Hi all,
I'm looking to get a pair of 10x50 binoculars for astronomy use and would like to seek some advice from the experts here on which model would be a better choice.
These are some of the models I'm looking at. Has anyone used them before?
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
http://www.telescope.com/control/produc ... t_id=09351
or
Orion Scenix 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
http://www.telescope.com/control/produc ... t_id=09333
or
Nikon Action EX 10x50CF
http://nikon.com.sg/pagearticle.php?pag ... X%20series
or
Nikon Action 10x50CF
http://nikon.com.sg/pagearticle.php?pag ... n%20Series
Are there any other recommendations? Also, where can I buy them?
Thanks in advance! =)
Need help getting a pair of binoculars
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stargazer.23
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 9:11 pm
- Location: Marine Parade
Are you sure you wanna get a 10x50 Binoculars? Honestly, it's a little heavy for the arms. You'll expect your arms to shake after holding it up for sometime and the shake is magnified 10x. You sure you want that?
Even if you get a tripod, the magnification isn't large enough to fully appreciate the usage of the tripod since it can hold up to 20x binoculars. You'll be like half-way there.
I would recommend however the 7x35 or 8x40 range of binoculars because the size and weight is not as taxing on the user, the range of view is pretty decent as compared to the 10x50. You'll get to see more of the sky with the 7x35 or 8x40. Isn't that why you wanna get Binoculars in the first place?
A 10x50 binoculars not only has a smaller FOV (field of view), the amount of magnification you get from it is in my opinion negligible since Jupiter is still a dot no matter 7x35,8x40 or 10x50.
Why not settle for less to see more?
Even if you get a tripod, the magnification isn't large enough to fully appreciate the usage of the tripod since it can hold up to 20x binoculars. You'll be like half-way there.
I would recommend however the 7x35 or 8x40 range of binoculars because the size and weight is not as taxing on the user, the range of view is pretty decent as compared to the 10x50. You'll get to see more of the sky with the 7x35 or 8x40. Isn't that why you wanna get Binoculars in the first place?
A 10x50 binoculars not only has a smaller FOV (field of view), the amount of magnification you get from it is in my opinion negligible since Jupiter is still a dot no matter 7x35,8x40 or 10x50.
Why not settle for less to see more?
http://www.staropticsscientific.com/bin ... eld_scopes <==i got the wo 8x42 triplet apo and like it alot.
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stargazer.23
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 9:11 pm
- Location: Marine Parade
Hi zackae and MooEy,
Thanks for the advice and suggestion.
I thought of getting a 10x50 as i've read that the 7x50 and 10x50 are recommended for astronomy use.
Many of my read-ups seem to recommend buyers to get binoculars that have at least 7-10x magnification and a 50mm aperture as the bigger aperture helps to resolve fainter objects. Do correct me if i'm wrong. Or is the advise really meant for people with darker skies? Would a 8X40 be more suitable for use in our light polluted skies?
Also, what would be the advisable maximum weight for a bino so that it is less taxing on the arms?
My apologies for the flood of questions. Hope to learn more from you guys. Thanks in advance! =)
Thanks for the advice and suggestion.
I thought of getting a 10x50 as i've read that the 7x50 and 10x50 are recommended for astronomy use.
Many of my read-ups seem to recommend buyers to get binoculars that have at least 7-10x magnification and a 50mm aperture as the bigger aperture helps to resolve fainter objects. Do correct me if i'm wrong. Or is the advise really meant for people with darker skies? Would a 8X40 be more suitable for use in our light polluted skies?
Also, what would be the advisable maximum weight for a bino so that it is less taxing on the arms?
My apologies for the flood of questions. Hope to learn more from you guys. Thanks in advance! =)
Okay, basically the first number is to indicate the magnification right? For binoculars, it's mostly used for widefield observations, therefore you would want to have a lesser magnification for a wider field (see more stars). For the aperture, the bigger it is, the easier to resolve dimmer objects.
But as zackae has said, if you are going to be handholding the binoculars, it would be better to settle for one that is lighter in weight. It's because if you were to hold it for an extended period of time during observations, your hands would be shaking. With whatever magnification your binoculars has, the shake would be that many times worst. That will result in your image being blurry, affecting your views greatly.
