Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

Discuss binoculars.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#41

Post by Baurice »


John Baars wrote: Tue Jun 16, 2020 9:26 pm A common wisdom is the saying that the best telescope is the one you use most.
I think that goes for binoculars as well.
Over the years I collected several bino's, my wife asked when I would start a museum. Some of them were new and maddening expensive. Others were saved from the garbage-can and made nearly new again. Many of them didn't make it to a permanent place in my cupboard and were sold again or given away. Never made any profit though.

Still, there is one pair I always use. Bought them more than 30 years ago. Manufactured 36 years ago.
An ausJena 10X50W Jenoptem. Not the most expensive. Not the best. Not the clearest, certainly not the most CA free, rather unsharp stars at the edges. Reasonable FOV 7,3 degrees and it still has that typical smell of Zeiss-grease. I love it.

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Which is your favorite??
Unfortunately, my best pair is only of use as a monocular, as one side cannot focus. With suitable filters, I also use it for looking at sunspots. They are Helios Stellar 15x70s. I reviewed their successor, Helios Stellar II and they were great but much heavier. I must confess these days that my cameras see more of the sky than I do.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#42

Post by Baurice »


John Baars wrote: Tue Jun 16, 2020 9:26 pm A common wisdom is the saying that the best telescope is the one you use most.
I think that goes for binoculars as well.
Over the years I collected several bino's, my wife asked when I would start a museum. Some of them were new and maddening expensive. Others were saved from the garbage-can and made nearly new again. Many of them didn't make it to a permanent place in my cupboard and were sold again or given away. Never made any profit though.

Still, there is one pair I always use. Bought them more than 30 years ago. Manufactured 36 years ago.
An ausJena 10X50W Jenoptem. Not the most expensive. Not the best. Not the clearest, certainly not the most CA free, rather unsharp stars at the edges. Reasonable FOV 7,3 degrees and it still has that typical smell of Zeiss-grease. I love it.

Image

Which is your favorite??
Unfortunately, my best pair is only of use as a monocular, as one side cannot focus. With suitable filters, I also use it for looking at sunspots. They are Helios Stellar 15x70s. I reviewed their successor, Helios Stellar II and they were great but much heavier. I must confess these days that my cameras see more of the sky than I do.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#43

Post by Ruud »


  
I have7x50's BA8 Helios Apollo and 4x22 17° Kasai wide binoculars, but the binoculars I use most for any purpose are these 8x42 Bresser Everest ED:
Bresser Everest ED 8x42.png
I believe they are now discontinued, but the identical Celestron Granite ED is still available for around €400.

The view of the Bresser is 8.1°. Colours are vivid, contrast is strong and the image is very crisp in the centre. Only at the edge sharpness drops off and some chromatic aberration becomes visible. If you want a step better than an Everest or Granite, but stay under €500, try the Nikon Monarch 7. Vortex Viper HD might be slightly better still, but costs around €550.

Roof prism binoculars perform best at around 42mm lens opening. Expensive phase coating of the roof prism is required to avoid a dull looking image. If you want an aperture of 50mm or more, porro prism binoculars are a better as well as more economical option (no phase coating is required for porro prism binoculars).
7x50 Helios Apollo 8x42 Bresser Everest 73mm f/5.9 WO APO 4" f/5 TeleVue Genesis 6" f/10 Celestron 6SE 0.63x reducer 1.8, 2, 2.5 and 3x Barlows eyepieces from 4.5 to 34mm
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#44

Post by Butterfly Maiden »


I've just started to follow this thread more closely again, as I'm now looking to upgrade my equipment.

I've been following a discussion about them on the "Your very next astro gear purchase?" thread, and my interest has been piqued.

Having re-read this thread I am still a bit confused as to the size I actually need to be aiming for. The 15x70 gets a few mentions as a reasonable size for general usage.

My main areas of astronomy, besides the Moon, are the nearest celestial bodies and constellations. I'm not looking to view deep space objects or do any photography through them.

I know a lot of binocular choices are personal, and there are good and bad points for each brand and size. Also, cost has to be taken into consideration.

I don't want to spend hundreds of pounds on the top of the range binoculars, as my skywatching is not intense but more casual.

I'll keep checking back to see what other suggestions are made for specific models to do further research into.
Vanessa

Nikon D82 Fieldscope with 30x/45x/56x angled eyepiece.
Olympus DPS-1 10x50 binoculars.
Leica 8x32BN binoculars.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#45

Post by jrkirkham »


I may be changing my mind!

As you can tell from my signature I like binoculars. I've owned smaller ones and larger ones, but my all time favorite has always been a good pair of 10x50s. They just have the perfect combination of power and weight and field of view. They are my "go to" binos of choice. HOWEVER my wife just found an almost new pair of Celestron Skymaster 15x70s and bought them for me. The field of view isn't as wide and I can't hand hold them as long, but they do have a good field of view and I can hand hold them for a while. The views are much better than I expected. I can also put them on the tripod. I've noticed recently that I am conflicted about which pair to pick up first.
Rob
Telescopes: 50mm refractor, ED80 triplet, 90mm makcass, 10" dob, 8"SCT, 11"SCT
Mounts: Celestron CGX, Orion Sirius + several camera tripods
Cameras: Canon 6D, Canon 80D, ZWO-ASI120MC
Binoculars: 10x50, 12x60, 15x70, 25-125x80
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#46

Post by Butterfly Maiden »


That sounds great Rob.

