Oldy wanting to take it up again !!

[Marclau (Marcel)]

Need help please.
I am wanting to take up astronomy again and get my 10 year old son involved.
I have an old Tasco 5" telescope still in excellent order but to be honest, got sick of looking through one eye.......

I am now possibly interested in astronomy binoculars. In particular the following 2 models:

Saxon M 25X100 and the Garrett® Signature 28x110 Binoculars.

The Saxons I can get here in Melbourne but the Garretts need to be imported from the US. The Garretts have recd fantastic reviews to date....

My question is as follows, would these provide a great means for viewing planets, moon & nebulaes/galaxies??

I am aware I would need to get a good mount but wondering on your feedback.

I was interested in the Celestron Nexstar 6 but wife has already said no

So for less then half the price are these binoculars. No more viewing with one eye.

Any advice would be welcome.

thanks

[DavidU (Dave)]

There are a nice pair of binoculars in the classified section here

[Marclau (Marcel)]

Thanks,

Yeah, I have been reading them but from some very basic reviews of the types for sale, the 2 I have selected receive very good reviews from other forums and or websites hence me selectign the 2 i have settled on.........ummmmmm

[erick (Eric)]

A few initial thoughts Marclau:-

"would these provide a great means for viewing planets, moon & nebulaes/galaxies??"

Well yes and no. You have fixed (and not very high) magnification so will get little detail on planets. At 25-28 magnification, it can be hard to locate items in the field of view - remember telescopes typically have a 6-8 mag finderscope to locate objects. You would not get the resolving power that a reasonable telescope can give you, probably even a 5" reflector. And you have the problem of mounting and, for straight through binoculars, the difficulty of getting to reasonable elevations. But you have compact convenience, the use of two eyes, a wide field of view to get the "big picture".

"No more viewing with one eye"

If you really want two eyes, a binoviewer might be a way to go. Pros - You get to use two eyes. Cons - $s, need pairs of eyepieces, may not come to focus without changes to the telescope, heavy so telescope may need changes to balance.

Why don't you start with a small pair of astronomical binoculars - around 10x50. You can get a reasonable pair under $100 from somewhere like www.aoe.com.au Then you can get an idea as to whether binoculars are what you really want for astronomical viewing. A pair like these will never be money wasted.

[erick (Eric)]

Here is a bit of reading for you:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...p/t-43013.html

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...hp/t-8122.html


If you and your son feel like a trip out west, I'm happy to show you a cheap pair of 30x100s so can get an idea of the big binocular approach to stargazing. You can compare smaller binoculars (20x80, 12x60) and the view through an 8" SCT or reflector. Send me a Private Message if you want to do this.

[dannat (Daniel)]

Binos don't really provide great views of the planets..even binocular telescope don't do as well as scopes in this department

Of the two you mention the saxon are average grade - just an expensive version of the standard 25x100 sold by either AOE or Andrews Comm (check links section on this site)

The garrett's are in a different league (i have the 15x70's) - they are excellent but weigh a lot(>7 kg), you need a very serious mount. THey would be excellent for honing in on dso's, their contrast is terrific and let you see about 1.4x as you would with one eye (eg 110 binos = 150 scope). The fov is just under 3 deg which is terrific for the size aperture.
On the US forum cloudy nights which has a bino section - most mount it on a manfrotto 501 head (check the price it is substantial), a few also use a parallelogram or p-mount which can be bought at bintel for ~$400 if i remember.

IMO the garretts are far superior, i had cheaper binos before in 20x80 but premium ones give fantastic views. Think about the mounting options, nebulae & dso are fine but for planets i would stick with a scope.

If you want planets/dso in one package the binocular telescopeBT is the way to go - with mount included the 45 or 90deg viewing will be far more comfortable, you can really only push the magnification to about 50x, as most of the BT focal lengths are about 500mm, so 500/10 equates to good 10mm ep's.

