Quote:
Originally Posted by alanwilko
Looking it buy a pair of Binos. happy to use a monopod / tripod ,, dont wan to see' too much' but certainnly Jupitir moons etc any recommendation $ n or really an issue I gues Ill get something for around 1k or so ,, no idea really thanks
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Hi Alan,
For decades the normal school of thought was that 7 x 50 binoculars were ideal for astronomy being the right combination of aperture, magnification and exit pupil, with 7 x 50's giving a 7.1mm exit pupil. Well, the truth is most older people cannot dilate to a 7mm exit pupil and the philosophy on suitable astronomy binoculars has changed noticeably in recent years. This has also been influenced by better glass and coating technology allowing slightly smaller apertures to see more than was possible years ago.
To be honest I don't really like 7 x 50 binoculars for astronomy, or anything else for that matter, be it general outdoor use, birding, hunting or marine use. I have always preferred 10 x 50's due to their greater magnification and slightly smaller exit pupil (5mm) which gives better contrast and a slightly darker sky background, compared to 7 x 50's. The greater magnification also allows you to see a lot more as they go deeper on threshold targets. The only negatives of 10 x 50's compared to 7 x 50's are that they have a slightly narrower FOV; and they are slightly more difficult to hand hold. I currently have 10 x 42's, 7 x 50's, 10 x 50's and 16 x 60's. The 10 x 42's see infinitely more use than anything else, for everything including astronomy. In fact they see more use than everything else combined.
If you are only going to have one binocular for astronomy and other general uses I would recommend a pair of 10 x 50's or 12 x 50's. It takes a little bit of practise to learn how to hand hold a 12 x binocular, but with experience and correct user technique, it isn't too difficult. I have no trouble hand holding my 16 x 60 binoculars for astronomy, for reasonable periods of time.
$1,000 is a generous budget and will get you something very good, but it also sits a little bit in no man's land. It is a lot more than what the lower/medium grade binoculars from China and Taiwan will cost. It is more than what the medium grade Japanese made binoculars will cost. Unfortunately it isn't quite enough to get you into the top grade Japanese made binoculars, or the medium grade European made binoculars. It isn't anywhere near enough to get you into the top grade European made binoculars, which are all $2,000 plus for the Zeiss, Leica and Swarovski.
However, there are a few binoculars which would suit you very well and are pretty close to your budget. Whilst it is now possible to get roof prism binoculars that perform at the same level as porro prism binoculars I wouldn’t recommend you go there as roof prism binoculars cost a lot more to manufacture well than porro prism binoculars, consequently $1,000 will get you a lower standard roof prism binocular than what $1,000 buys you in porro prism design.
I would consider any of the following having regard to your budget and the fact that $1,000 on 9 occasions out of 10; will get you something noticeably better than what $400 will get you. I also think from a comfort point of view binoculars with generous eye relief (15mm plus) are an advantage.
Fujinon 10 x 50 FMT-SX
These are about $1,199 from
Andrews Communications.
If you bring them in from the USA, you will get them significantly cheaper ($<800). I have purchased several items from
Optics Planet and they are very reliable and price competitive. You can also get the
rubber coated ones which are about $30 cheaper.
Nikon 12 x 50 Premier SE If you purchased these from
Optics planet they will land at about $1,000 including shipping.
There may be a wait on the Nikons as I believe they might now be a special order item. They have been around a very long time and the modern trend is for companies to go with roof prism binos, as the astronomy market is only small compared to the world wide binocular market, which now demands the compactness and ergonomics of roof prism binos. Bintel could order these in for you as a special order but my guess is the cost would be well over $1,000.
My choice of the two I have mentioned would probably be the 10 x 50 Fujinons having regard to the cost / quality ratio and the fact they are waterproof. The 12 x 50 Nikon SE is optically a slightly better binocular, it's in fact one of the best money can buy, but it is a bit bigger, harder to hand hold and a good bit more expensive. Don't confuse the cheaper Nikon binoculars like the Action, Action Extreme and the Monarch series with these. These are a miles ahead of the cheaper Nikon stuff.
It is well worth reading this article
Binoculars - A Basic Guide for Astronomy which Denis Simmons put together a few years ago. Whilst it doesn't tell you which binoculars to buy, it explains all the terms and different types and designs very well
Cheers,
John B