The best binoculars for price?

[styleman333]

Hey guys just one more question

Ive got the dob , got your advice on what books now im putting in my order for a good set of binoculars ......

My brothers gonna buy me some for xmas But which ones should i go for , what magnification?

Any recommendations would be Greatly appreciated .....

Happy viewing fellas , but hopefully your skies are a lot less cloudy then down here in the Gong

Cheers !!!

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

How much is your good brother willing to spend?
Is it going to be your first and only bino?

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Hi,
I love my AOE 15x70 binos.
Hand-holdable for very short periods,tripod recommended.
Decent amount of light gathering power for breathtaking milky way starfield views.
Priced around $150.
They're the one astronomical instrument I've hung on to.
Cheers
Doug

[styleman333]

i reckon i can string him up for bout 100 bucks . I was also going to look on ebay . Secong hand is fine

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Stay away from ebay binos. 99+% of them are junk. They may look good in the photos but optically they are junk. Very occasionally you might spot a good deal on a 2nd hand pair, but it's very rare indeed.

Best you will do for up to $100 is the 10x50WP model currently on special at AOE. See http://www.aoe.com.au/binoculars.html

They are a good size for hand held use and AOE's binos have great coatings which help a lot with astronomy (even their cheapies!). I used to own the 7x50HG and it was outstanding value (and outperformed more expensive brand name binos).

PS. whatever you do, don't get a roof prism bino. In this price range they are hopeless.

[matt]

Anyone care to offer an opinion on the Pentax PCF WP II range compared to the series which preceded these?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Matt, I have an older PCF 8x40 (WP? not sure), Geoff's got the PCF WP II 8x40. We did a quick comparo. Older version has larger FOV: 8.5 degrees tfov vs 6.5. But it also has much shorter eye relief. You cannot see the full field without folding back the eyecups. The newer ones have nice comfy adjustable eyecups. Coatings seemed better too but they do the job on either one. Did not compare them at night.

[matt]

Thanks Steve.

I like the sound of the extra eye relief

6.5 degree tfov is still quite acceptable, yeah?

[merlin8r]

Hi guys,
For astro work, you ideally want a 7mm exit pupil. This is because at night, your pupil dilates to around 7mm. Anything less is just a waste. This is why the purpose-built astro binouclars come in sizes like 9X63 (63 divided by 9 gives you 7). The other good size is 7X50. As a general rule of thumb, the most magnification that someone can usually hold steady is 10X.

Clear skies,
Shane

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

I disagree Shane. 7mm exit pupil is rarely utilised in practice and even then it comes at a price. It is more demanding on the optics which is why 7mm EP binos usually have a smaller apparent field of view compared with the usual 5mm. E.g. a 7x50 will have the same true field as a 10x50, but you will see more stars with the 10x50 because of the increased magnification. Provided you can hold a 10x bino steady enough it is a better choice. Then you might say why not go 10x70? Because it has a smaller field, it is heavier, and because your eyes will get older. So your pupil will generally be 5-6mm, not 7mm. Even if you're young 7mm pupils are achieved only under dark skies.

Having said all that I do like 7x50 binos. Good magnification for hand holding.

[stephenmcnelley]

Meade have retailed the 9X63 astro binos, which gives you the best of a number of worlds in terms of basic light gathering/FOV/light transmission/ coatings/weight and ease of use without a mount. They are roof prism, but you would not know it looking through them, and many folks of different ages and eye characteristics have viewed through my pair and have liked them for their adaptability and pleasing optics.
These are not binos that are dismissed by those with experience that have actually had the chance to spend time behind them.......
Styleman the only drawback is they are more than the $100 purchase price.

[stephenmcnelley]

Sorry, the Meade 9X63 retail for about $180-190.

[Rez]

AOE have some wide angle 10x50 Binoculars for $69

http://www.aoe.com.au/wide_angle.html

are these likely to be useful ?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

yes they are "a true step forward in high quality affordable optics." What they don't tell you is how many more steps still left to go.

Seriously I don't know, but I suspect these are similar in quality to the $99 12x60s, which I do own. It's okay for how cheap it was, and does well on-axis pulling in the faint fuzzies. But illumination of field is poor (drop off in brightness away from centre), FOV is considerably less than advertised, and baffling is not the best. The slightly more expensive models like the HGs, and as far as I know the WPs too (which are normally more expensive than the HGs), are much better made.

[johnno]

Hi All,

The 11x56 from A.O.E,are also worth a thought,Same price as the others mentioned,and considerably more light gathering ability.

I have these,and they are significantly better,than any 10x50 I own.

These CAN be handheld,BUT much better seated.

In fact,for Astronomy HANDHELD,I use Nothing else.

Just a thought.
Regards.John

[matt]

So .... is a 6.5 degree tfov in a binocular an acceptable feature????

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

6.5 is fine, but in an 8x40, for handheld starhopping I prefer the wider FOV and put up with aberrations near the edge. Just makes it easier to find stuff.

[matt]

Hmmmmmmm

The info on the Bintel website has the tfov of the series II range of 5 degrees

Is 5 degrees still in the realm of OK?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Bintel often have the wrong info on their website. Better check the manufacturer's info. My guess is that 5 deg will be for 10x50.

[matt]

It's listed as the tfov for both the 8x40 and 10x50

The 12x50 is listed as 4.2 degrees tfov