Maybe another tick for the 15x70s :Think:
Vanessa

Nikon D82 Fieldscope with 30x/45x/56x angled eyepiece.
Olympus DPS-1 10x50 binoculars.
Leica 8x32BN binoculars.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#47

Post by Buckethead 2.0 »


Butterfly Maiden wrote: Fri Sep 04, 2020 1:34 pm I've just started to follow this thread more closely again, as I'm now looking to upgrade my equipment.

I've been following a discussion about them on the "Your very next astro gear purchase?" thread, and my interest has been piqued.

Having re-read this thread I am still a bit confused as to the size I actually need to be aiming for. The 15x70 gets a few mentions as a reasonable size for general usage.

My main areas of astronomy, besides the Moon, are the nearest celestial bodies and constellations. I'm not looking to view deep space objects or do any photography through them.

I know a lot of binocular choices are personal, and there are good and bad points for each brand and size. Also, cost has to be taken into consideration.

I don't want to spend hundreds of pounds on the top of the range binoculars, as my skywatching is not intense but more casual.

I'll keep checking back to see what other suggestions are made for specific models to do further research into.

Vanessa, when I first asked that question, a good number of people recommended 10x50. I am a fairly strong and steady-handed guy. And you can see Jupiter and 4 Galilean moons - Europa, Ganymede, Calisto, and Io. BUT there is no way to see them without some shaking in the hands. The reason is, at that magnification, you notice any slight movement in your hands.

Personally, I would (and did) start with 10x50. Mine is the Bushnell Falcon 10x50 as listed in my signature. A camera tripod with an adapter is all you would need with it, and I believe you already have a camera tripod. My binos only cost about $33 USD. Not sure what that is in Euros or Pounds.

You can't beat that price. And I know you are not interested in looking for DSOs, so that pair would be a great start. Just remember, planets (even Jupiter) will be very, very small. Saturn will look like a star, with no rings visible. If you want to see Saturn's rings, you will need a much more capable device, such as a higher powered binocular or a small telescope.

Just putting it all into perspective for you as you decide.
~Eric
Binos: Bushnell Falcon 10x50
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#48

Post by Butterfly Maiden »


Thank you Eric.

How much better would 15x70s be for seeing Saturn's rings for example, or is that still stretching it a bit?
Vanessa

Nikon D82 Fieldscope with 30x/45x/56x angled eyepiece.
Olympus DPS-1 10x50 binoculars.
Leica 8x32BN binoculars.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#49

Post by John Baars »


Butterfly Maiden wrote: Fri Sep 04, 2020 3:13 pm How much better would 15x70s be for seeing Saturn's rings for example, or is that still stretching it a bit?
With normal handheld binoculars, like 10X50, the rings of Saturn are not visible. They are too small. 15X70 will show a somewhat elongated form, on a tripod that is. To observe the rings with some more comfort a magnification of 35x-45x is necessary. One really needs a small telescope on a tripod for observations with that magnification.

A 10X50 is a good instrument for the kind of observing you want, and even a lighter 8X40 or even more lighter 7X35 can be a candidates. Note: all three of them have 5mm exitpupils. They all will give very pleasant views. They will all show starclusters like Hyades, Pleiades, The central part of Orion, the double cluster in Perseus and even several deepsky objects like Orionn nebula and Andromeda nebula.

The 10X50 is the connection to the first DSO objects from a dark location, while 15X70 is the first real step into it. Fields of view become narrower as magnification goes up, though. That might be less impressing for the kind of observations you have in mind. It doesn't have to be that big.

Anecdote. As a member of a public observatory I always show people the stars above. Some of them take along their own binoculars. Funny how they apologize for the small instruments they have. ( not really that small) Until they see a tiny 8X30 dangling around my neck... :lol:
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#50

Post by Chich »


I have a pair of Baush & Lomb 7x50 Discoverer Binoculars that I bought back in the 80's. They are very good and stars are a pin point. Well, except for one side which is a touch out of collimation after I fell down a frozen sand dune. Have to fix that one day. They were fairly pricey when I bought them as a poor student but have served me well.

I did have a pair of 15X70 Celestron Skymasters but someone knocked them off a coffee table and now "Her right eye looks at Dallas, her left one at Fort Worth." They were inexpensive but fragile.

The Astronomy club I belonged to up north had a pair of Celestron SkyMaster DX 9x63 Binoculars as loaners. They gave excellent views. If I ever replace my Discoveres I will likely pick these up.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#51

Post by Ruud »


Butterfly Maiden wrote: Fri Sep 04, 2020 3:13 pm How much better would 15x70s be for seeing Saturn's rings for example, or is that still stretching it a bit?
According to Stellariun the rings are about 0.01129° wide and the globe is about a third of that.