As for pointing the binos you can easily fit a laser pointer/red dot finder. If it were me i would keep the 5" for planetary & buy a good ep to go with it.
I truly enjoy binos though and spend 80% of my viewing time with them

I am happy to bring my binos for you to look thru to a place - also show you the basic tripods i use for both -PM if you want to arrange something

[Marclau (Marcel)]

Thanks Erick,

I was just on their site and about to also ask about their AOE 25x100FB or AOE 30X100FB......

I already own a Bushnell Legacy WP zoom 10X22X50 binoculars and love these, so was now wondering something with more light capable and more zoom.....

So I guess my questions should now also include these 4.....or would my Bushnell still be my better option......??

[erick (Eric)]

I have the AOE 30x100 FB. I use my 12" reflector much more than I do these.

[Marclau (Marcel)]

Originally Posted by dannat

Binos don't really provide great views of the planets..even binocular telescope don't do as well as scopes in this department

Of the two you mention the saxon are average grade - just an expensive version of the standard 25x100 sold by either AOE or Andrews Comm (check links section on this site)

The garrett's are in a different league (i have the 15x70's) - they are excellent but weigh a lot(>7 kg), you need a very serious mount. THey would be excellent for honing in on dso's, their contrast is terrific and let you see about 1.4x as you would with one eye (eg 110 binos = 150 scope). The fov is just under 3 deg which is terrific for the size aperture.
On the US forum cloudy nights which has a bino section - most mount it on a manfrotto 501 head (check the price it is substantial), a few also use a parallelogram or p-mount which can be bought at bintel for ~$400 if i remember.

IMO the garretts are far superior, i had cheaper binos before in 20x80 but premium ones give fantastic views. Think about the mounting options, nebulae & dso are fine but for planets i would stick with a scope.

If you want planets/dso in one package the binocular telescopeBT is the way to go - with mount included the 45 or 90deg viewing will be far more comfortable, you can really only push the magnification to about 50x, as most of the BT focal lengths are about 500mm, so 500/10 equates to good 10mm ep's.

As for pointing the binos you can easily fit a laser pointer/red dot finder. If it were me i would keep the 5" for planetary & buy a good ep to go with it.
I truly enjoy binos though and spend 80% of my viewing time with them

I am happy to bring my binos for you to look thru to a place - also show you the basic tripods i use for both -PM if you want to arrange something

Thanks heaps Dannat.........I will look into BT's now..........any suggestions to brand and price??
I might even take you up on your offer if you did not live on the opposite end of the earth to me....... (although i do work in Collins Street)...

[Marclau (Marcel)]

Originally Posted by erick

Here is a bit of reading for you:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...p/t-43013.html

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...hp/t-8122.html


If you and your son feel like a trip out west, I'm happy to show you a cheap pair of 30x100s so can get an idea of the big binocular approach to stargazing. You can compare smaller binoculars (20x80, 12x60) and the view through an 8" SCT or reflector. Send me a Private Message if you want to do this.

Thanks also Erick..........wished you guys lived on the other side though......will do more research now........

I took up this hobby over 20 years ago (when i was first married) but gave it up 5 years later.......(was sick of looking through a single eye piece) but now it has spearned my interests again and technology/quality has improved hopefully......ummm might take up your offer especially cause you have the 30X100's.........I will certainly get back to you..thanks heaps to everyone on your thoughts........

Might even look up my old astronomy club in Mornington (if they are still around)...from the high school if i remember rightly.......

[erick (Eric)]

Here you go. Visit these guys:-

http://www.mpas.asn.au/

What's wrong with one-eyed viewing?

[Marclau (Marcel)]

ummm love the BT especially the BT100 45 Angle viewing........does anyone sell them in Oz and if so, how much??

Tried a Google but not much came up...........think I'm in love

[Marclau (Marcel)]

Found these half price compared to the Oberwerks version........:

http://www.garrettoptical.com/Garret...p/gt100-45.htm


Ummm tempting now...........damn it......how to tell the wife.........

[Batfink (Peter)]

Well I had a pair of 20x90 bins, until my tripod collapsed and they hit the road, I loved their grab & go and the views they gave me , but they do give you a sore neck and back so your limited to only viewing things down low.

