Astronomy binoculars beginner

IRT · #1 10-09-2015, 03:45 PM

Hey fellas

Im looking at getting some binouculars for looking at the skies and maybe some land viewing from time to time... can someone recommend me some good binoculars???

looking at minimizing costs best bang for buck is what im after... i was looking at these here any opinions on these ones??

also are 15x70 going to be much better then 10x50

http://www.ozbinoculars.com.au/acute...binocular.html

BeanerSA (Paul) · #2 10-09-2015, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IRT

also are 15x70 going to be much better then 10x50

They are going to be some amount better, but they will be considerably more expensive which is why most stick to 10x50. Also 15x70 are going to be heavier and more susceptible to hand shake, so a tripod may be required.

brian nordstrom (As avatar) · #3 10-09-2015, 05:44 PM

Hi IRT and

to IIS, on those binoculars the 10x50 pair would be better as you can hold them in your hands and still get awesome views , but

the 15x70,s will show a lot more deep sky at the expense of portability, you could hand hold them but they will get heavy fast and every movement. , breath , twitch etc. will be magnified 15x and that gets old fast , yes you can lean against a wall , use a broom , lie down but they will still get heavy after a time.
Goodbye portability. , as you really need a tripod for big binoculars and then cost rears its ugly head and all of a sudden your $159 binoculars end up costing $250 plus , depending on type. , oh yes big binoculars are cool , I have some 80mm ones. Awesome but not very portable .
Others will chime in here for sure. , but in the end it is your call , I find I use my 8x56,s all the time. , hand held.

Brian.

IRT · #4 10-09-2015, 06:11 PM

thanks for the info the ones I linked... are they a good price ? also they weigh 1.3kg is that considered amongst the heavier spectrum?? what weight is considered easy and portable?

BeanerSA (Paul) · #5 10-09-2015, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IRT

thanks for the info the ones I linked... are they a good price ? also they weigh 1.3kg is that considered amongst the heavier spectrum?? what weight is considered easy and portable?

They are pretty cheap, and may not be the best, but are still better than no binos at all. Manageability is a very personal thing. You just have to try them for yourself.

IRT · #6 10-09-2015, 06:30 PM

What about cheaper binoculars on ebay? are these cheap for a reason cheap and nasty or are they actually wroth considering for a beginner?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ausriver-...item1c2644bd59

BeanerSA (Paul) · #7 10-09-2015, 06:52 PM

I'll tell you what. You tell us what your budget is, and we'll recommend something from a reputable dealer. You're in Aus?

IRT · #8 10-09-2015, 06:55 PM

Yes in australia

budget is around $80-$150

BeanerSA (Paul) · #9 10-09-2015, 08:46 PM

Some suggestions
http://www.bintel.com.au/Binoculars/...oductview.aspx
http://www.bintel.com.au/Binoculars/...oductview.aspx
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/barska-10...inoculars.html
http://www.teds.com.au/nikon-10x50-aculon-a211

IRT · #10 10-09-2015, 09:42 PM

Thanks for the suggestions... do you strongly believe that I should go for 10x50 over 15x70?

If I go for 10x50 will it leave me wishing I got the 'more powerful' ones? I understand that they may be a little heavier but thats not a major concern as I will be laying down or comfortable in a chair most of the time

brian nordstrom (As avatar) · #11 10-09-2015, 10:10 PM

Power ? ,,, power ? ,,

me , this old mis-conseption that many newby's get caught up in , like the old 675x chestnut that sellers of crap telescopes use , POWER , means NOTHING !!! , its the aperture , optical and mechanical quality that matters ,

more so in binoculars .

To put it this way , my 'Vuelux' 8x56 binos are very good optically and mechanically , I got these for $40 at a chemist in Napier NZ in about 1990 , these have been with me all over the world and are as good today as the day I got them , they are Japanese quality .
Now I have a friend who receintly spent $1200 , YES !!!

$1200 on a pair of 8x32 Leinca's , but these are probably the best binoculars I have ever looked thru , true they are as bright as my 56mm pair ,,, well almost , but they are awesome and ooze quality .
Would I spend that much ?

, would you ??? , each to his own on this .

I would personally look hard at the pairs BeanerSA has shown here , and if you want POWER

get an 8 inch Dobsonion , then 200x is available m but for now get the best quality you can afford , these will last you many years and give great views when you cant be bothered setting up a scope .

By the way my first astronomical instrument was a pair of 8x40 binos mounted on my sisters painting easel , seen Saturn's rings in those when I was 12 years old ,,, awesome .

I reciently built this awesome set up from the IIS classifieds , 25x100's these gave really good views as they were of high quality , but as you can see very BIG , sadly life dictated that I had to sell this sweet set up , yes binocular astronomy can be lots of fun .

I also have these little 16x32 Bushnell;s these live permanently in my ute for whenever I am out and don't have a scope with me , got these at Rays Camping , and are of quite good quality , show lots more than the naked eyes , for sure .

Brian.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IRT

Thanks for the suggestions... do you strongly believe that I should go for 10x50 over 15x70?

If I go for 10x50 will it leave me wishing I got the 'more powerful' ones? I understand that they may be a little heavier but thats not a major concern as I will be laying down or comfortable in a chair most of the time

ZeroID (Brent) · #12 11-09-2015, 05:54 AM

As Brian says above aperture rules but 15 x 70 is unmanageable for everyday use and even for astro will require a tripod at least for any longer period use.