With 15x magnification the rings are 0.17° from end to end. Considering that the naked eye Moon spans about half a degree, you will at least be able to see that Saturn has rings, but the gap between rings and planet will be a challenge!
Saturnx15.png
7x50 Helios Apollo 8x42 Bresser Everest 73mm f/5.9 WO APO 4" f/5 TeleVue Genesis 6" f/10 Celestron 6SE 0.63x reducer 1.8, 2, 2.5 and 3x Barlows eyepieces from 4.5 to 34mm
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#52

Post by pakarinen »


Conventional wisdom says 10x50s are good all-around astro glasses - easy to handhold, but better with a tripod of course. Big enough and powerful enough to bring out a good number of DSOs and good for Jupiter and the Moon. Many are not that expensive. From experience, a decent pair can knock your socks off at a dark site (Bortle 3 and less). They're also good for daylight observing although close focus might not be super close.

I'll also say from experience that 15x70s are a world apart. Larger images and more light gathering power. Some can be handheld, but IMO they really need a tripod to do their best work - any hand or arm movement is going to be readily apparent and that makes dimmer objects harder to see.

I'll most likely buy a pair of 15x70s to replace my 15x70 SkyMasters and my inclination would be to take those on dark site trips over the 10x50s.

A lot of this is subjective - might explain why some bino fans have many pairs.
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
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AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#53

Post by Butterfly Maiden »


How sensitive are both the 10x50s and 15x70s to say light breezes when mounted on a tripod?

I would assume the 15x70s having the larger magnification would suffer more with shaking than the others. Would a more sturdy tripod limit the effects of image-shake?

Basically, I'm trying to decide which model to research further at the moment :veryconfused:
Vanessa

Nikon D82 Fieldscope with 30x/45x/56x angled eyepiece.
Olympus DPS-1 10x50 binoculars.
Leica 8x32BN binoculars.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#54

Post by John Baars »


Butterfly Maiden wrote: Fri Sep 04, 2020 6:36 pm How sensitive are both the 10x50s and 15x70s to say light breezes when mounted on a tripod?

I would assume the 15x70s having the larger magnification would suffer more with shaking than the others. Would a more sturdy tripod limit the effects of image-shake?

Basically, I'm trying to decide which model to research further at the moment :veryconfused:
Your assumptions are right. Much depends on the sturdiness of the tripod. Even with a light tripod you will see more stars than handheld.
I have even seen solutions with an upside down (clean) broom underneath handheld binoculars. Even that simple solution will reveal more stars than holding the bino's in your hands without support.
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#55

Post by pakarinen »


As John wrote, a lot depends on the tripod. You don't need the most massive tripod on the planet for binos, but you don't want a flimsy, rickety one either. I think there's a web site called The Center Column or something like that with tripod tests / reviews.
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#56

Post by Refractordude »


This is a good budget tripod. I use it with a cross bar for both my 7x50 and 11x70 binoculars.

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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#57

Post by Butterfly Maiden »


I think that from what I've heard up to now, my allegiance is wavering towards a 10x50.

My next question is about filters. I'm not intending to take photos with them, so are they necessary for general viewing. If so, then I will need to look for a model that allows their fitting.

I think I already have a decent quality tripod. I have an Opticron birdwatching model that I've used for my cameras and a Nikon Fieldscope.

If a more stable one than that is necessary then please let me know.
Vanessa

Nikon D82 Fieldscope with 30x/45x/56x angled eyepiece.
Olympus DPS-1 10x50 binoculars.
Leica 8x32BN binoculars.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#58

Post by pakarinen »


Necessary? IMO no. Helpful? Can be, depending on the filter, your sky conditions, and target.

I have a link somewhere to a filter review /test. I'll see if I can find it and post.
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#59

Post by Butterfly Maiden »


pakarinen wrote: Sat Sep 05, 2020 1:48 pm Necessary? IMO no. Helpful? Can be, depending on the filter, your sky conditions, and target.

I have a link somewhere to a filter review /test. I'll see if I can find it and post.
Thank you pakarinen.

If it helps, we have Bortle 3 skies in the New Forest and my main viewing will be that of the Moon and nearby constellations.

nFA mentioned in another thread that he uses neutral density filters which helps better than polarising filters for example. It was said that binoculars that can take filter attachments are more expensive. As my stargazing will be more casual than intense, it is probably not worth the extra cost for the benefits I would get. I don't know :think: That's why I need as much help as possible before I commit to any purchase.

Anyway, that's pretty much my intentions at the moment anyway.
Vanessa

Nikon D82 Fieldscope with 30x/45x/56x angled eyepiece.
Olympus DPS-1 10x50 binoculars.
Leica 8x32BN binoculars.
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Re: Which binoculars do you use most for astronomy?

#60

Post by pakarinen »


Hmmm. I'd kill to be in a B3... My inclination is that general filters aren't going to buy you much. An H-alpha might help with emission nebulae, but I've never used one so I can't say how much they improve things.

I'm sure more filter-knowledgeable folk will chime in.
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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