Here is the place to talk about all those equipment(Telescope, Mounts, Eyepieces, etc...) you have. Not sure which scope/eyepiece is best for you? Trash it out here!
I need to get 4 binos for my school's astro club within the next two weeks.
My budget is about S$2000 (max S$3000), which must also includes some kind of mount/tripod for the binos (maybe 2 of these are enough)
I have read through a few of the posts, but I think I still need recommendations for the binos/mounts/tripods as I know nuts about them. And especially since it is taxpayer's money, don't want to buy the wrong stuff
OK, I do not have specific recommendations on a brand, but I think you should get:
1) 2-3 pc of 10X50mm
2) 1-2 pc of 15X70mm or 20X80mm
3) mounted on simple photo tripod with fluid head
Alternatively, get 1 pc 50mm, 1 pc 70 or 80mm bino and a 5" MCT for high power viewing (assuming the school does not already have one for high power). No need to get branded ones e.g. Fujinons as most sch students do not know how to share and take care of optics properly.
My recommendation:
1) At least one of your 4 binos should be optically good enough to show beginners quality views of celestial objects.
2) At least one of the four is a low power model let say 7 X or 8 X, there is no need to mount the bino all the time on a tripod. Hand holding is quick and easy to find objects or to share within many users.
3) Waterproof is important in Singapore.
Pentax porro-prism binos are optically good and does not cost much, you may consider the 7X50 model for hand held use and the 20 X 60 for tripod use. If you don't mind 2nd hand one, do consider my Fujinon 10X50 FMTR-SX
P.S. you may also check Nikon Action (not sure if they are waterproof) and Oceanpro (water proof) series.
1. 7x35 or 8x40 ultrawide field
2. 7x50 or 10x50 wide field
3. 12x50 or 15x70 wide field with 3-way head tripod & L-adaptor
4. 20x80 or 25x100 with tripod (eg, Manfrotto 055CL) & mount(eg, Manfrotto 501) & L-adaptor
Go for reputable quality brands like Nikon, Pentax, Celestron etc. 'Waterproof' is a good feature to have, unless you have proper storage (dry cabinet, dehumidifer etc).
Unfortunately, schools can't buy secondhand items. You may like to check the stock availablility with the following local astronomy vendors:
Was at astro scientific last friday and gosh, they do have a nice range of scopes in stock! Prices seem to have come down too!
Wow! That's good for us. Its been a while since I have been there, I will drop by one of these days to see if there is anything interesting that I may need!