The important criteria I find are aperture and a flat field of view. I have an old pair ( well a combo of two pairs actually ) of Zenit 12 x 50 bins. I repaired one with parts from the other and put longer (50mm) lightsheilds on and they are just brilliant. Not too heavy but a wide enough feild of view and enough aperture to collect photons to see M42 nebula dust clouds. They are also quite useable at car events which would not be the case for 15 x 70. Just lugging those around would be a mission so they would get very little use.

At that aperture you would be far better off buying a 70 or 80 mm scope and tripod. I have a 80mm f11 on an AZ tripod as a grab and go. It's only an achromatic but at f11 very little fringing to worry about and it's quite ok for moon, planets and a bit of brighter DSO objects.

As a comment I bought a pair of quite expensive 10 x 50 bins a while ago for 'normal' use but their flat field performance is rubbish. Anything near the edge gets all bent out of shape. My $20 Zenits just shred them despite most of the paint being chipped off and the faux leather worn.

Try before you buy is the best advice, 10 or 12 x 50 is the best general option for useabilty.

Good luck, keep us posted.

IRT · #13 11-09-2015, 07:04 AM

THanks for the help fellas, good forum very active and providing help to questions that you've probably seen posted many times.

I have decided to go the 10x50 route as it sounds like this will offer me the best balance which is what I need starting out.

Now the question is what brand/model should I purchase?? still looking at beaners recommendations but I really dont know whats good whats bad and if things are worth spending extra on so the only factor I have to go on is price... and I heard bak4 is good too

BeanerSA (Paul) · #14 11-09-2015, 07:49 AM

Binos are the one thing you can realistically try in a store. Go to a Teds or a Rays Outdoor, and try a few pairs. At the end of the day, get the best pair you can within your budget.

dannat (Daniel) · #15 11-09-2015, 08:08 AM

i think for astronomy you should stick to the 15x70 -tey can be difficult to handhold, i often use mine with a monopod to improve stability
you can get a decent quality 15x70 from andrewscom.com.au for 169, or even the 11x70 for that matter.

i also recommend you look at http://www.telescopes-astronomy.com.au/-they had both a 11x70 & 13x70 within your budget at a good price, the adv of the 11x & 13x power binos is you can hold them steadier than 15x, but you'll still be rewarded with the increased aperture
no disrespect but teds/rays outdoors are not the places to try a bino for astronomy

the other option you might do is lok for a 12x50 japan made older bino on gumtree, their build quality will beexcelent & you can often pick up an old model for 50 or under -good optics last a long time, so don't be scraed about buying older secondhand models -they will often hold alignment better than newer chinese models with more plastic in them.

sil (Steve) · #16 11-09-2015, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IRT

Thanks for the suggestions... do you strongly believe that I should go for 10x50 over 15x70?

If I go for 10x50 will it leave me wishing I got the 'more powerful' ones? I understand that they may be a little heavier but thats not a major concern as I will be laying down or comfortable in a chair most of the time

10x50 will be plenty for you, avoid the cheap "craptastic ebay specials". Pay for the quality glass. 1.3kg doesnt sound like much, but pretend to be a pirate and use a full bottle of coke as a telescope, Sit in a chair and see how comfortable and steady you can hold it to your eye for any length of time. Just try it.

I get fantastic views with my Leica 8x20s but they are quality glass, no chromatic problems, comfortable to hold and comfortable on the eyes.

Buy from Bintel, they don't have any craptastic brands, Pentax are great quality (I have a large pair from bintel) Dont get hung up over stupid spec numbers, its the quality of the optics that matter and what you pay for, hence why those cheap "big" binos are worthless, you get chromatic smears instead of pinsharp stars.

sil (Steve) · #17 11-09-2015, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeanerSA

Binos are the one thing you can realistically try in a store. Go to a Teds or a Rays Outdoor, and try a few pairs. At the end of the day, get the best pair you can within your budget.

If you do this see if you can look at trees against the sky. Look for "colour fringing" on the edges of fine details, like twigs/leaves against the bright sky. You will get the same fringing from stars/planets against black. Even garbage binos look ok viewing ducks in the park during day, you need high contrast and fine detail to see how bad the optics really are. Get your eye in and look for the fringing in the middle of the view and all across to the edge, even expensive binos can have distortion at the edges but most of the view should be flat and clear to avoid eye strain.

IRT · #18 11-09-2015, 10:42 AM

Wha about some saxon 10x50wa can pick up a pair 2nd hand for $50 is this a good deal ?

BeanerSA (Paul) · #19 11-09-2015, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IRT

Wha about some saxon 10x50wa can pick up a pair 2nd hand for $50 is this a good deal ?

That's pretty much chump change these days (for most). I'd give them a go. You'd probably be able to sell them for $50 if you don't like them, or want to upgrade.

dannat (Daniel) · #20 11-09-2015, 10:56 AM

be careful of the cheap saxons -many of their models have the ruby coating which is aplied to dim them for bright daylight use; you want the non-ruby coated for astro

check http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/dunda...0mm/1077075453 , which state are you in? these look to be in better condition http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cherm...ars/1088808968