Looking to replace my old 10x50's

[smitty]

Hi all,

I am looking to replace my old 10x50's with something a bit more powerful, and the 20x80 SkyMasters looked OK.

Does anybody have experience with these or similar?


Sean.

[chris lewis]

The Celestron Skymasters are an 'average' generic Chinese 20x80. They are not fully W.P. or have the preferred F.M.C. coatings. They are 'Multi Coated' only.
Some of the 20x80 from Andrews / AOE etc. are F.M.C and W.P.
W.P is not vital unless you live in coastal or humid conditions.
As with most 20x80's they will need to be tripod mounted. You will need to acquire a tall and steady tripod that you can get 'under'. This is a cost you have to take into consideration.
A concern also to be noted is that most generic Chinese 20x80s 'only' measure 72-73 mm true aperture and are around the 18x magnification mark.
As with most Chinese binocular make sure collimation is correct.
If you do get a generic Chinese 20x80 ensure they have good return policy.
An alternative is acquiring a higher quality 'Ultra' 15x70 Binocular as also sold by Andrews and AOE. These have excellent optical and build qualities and they measure a true 70mm. These have excellent contrast and light transmission capabilities. I use my 15x70 'Ultras' more them my 20x80 triplets as the image is more 'panoramic' and rewarding.
Certainly do get a 'big' binocular - every serious binocular astronomer will have one in there collection. They do give rewarding deep sky viewing.

Chris

[hotspur]

You could consider some Vixen Bino's,call Steve Massy,he has them,I bought a second hand pair of 15 by 80's with a tripod some years ago,and they are a pleasure to use.

I did ask Steve about the 30 by 80 Vixen Bino's,he said they were approx $650-$700,you would have to spend a fair bit to get a good tripod for these,but it would be well worth it it.The lenses in these are made in Japan,but at the price quoted I suspect the body is made up in China,I could be wrong.I hope so.It would be better if they were fully made in Japan.

But without a doubt,of all my gear these 15 by 80's bring the most pleasure.

Cheers Chris

[smitty]

Thanks for the replies. It looks like I will wait until I visit my local club and check out more equipment to see what is the best fit.

Regards
Sean

[Giorgio]

Hi Sean,

I bought a Zhumell Tachyon 25x100 binocular (http://www.binoculars.com/binoculars/astronomy-binoculars/tachyon25x100astronomicalbinocularw lockingaluminumcase.cfm) about 2 months ago.
The views are amazing, considering it is "only" a binocular, but its 4.6 Kg weight, can be an issue. At the same time I bought also a Manfrotto tripod, which could take 5kg loads, while its head was up to 4 Kg.
Well, that wasn't enough for using this binocular for astronomy purposes, as it was very shaky. However, it was great for terrestrial observing.
I already sold this tripod and started making my own support solution for this heavy binocular and even if it is not finished, it is already way better than using that tripod (or whatever other tripod, IMHO).
That is, now I watch the sky laying down on a comfortable camping mattress (or an old comfortable armchair) and have 2 spring balancers hanging above me supported by a frame I improvised out of an old gym equipment) taking almost all the binocular weight away. This also lead to several other benefits like my head doesn't have to go around the binos, to bear in another direction, now it is the other way around, with the almost weightless binos following my head bearing, like you would do naturally.
If you however, want to go for a tripod, as Chris already suggested, it has to be tall and steady and I add it must have a gear to lift the central column (assuming you will buy a heavy binocular).

With my 25x100 binocular I can observe clearly many star clusters (I'm very impressed with the globular ones) and several nebulae. I would say, this binocular allows you to observe DSOs up to a magnification of 5 maybe 6. Planets are not so good however. I can't see Saturn rings. The moon is awesome on other hand.
This binocular ,IMHO, is almost the same as that one sold by Andrews (http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm) and a few others (http://www.bigbinoculars.com/usage.asp?sqlq=M), who sells it under their own brands. They all surely come from the same Chinese manufacturer because the tech specs are identical and there are, if any, only a few esthetically differences.
Conquered by my binos views, I'm now buying a second hand 10" dob (more more more...) and I'm considering to sell them for then buying a 15x70 model, which I believe I will be able to use also without a tripod (maybe a monopod will be enough). I put my eyes on this mode (http://www.dinodirect.com/15-x-70mm-Outstanding-Waterproof-Binoculars-Telescope-currency-AUD.html)l, which again I'm sure it is the same identical model, made in China and branded out by several companies. By what I'm reading about them (here and other forums), my understanding it is an exceptional binocular well matching a reasonable weight with high quality optics.

Hope this may help.

[stringscope]

Hi Sean,

Have you tried using 20X80 size binos? I have a couple of 70mm binos and I find they need serious mounting for steady astro observing. In my case my eye height standing up is about 170cm so for viewing close to the zenith (+- 20 degrees) while standing, the bino mounting bracket is close to 2 metres high.

BTW, what are your old 10X50 binos like?

Cheers,

[smitty]

Thanks for the information Giorgio and stringscope. It certainly looks like I need to do some more ""practical" research to see what is the best fit for me and what I want to get out of the hobby.

My ultimate goal is to have something that is quick and easy to setup and use, as life with two young kids and limited viewing opportunites pretty much exclude anything that takes longer to setup than to actually use.

The 10x50's I have are Jason 1113f,made in Hong Kong. No idea about them as they came from my father.

Possibly I might just buy a good quality pair of 10x50's.....

Sean.

[stringscope]

Hi Sean,

Just a thought ;) Did you know that Canberra Astronomical Society has small dob telescopes available for hire to members at very reasonable rates (about $10/month)? I refurbished a number of them a few years ago and are easy to set up an use.

[dannat]

IMO the sky masters and zhumell are risky, make sure if you fo get them to check the optics & mechanics. If you want to show your kids stuff maybe a 6" or 8" dobsonian reflector, or a 90mm alt/az refractorvwould show them the planets & moon with a it more mgnification
As for bins I like the 15x70 size ore than 20x80, but oth need good mounting, 12x50 is about the limit of what you can get away with handheld