Binoculars - what to buy?

[snowyskiesau]

I've been making do with a very old pair of 7x50 for those nights when I don't want to drag out the telescope. Time for an upgrade!
I'm leaning toward something like 25x100 but these are heavy so a mount would be required.
What recomendations does the fourm have regarding size for binoculars? They will be used (almost) exclusively for night time viewing.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Welcome to IIS snowy!

25x100s might be a good substitute for a rich field scope but not for a pair of 7x50s. They are huge! There is no way you can hand hold them even for a quick look. You need a fairly robust tripod to mount them on. The 20x80 triplets might be a more manageable option. These are still huge, and need a decent tripod. You can manage a quick look at wildlife with these hand held (but not the sky).

If you want to upgrade the 7x50s without spending a lot, the AOE HG binos are excellent value. See www.aoe.com.au/binoculars.html. I used to own the 7x50HG and I was extremely pleased with it. Go with the 10x50HG if you have steady hands.

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

I have the 20 x80 LW and find them impossible to hand hold for any length of time..you will need a tripod-and then deal with issues of how to view the zenith...or a parallelogram mount of some sort

From experience I do not recommend a mirror mount for this size of binos

for purely hand held use I find my Andrews 11x60s really convenient and easy to observe for reasonable lengths of time..costs $129 I think..works well on a paralleogram mount and also on a mirror mount..take these everywhere I go

The main considerations in making a choice are:

how you plan to support for observing(ie hand held or mounted) and exit pupil . Think there are some threads around here somewhere on these topics

[Spiney (Steve)]

Snowy,
I bought a pair of 11 x 70 Aoe binoculars, www.aoe.com.au , and have found them to suit my needs perfectly. They gather a great deal more light then your average 7 x 50 binos and as such you get a much 'clearer' look at the night sky. They really do require a tripod, mines on an old camera tripod, but they can be hand held for short periods before the shakes set in.
I didn't go for the 15 x 70 binos, which were the same price at $149, because I wanted a larger field of view. Anything larger then these would definitely need a sturdy tripod as my camera tripod only just does the job on my 11 x 70's. Hope this helps.

[cjmarsh81]

My Dad just bought a pair of celestron 15x70 binos. They are not bad if you want to quickly look at something. If you want an extended viewing session however you will need a tripod.

Something to keep in mind if you are looking at binos. Celestron have a no fault lifetime warranty. If you drop them and smash the lenses you send them back to celestron and pay a small fee(I think it is $30) and they give you a new set. It is one of the reasons my Dad got them.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

I have the AOE 15x70s .
I wrote a review on them here

[Roger Davis]

Large binocs are ok. You can easily build a dob attachment for a standard heavy duty camera tripod that will hold them (see one of the early ATM magazines). Kind of looks like a "Y" with the altitude bearings at the top of the Y and a counterweight at the bottom. Rotation is around the centre and the binoculars can be taken almost to the vertical.

[g__day (Matthew)]

I prefer 20 * 80, excellent light graps, great optics, but heavy, need a tripod or support for long duration viewing.

[johnno]

Hi All,

SNOWY,
A lot of good advice has been forwarded,
I will add my Limited knowledge,for consideration.

Giving advice to someone on what Binoculars to buy is very difficult.

A lot depends on what their criteria is,
I personaly like a wide field of view for HANDHOLDING,so 8x40s gives you a little more Magnification,than 7x50s,and if you can get a wider angle FOV(field of view),in most cases.
8x40s,up to 11x56s,are Handholdable, (11x56s JUST)BUT, please remember,the higher Magnifications,are easier to handhold if you are sitting,with your arms braced,across a platform,of some kind.

ANYTHING,over 11x56s,need a tripod,or some type of stable mount,
Without exception,
UNLESS,you have the finances to buy some of the Image stabilised models.

Its not so much the weight,that causes the problems,but the MAGNIFICATION.

Minor tremors,often go unnoticed,in 7x,8x,mags,BUT,are a real problem,in the higher mags,as the shakes/body tremors,are also magnified,
So, Stars/clusters etc,begin to dance around.

Most reasonably priced Camera Tripods,will handle up to 15x70s,quite ok,
BUT,over that size a better tripod is necessary,IF,you want nice stable viewing.

I regularly use 4 sizes of Binocular,8x40s,11x56s for hand held, wide field viewing,of the Milky way,etc.
15x70s,(Mounted),for REASONABLY wide field(4.5 deg) viewing of similar objects,with a little more detail,and

20x80s (absolutely mounted),for some nicer views of the same objects,as well as some Stunning views,of the Smaller Moon.

Another useful tool for some of the lower powered Binos,up to 15x,
Is a good Monopod,
while these things are not the Ultimate,they are WAAAY,better than handholding,some of the higher powers.

Sorry if this post is long winded,
Just trying to help.

Regards.
John

[snowyskiesau]

Thanks for all the comments/advise.
I think the end result is to replace the 7x50 with something similar (11x56 seems common). Perhaps a pair of 11x70 on a mount later - after I've actually looked through a pair to see what they're like.

[snowyskiesau]

Dropped into Andrews yesterday and bought a pair of the 20x80 triplet binoculars ($229). First viewing last night and I'm impressed.
Even from suburban Sydney, I'm amazed at what's visible. I also realised that I should have picked up a tripod at the same time, those things are heavy!

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

I think you should just say "fia" and go buy a pair of Nikon 12X50 SE's, or if you can't afford those the 10x42's at a bit over a $1k are ok to

When you look through either of these you realise how bad the cheap chinese binos are

Seriously, I would be looking to buy a pair of 10X50's in the medium price bracket. 10x50's are an excellent compliment to any telescope observing session. Larger Binos are an observing tool in isolation IMO.

I would give consideration to 2 pairs of medium quality Binos:-

The 10x42 Fujinon BFL which will cost you between $300 and $400

10x50 Pentax PCF WP II which will cost you about $245

Both of those binos cost a bit more than the cheap chinese things, but are well worth the extra $$$$$ IMO for the extra comfort and optical quality. Like most things in life you get what you pay for.

CS-John B

[leon]

I agree John, I had a pair of 20x80 triplets and sold them today to a member of IIS, I found then to heavy for a quick look and couldn't be bothered to mount then on a tripod each time.
I just use my other pair of Pentax 10X50 which i find you can hang around your neck if need be, and are quick to utilise.

[g__day (Matthew)]

The 20 * 80 triplet are a huge . Jury rig even something simple to rest them on and it will add immensely to your pleasure. I used a simple four by two the first two days, then a rope on a pulley to absorb 80% of their weight. Cumbersome but very effective.