|
Kerosene - the 15x60's are not too heavy to handhold -the magnification though is too much to hand hold.(the image wobbles)
Once you get to 10x though the magnification at that level means you require very steady hands. 12x is do-able for short looks at the sky & 15x is only good for a couple of seconds. You can brace them for short looks by wrapping the strap tightly or by bracing your arms on something while holding.
For what you want ie boats & planes IMO 10x is not enough. I took my 15x70 ultras (waterproof) to warnambool this year to check out the whales..after giving the 50th person a look (they were mounted on an old strong tripod) - everyone agreed 10x wasn't enough (i also had my 10x42 celestron regals -which are a medium -high quality/brand/$850).
Being close to Melb's Nth flightpath 10x doesn't cut it, 15x or even 20x is what you need.
I have an old cheaper pair of 15x60 lying around i used before i bought the ultras - if you want to pay the post you're welcome to borrow them & try them, i think i may even have an old tripod mounting bracket lying around if i can find it. PM me if you're interested
Instead of the firstscope I would recommend a spotting scope - one of the better ones at reasonable price is made by long perng, available at andrews comms (check links tab at left). it can magnfy right up close but is not hand holdable at all. a sturdy tripod will hold it easily (not a flimsy $20-30 one)
|