Anyone use Orion 2x54 Ultra Wide Angle Binoculars

[Stonius]

Link below,


I'm wondering if anyone uses these and if so, what do you find them most useful for? They seem so tiny compared to most binoculars (no prisms, I guess!). Strange looking beasts.



https://www.amazon.com/Orion-2x54-Ultra-Angle-Binoculars/dp/B084R99W8Q/ref=sr_1_3?crid=SMNPU1PHXZOG&keywords=wide+angle+binoculars&qid=1661102238&sprefix=wide+angle+binoculars%2Caps %2C130&sr=8-3


Markus

[seeker372011]

Not sure what the use is- suppose it is meant to increase the light gathering power but would be nice to see what someone who has actually used them has to say

Btw cheaper alternatives are available on AliExpress


AU $82.79 37％ Off | Binocular Stargazing Mirror Outdoor Camping Telescope Large Eyepiece Wide-Field Binoculars F Star Field Observing Constellation
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0Vfm6Y

[Stonius]

Yeah, true. At that price, it's almost worth it just to see what they're like. Maybe they'll make defining those faint constellations a bit easier. Presumably with less shake than normal binoculars and more context from the surrounding sky. Hmmm


Markus

[seeker372011]

So is it going to be me or you who’s going to give it a go?:confuse3::confuse3 :shrug:;);)

[OzEclipse]

Your eyes have a maximum dilation of 7mm at age 15. By 50-60 maximum in the average person has reduced to 4-6mm. The light from the 27mm exit pupil is mostly wasted.

With a 2x magnification, you can only use about 2x5mm up to 2x7mm of the primary aperture, ie 10-14mm of aperture. The rest of the 54mm aperture is just counterweight. They should make them 2x14mm.

I had a look through a pair that someone bought at astrofest. I compared naked eye mag limit to the binos in dark sky, dark surrounds and it seemed to me to be delivering views and limiting magnitudes consistent with the smaller aperture.

Joe

[Stonius]

Good point, Joe, that didn't occur to me.

[astro744]

There are some misconceptions around exit pupil. See second sentence in Myth #2 at https://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=86

[N1]

I have the Vixen version of these (2x40 or something like that). They're fun and add to the experience at a dark site. The experience is less similar to regular binoculars and more like naked-eye - but on steroids. Having said that, these were a present, and I probably would give them a miss and spend the money on some other kit instead.

They really come into their own under properly dark skies. Any skyglow - meh.

A discussion of these binoculars here (https://agenaastro.com/articles/product-reviews/vixen-kasai-reviews.html) suggests that the large aperture is actually needed to get the FoV, rather than a particular exit pupil:

[Stonius]

So what I'm understanding from the above is that the overlarge exit pupil is about getting that field of view. The magnification is so low that the loss in resolution is not noticable while the brightness will still be equivalent to a 14mm aperture.

[N1]

That's correct. It may well be that the oversized exit pupil is in fact needed too - to get the light to your eye at such wide angles.