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Old 05-02-2007, 11:21 AM
psadams
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psadams is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 17
Beginner - 15x70 or 20x80 Binoculars?

Hi to everyone. I'm new to astronomy & I'm looking to start out by purchasing a decent pair of binoculars. About a week ago I thought I'd decided on these AOE 15x70 binoculars.

- http://www.aoe.com.au/aoe70hp.html

I'm now considering 20x80 binoculars because I want to be able to see Saturn's rings & more deep space objects. Only downside is the smaller Field of View (FoV) & the higher price. These are the AOE 20x80 binoculars I've been looking at. They have an inbuilt tripod adaptor.

- http://www.aoe.com.au/aoe80.html

I will be mounting whichever binoculars I buy on a Velbon CX-660 tripod, which I decided on after advice from erick here

- http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=16865

I've read a few articles on starting out in astronomy & most people seem to recommend going for lower power binoculars with a wider FoV. I need some feedback on the pros & cons of 15x Vs 20x binoculars. Am I right in assuming I need at least 20 power binoculars in order to see Saturn's rings? Will the extra power help me see more deep space objects such as galaxies & nebulae?

Thanks in advance for your help.
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