Old interest, new hobby, want to buy binos!

For people new to astronomy who want to ask those questions that they were afraid to ask. Receive helpful answers here.
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dimes
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 12:37 pm
Favourite scope: Celestron CPC 800 Computerized Telescope

Old interest, new hobby, want to buy binos!

Post by dimes »

Hello everyone!

So I'm quite new here, and my story is pretty much the same as most others that have posted on this forum. I've always had an interest in astronomy when I was a kid (to the point where my parents bought me a proper telescope for Christmas, but this was so long ago that I still believed that Santa gave it to me), and recently rekindled the interest because of my boyfriend starting to take an interest in it as well. I dug out that old telescope that my parents gave me, and have been using it to look at the moon and Jupiter. The brand is called Centaur, but I don't think it's around anymore.

Initially I wanted to get a new telescope, but I realised that the lower-end telescopes are around the same quality as my old telescope, so I don't think there's much of a point getting that. I don't really have the resources to buy a higher-end telescope as well. I don't have a DSLR either, so I can't really do astrophotography. The most I've done is using my Note 4 camera to take pictures of the moon (easiest object to take photos of) from my old telescope, which has turned out not too bad. With my old telescope, I've managed to see Jupiter and 4 of its moons, though I couldn't make out any features of Jupiter from the naked eye (it looked like a small styrofoam bead, and the moons were pixels beside it). I did manage to zoom in and tweak the contrast, so the features appeared faintly.

Anyway, I'm quite interested in getting a binoculars now. I have tried my friend's binoculars recently at the January 10th gathering at ECP, and was really amazed by all that I saw from it. The binoculars I've tried were 10x42, and I found it light enough to use without getting tired. My budget is around $200-300. So what I'd like to know more about is:
- Brand of binoculars: which brands are more recommended? Which brands is more value for money?
- China brands: are they reliable? Should I even consider them? If so, where can I go to buy them?
- Specs of binoculars: I'd like a pair that is convenient to bring around, and provides good enough detail for a beginner like me. The 10x42 binos I tried was great for me, but would like to hear more opinions.
- Where to buy: I've no idea where to buy binoculars in Singapore. My friend recommended Funan but any particular shops to recommend?

Thank you all in advance for your input! :)
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orly_andico
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Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:14 pm
Location: Braddell Heights
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Re: Old interest, new hobby, want to buy binos!

Post by orly_andico »

Nikon Action Extreme 8x40 or 10x50 are in your price range and are a good brand (albeit made in China as well).

Note, "Action Extreme" and not the plain "Action" only.

Most people would say get the 10x50 for the bigger lens and slightly higher magnification, but I prefer the 8x40 because they are lighter than the slightly lower magnification means less shakes.
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