100mm Binoculars

[Digby]

Am in the market for a pair of 100mm Bino's. Can anyone steer me in the
right direction? Is anyone observing, and has first hand experience with
such large binoculars.:)

[g__day]

Andrews Communications sells them at a great price. They are heavy - you need support! I use 20 * 80mm ones - fantastic!

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

Giant 25 x 100 FB
binoculars

New low price
$419.00 AUD !


Genuine breakthrough pricing on a true giant binocular. Why pay more?
Magnification is 25 times and lens aperture is 100mm
Superior prism housings assures perfect prism collimation
Broadband fully multicoated (BBFMC) to level IV on all BAK-4 prisms and objective lens surfaces
Rubberised all-metal body is both water and shock resistant
Individual diopters focusing adjustment!
Built-in stainless steel mounting bar and bracket
Aluminium carry case included

[erick]

Digby, I have a 30x100 from Aquila Optical and Electronics (AOE):-

http://www.aoe.com.au/25x100.html Price $419

Now, you have to remember that this is the cheap end of the market which can extend well up over $1,000. However, I like them - great on small open star clusters, on nebulae. Globulars come up well, but don't expect to resolve individual stars - more "cotton wool" than "granular". Bright objects tend to flare somewhat - so seeing the shape of Venus, or clearly resolving the rings of Saturn are challenges. Best I can do with Saturn is resolve the gap between rings and planet. Apart from a bit of colour around the limb, the Moon is a great view in these.

BUT, you will need a suitable way to mount them - they are big and they are heavy.

This was my solution - in fact, they are the 30x100s on that fork mount I made:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=16090

[Jackson42South]

I have been using these (20x100FB) for over a year now and really like them, but in saying that I must also say that they do show a lot of colour fringing on large bright objects such as the moon.
Not the best for terrestrial use due to the fringing, but not as bad as I thought they would be. Usable would be the best way to describe them here.
But when used for wide field astronomy, open clusters and comets etc. they are at their best – I love them.
You would need to pay around $3000 for a really good pair, so $400+ is a bargain, and if you can live with the colour fringing (I do) then they are well worth the money.

As stated elsewhere, you will need a good tripod, or some method of holding them, as you would need to have arms like Schwarzenegger, to be able to hold them up for more than a few minutes.
:thumbsup:

[g__day]

I use the 20 * 80 as they are triplets - sensational viewing for just over $200

[Satchmo]

Erick, Must be a lot to do with your local sky? I used a pair of the Optex 25 X 100 binos which are the same as all the generic 25 X 100 FB's floating around under various brand names, and at the SPSP ( 250km from Sydney ) was blown away to see Omega Centauri beautifully resolved into a mass of pinpoint stars. Yes, these binoculars show colour in the day or on the Moon , but for Deep Sky work they were very sharp and clear over 3/4 of the field. Definately a great bargain.

[Digby]

Thanks for the feedback. I have two small girls who keep me on the run, so
do not get back to the forum as quickly as I would like.
I have to admit that I have a bit of a binocular addiction.I have built a 300mm F5 Binocular Telescope. ( 64x using 24mm Televue Panoptic's)
I have also a pair of 10x70 Fujinon's, a pair of 8x42 Meopta's(new addition)
So you can see that I need to fill the gap in the 25-30x Mag. My worry in
choosing a chinese big bino, is that I will not be happy with the view, no
matter the cost, or value for money. The problem is also that one can never
test the bino's that AOE or Andrews sell in night time conditions.
So I rely on the advice and wisdom of my fellow star gazers.



:)

[erick]

OK Mark, I had a good look last Friday night at Omega Centauri out at Snake Valley. Through the 30x100s, another observer and I agreed that though we couldn't see pinpoint stars, the granularity was evident - definitely better than the "cottonwool" I had suggested! Thanks for correcting me. :)

[Satchmo]

Yes my memory of the pinpoints may have been a case of glossing up a memory , but it was certainly resolving , and much more impressive than what I am used to seeing in a small binocular. Glad that you had another look and got such a great view.

I'm really into convenience these days. Although they've had mixed reviews, these RA-88 Right angled binoculars coming with 2 extra sets of eyepieces are really taking my fancy ( at $499 UD...

http://www.opticsplanet.net/apogee-20-32x88mm-binoculars-right-angle-astro-vue-series.html