Pls recommend a bino

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Cheryl
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Pls recommend a bino

Post by Cheryl »

Hi all, bino newbie here.
I have a telescope, but totally new to binos.
Can anyone recommend a suitable bino for beginners?
Thanx.
:)
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Gary
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by Gary »

Hi Cheryl. Welcome to the forum.

Typical handheld bino for astronomy = 7x50, 10x150, 8x40, 8x42. First number before the "x" is the fixed magnification, the number behind is the diameter of lens of each barrel in mm.

Highly recommend you borrow and read the book Stargazing with Binoculars from your nearest public library:
http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/spy ... RN(5933232)&QRYTEXT=Stargazing%20with%20binoculars

Good luck!
Last edited by Gary on Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:55 am, edited 2 times in total.
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bornfree
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by bornfree »

alot of factors to take into account. do you want something that is portable or those mega bino mounted on a tripod. for those portable hand held types, the usual size are 8x42, preferably weighing less than a kg. the heavier the bino, the shorter viewing time u will have, as ur arms will get tired faster, and hands will not be steady to hold the bino..

when u are hunting for the bino, do look for different stores to get the best deals. unlike telescopes, alot of camera shops do sell bino..
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Mariner
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by Mariner »

10x50 is a good size. Not too big or small. Good enough to not need to upgrade for a while and still gives you a good aperture to gaze through.
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bornfree
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by bornfree »

best go to those shops test out each of the diff sizes to find the 1 that suits u best. :D
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Cheryl
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by Cheryl »

Thanx for the info pple! :mryellow:
Anyone use the Celestron Granite 10x50 binos? How good are they?
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Clifford60
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by Clifford60 »

Hi Cheryl,

Welcome back, you had been so quiet from the forum for many years, 5 years? So, what had you been doing for astro last few years?

Why switching from scope to bino?

10x50 is a good size, but didn't use the model mentioned, so can't really tell you how it perform.
Dark Neptune
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by Dark Neptune »

Hi Cheryl,

Not sure about Granite as I did not use it before, so can't comment.

As per above posts, 10 x 50 is my personal favourite. Or if your forearms are strong enough, you could opt for the Celestron SkyMaster 12 x 60 binocs instead. :D
Thanks.
Hardwarezone
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by Hardwarezone »

Cheryl wrote:Thanx for the info pple! :mryellow:
Anyone use the Celestron Granite 10x50 binos? How good are they?
I did an online search and the estimated cost at a USA site is under SGD600 with USA-SG shipping and 7%GST, compared with 1.4k local.
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Gary
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Re: Pls recommend a bino

Post by Gary »

Hi Cheryl. Didn't read your profile when I first replied. So I should have said welcome *back* to the forum! :)

There's an obvious typo which I think most are aware by now, it should be 10x50 and not 10x150! :)
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