Starkler
28-08-2005, 12:38 AM
Not having spent any money on new gear for a few months, I decided to join in on the current fad of binocular buying :)
I settled on the AOE 15x70's as being a good comprimise between size, weight, usability and light gathering power. These binoculars appear to be the same as ones selling in the USA with the Oberwerk brand on them. The many favourable reviews on these convinced me.
Features:
broadband fully multicoating and bak4 prisms
Ribbed and blackened internally on the main barrels, much like an eyepiece filter thread.
slow focus adjustment making accurate focus easier
comfortable eye relief
4.66mm exit pupil to ensure your eye catches all of the photons :)
fold down soft rubber eyecups
lightweight at 1.6kg
Tonight was the first nights observing for me in months with a surprisingly mild night and clear skies for a change. I observed with my dob for a while but the highlight of the evening for me was lying on my back and scanning the scorpio and sagittarius regions at zenith with my new binos :thumbsup:
I had a ball scanning the sky and checking out the many clusters and globulars in widefield splendor.
Im guessing that the AFOV is something like 60 to 65 degrees. Wide enough to give a pleasing view but I'll reserve any judgement on optical sharpness until I can get them mounted and avoid the shakes. Viewing is comfortable with ample eye relief and these binoculars are a joy to use.
On the downside, the right ocular seemed to move and focus would change if pressing against the eyecups as the focus bridge between the two oculars is made of a flexible plastic.
I then took them out into the street to check their performance with internal reflections. The only reflections I was seeing were those off the lens of the eyepiece from lights behind me that sneaked past the rubber eyecups. If I blocked those with my hand, only the faintest of reflections were visible with bright streetlights just outside the FOV. The multicoatings and internal barrel grooves have done a fine job :)
The general build quality is best described as adequate and certainly not a pair of binoculars you'll be handing down as a family heirloom, but for the specs, perfomance and comfortable wide angle viewing, they are a great bargain at $119.
I highly recommend these for anybody wanting dual purpose astronomy and handholdable (just), binoculars at a budget price.
I give them a rating of four out of five bananas :)
:party: :party: :party: :party:
http://www.aoe.com.au/15x70top2.jpg
http://www.aoe.com.au/15x70top1.jpg
I settled on the AOE 15x70's as being a good comprimise between size, weight, usability and light gathering power. These binoculars appear to be the same as ones selling in the USA with the Oberwerk brand on them. The many favourable reviews on these convinced me.
Features:
broadband fully multicoating and bak4 prisms
Ribbed and blackened internally on the main barrels, much like an eyepiece filter thread.
slow focus adjustment making accurate focus easier
comfortable eye relief
4.66mm exit pupil to ensure your eye catches all of the photons :)
fold down soft rubber eyecups
lightweight at 1.6kg
Tonight was the first nights observing for me in months with a surprisingly mild night and clear skies for a change. I observed with my dob for a while but the highlight of the evening for me was lying on my back and scanning the scorpio and sagittarius regions at zenith with my new binos :thumbsup:
I had a ball scanning the sky and checking out the many clusters and globulars in widefield splendor.
Im guessing that the AFOV is something like 60 to 65 degrees. Wide enough to give a pleasing view but I'll reserve any judgement on optical sharpness until I can get them mounted and avoid the shakes. Viewing is comfortable with ample eye relief and these binoculars are a joy to use.
On the downside, the right ocular seemed to move and focus would change if pressing against the eyecups as the focus bridge between the two oculars is made of a flexible plastic.
I then took them out into the street to check their performance with internal reflections. The only reflections I was seeing were those off the lens of the eyepiece from lights behind me that sneaked past the rubber eyecups. If I blocked those with my hand, only the faintest of reflections were visible with bright streetlights just outside the FOV. The multicoatings and internal barrel grooves have done a fine job :)
The general build quality is best described as adequate and certainly not a pair of binoculars you'll be handing down as a family heirloom, but for the specs, perfomance and comfortable wide angle viewing, they are a great bargain at $119.
I highly recommend these for anybody wanting dual purpose astronomy and handholdable (just), binoculars at a budget price.
I give them a rating of four out of five bananas :)
:party: :party: :party: :party:
http://www.aoe.com.au/15x70top2.jpg
http://www.aoe.com.au/15x70top1.jpg