Binoculars

[.kraM]

Hi all,

First off, what a great forum this is! Plenty of good info for newbs like me! :P

Anyway, I am about to purchase my first pair of binoc's + tripod and was wondering if anyone has has any experience with the following AOE 11x70s or 15x70s (http://www.aoe.com.au/aoe70hp.html) at all? How much more (or better) can I realistically expect to see over say 7x50s or 10x50s? ... should I just go 'all in' and get a pair of 20x80s? :D

Currently living in an area that has a fair amount of light pollution and won't be using the purchase for anything else other than night sky viewing.

Any help/comments greatly appreciated! :)

Regards,

.kraM

[DobDobDob]

Hi and :welcome: to the forum :D . Go straight for the 20x80 IMHO, you will probably end up there anyway. I have a pair and they are just amazing :thumbsup:

[iceman]

Welcome .kraM! Great to have you on IIS and thanks for the feedback. How did you hear about us?

A lot of people have bought bino's from AOE recently, and I haven't seen any bad reports so I reckon whichever you get will be a winner.

Have you got a tripod to hold them on?

The 11x70's are borderline hand-holdable, and only for short periods. The 15x70's will definitely need a tripod. For astro-observing with binos, there's a lot more to be seen when you can relax and take in the view without your arms shaking or having a wobbly tripod or a sore neck.

Don't forget to read Binoculars - A Basic Guide for Astronomy (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=63,374,0,0,1,0), and look at some of the articles and threads for home-built binoculars mounts.

[.kraM]

Thanks guys. I found you from a google 'net search.

Currently have an old tripod but might pickup a new one with the binos, and yes, think I might pickup some AOE 20x80s :)

Regards,

.KraM