After having my bins for about 6 months I realised that I wanted more detail in planets and DSO's so I'm replacing them with a 8" dob.

Just something to think about.

Peter

[dannat (Daniel)]

as for where you can buy the BT's, there is one for sale in the telescope classifieds on this site - the other company to sell them is Andrews Communication (which can be found in the links section here)

[PCH (Paul)]

Originally Posted by Marclau

ummm love the BT especially the BT100 45 Angle viewing........does anyone sell them in Oz and if so, how much??

Tried a Google but not much came up...........think I'm in love

I bought a pair of these from Kendall a year or so ago, and can vouch for the quality of the item and of the viewing they provide. I believe they are from the same place as the ones www.bigbinoculars.com sell (right there on the home page). As you can see they are currently US$1995 on sale.

The only thing I didn't/don't like about them is the tripod. The tripod itself is first class qualitywise for land viewing, but not much cop for elevated viewing. So I bought a Manfrotto 3258 from the above site. This tripod will easily handle the weight - and more besides. But it wasn't cheap at about US$550 plus freight. I also bought the dolly which you'll see advertised.

www.andrewscom.com.au also sell a pair very similar, advertised as POA. I recall they were reasonably priced when they used to show the price, but at that time the pair from Kendall were still cheaper. Kendall normally sells wooden floor coverings I think, but obviously has a finger in the astro pie, so to speak, as well !

Get a pair - you won't regret it. Plus you get to choose your own magnification with these too - how cool is that. He uses them with a pair of TV Panoptics to get stunning views. All I have is some TV plossls which are less good (obviously), but still good.

Hope this helps

[PCH (Paul)]

Originally Posted by Marclau

Found these half price compared to the Oberwerks version........:

http://www.garrettoptical.com/Garret...p/gt100-45.htm


Ummm tempting now...........damn it......how to tell the wife.........

Don't forget these binocs need the mount that's suggested also, which takes it to over $1300US. Still a good buy, but don't forget, as it's over AU$1000, you then have to add import duty, gst on cost of goods AND freight, and a nominal charge to cover the time it takes customs to raise the paperwork to charge you these amounts !!! (yes, it's true )

Having said that, I don't think it's certain that you'll actually get charged these fees. But you have to be aware that it's at someone else's discretion, so you must allow for it. If you do go for the Garretts, I'd still get the height adjustable Bogen Manfrotto 3258 tripod. The height adjustment is absolutely necessary - you won't last a night without it

[Marclau (Marcel)]

Thansk guys,

Really appreciate all the great feedback and ideas.....
I just shot Garretts an email to get a full price............including postage......might also send Andrews one as well.

Anyone know what the brand is from Andrews??

[Marclau (Marcel)]

Originally Posted by PCH

I bought a pair of these from Kendall a year or so ago, and can vouch for the quality of the item and of the viewing they provide. I believe they are from the same place as the ones www.bigbinoculars.com sell (right there on the home page). As you can see they are currently US$1995 on sale.

The only thing I didn't/don't like about them is the tripod. The tripod itself is first class qualitywise for land viewing, but not much cop for elevated viewing. So I bought a Manfrotto 3258 from the above site. This tripod will easily handle the weight - and more besides. But it wasn't cheap at about US$550 plus freight. I also bought the dolly which you'll see advertised.

www.andrewscom.com.au also sell a pair very similar, advertised as POA. I recall they were reasonably priced when they used to show the price, but at that time the pair from Kendall were still cheaper. Kendall normally sells wooden floor coverings I think, but obviously has a finger in the astro pie, so to speak, as well !

Get a pair - you won't regret it. Plus you get to choose your own magnification with these too - how cool is that. He uses them with a pair of TV Panoptics to get stunning views. All I have is some TV plossls which are less good (obviously), but still good.

Hope this helps

Paul,

Do you have details or links to the Kendall's you mention??

cheers
Marcel

[erick (Eric)]

Marcel, Kendall is selling them here:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=45984

I'd love to have them. One day................................ .....