

[Amaranthus]

See the link I posted above for advice on how to collimate. It is not always possible, however. I had to 'retire' my trusty Jason Empire 7x50 pair after they got knocked out of collimation. Even manipulating the prism screws couldn't fix the issue.

So it will depend how badly yours are out. I tried using the one eye approach with my Jason pair for a while, but quickly got tired of it and bought a new pair, which I'm very happy with (but they really need to be tripod mounted).

[dredove]

Really nice job helped answer a lot of questions :)

[haroon132]

Thanks for the great advice I will go binocular hunting on Sunday.

[JackieP]

Hi, I know this is an old conversation, but I have similar problem with binoculars. They are just fine during the day, looking at general scenery, which is crystal clear, and I think I have properly culminated them. But when looking at the heavens at night, I see 2 of each thing I look at! I don't know if maybe it is just my eyes/brain not processing those little pinpoints of light very well.

[Tinderboxsky]

Hi Jackie,
I have the same problem. Day time terrestrial viewing is fine but trying to view a point source of light, such as a star or planet, produces two images. The gap between the two bright objects is relatively small for me in low power binoculars and with a little concentration I can merge the two images. However, the gap is significant and a real problem using binoviewers on a telescope. No matter how hard I try I am unable to successfully merge the two images. At medium power, I have found that I can merge the two images of the moon but my eyes soon tire. If I then concentrate on an individual crater, the two images quickly diverge again.
I mentioned this to my optometrist. After a few measurements and tests, he confirmed that I have a slight muscular misalignment of my eyes which is sufficient to prevent my brain merging the two images. There is nothing that I can do about it.
So, I have reluctantly sold my binoviewer and matching eyepieces and have resigned myself to mono observing.

Cheers

Steve.

[JackieP]

Hi Steve, yes that does sound like me - I can concentrate and merge them up, too. I wear contact lenses for short sightedness so that might also be a contributing factor. Like you I might be stuck with it :rolleyes:. Or I might try with my glasses, rather than my contacts. I am using binoculars to get to know the night sky a bit in preparation for using a new telescope my husband bought me for Xmas, luckily it has only a single eyepiece.

[AEAJR]

An excellent article on binoculars. I will add a link to this article when trying to help newbies interested in binoculars.

[N5SE]

:thumbsup:

[GFBrown]

An excellent article and most helpful