Basically, the magnification for handhold binoculars isn't important as even if you were to have it 15x magnified, stars are still a dot, and you get a small field which isn't good. While, the weight of the binoculars is rather significant as it will affect your views due to shaky hands.
As for what is the advisable weight, I'd say it's up to each individual. If your hands and wrists are stronger, you may be able to handle a heavier bino better than another. Also, one last thing, regarding resolving dimmer objects using the binoculars. In Singapore skies, the light pollution is so bad that, even if you have resolved dimmer stars in your binos, you won't be able to identify them unless you're a very seasoned observer. So basically it won't make much of a difference for a 42mm aperture compared to a 50mm aperture. You won't even see the difference, whereas the higher magnification will cause your field to become smaller (so you see less).
I hope that answers your question.
Regards,
Zane
But as zackae has said, if you are going to be handholding the binoculars, it would be better to settle for one that is lighter in weight. It's because if you were to hold it for an extended period of time during observations, your hands would be shaking. With whatever magnification your binoculars has, the shake would be that many times worst. That will result in your image being blurry, affecting your views greatly.
Basically, the magnification for handhold binoculars isn't important as even if you were to have it 15x magnified, stars are still a dot, and you get a small field which isn't good. While, the weight of the binoculars is rather significant as it will affect your views due to shaky hands.
As for what is the advisable weight, I'd say it's up to each individual. If your hands and wrists are stronger, you may be able to handle a heavier bino better than another. Also, one last thing, regarding resolving dimmer objects using the binoculars. In Singapore skies, the light pollution is so bad that, even if you have resolved dimmer stars in your binos, you won't be able to identify them unless you're a very seasoned observer. So basically it won't make much of a difference for a 42mm aperture compared to a 50mm aperture. You won't even see the difference, whereas the higher magnification will cause your field to become smaller (so you see less).
I hope that answers your question.
Regards,
Zane
criterias for choosing a pair of bino goes far beyond just getting 7x50 or 10x50 and looking for bak4 fully multicoated as recommended by most websites. there are alot of badly made 7x50 and 10x50 in the market. and there are rare cases of keepers among those manufacturers with poor reputation. the bushnell trophy 10x40 is one of them, we found a pair at it show for 168 bucks and grabbed it immediately.
given our badly light polluted skies, exit pupils of 7mm is a huge waste of light, ur better off with smaller binos that cost lesser and put less strain on the hands. 12x50, 10x50, 8x42, 10x40, 7x35 are much more recommended for our skies.
don't scrimp too much, u prolly only need 1 pair of bino throughout ur years of astronomy. no point buying a cheaper pair, somewhere along the way u feel u didn't like it that much and eventually upgrade.
always test out the pair of bino that you are going to buy, avoid any purchase based on specs. those are the most useless things ever. bak4fmc 10x50 doesn't means it's gd. even if it's from a reputable manufacturer.
1. Look at overall construction, is it well made? are there any paint on wrong places like edge of glass. Excessive glue being used? Does it look like it's coming apart? Are there's any interal stains/debris? Give it a hard shake, is there any rattling noise?
2. How's the eye relief like over here? Gd eye relief usually means the objective is slower and longer focal length eye pieces are used. Alternatively it could means a "barlowed" eyepiece design is used, this translated to better performance. Poor eye relief straight away means cheapness in optical design.
3. Look thru it, is the field stop sharp and well defined? Center an object with your left eye, now close your left eye and check with your right eye, is the object at the same location? Or did it shift a little? If it did shift a little, that means collimation is off. Avoid buying it at all cost.
4. Center some far away text of reasonable size, try reading it. Does it feels sharp? Or does it feel mushy. Now for the really critical part, shift this text to the edge of the field, can you still reasonably read it? Or does sharpness fall off extremely quickly?
5. Have an overall feel, Is it too big/small for you? Does it feel too heavy? How is the focusing mechanism, smooth? rough? Look at the price tag, is it within ur budget?
Now for some of the more minor points that might make u happy in the long run.
6. Point the bino towards some bright light, usually this means just above ur head. Look at that floresence lamp, is there significant purple fringing ard it when ur in focus?
7. Look thru the front of the bino, notice the reflection, they should be dark blue/purple/green, not light blue or ruby red. Look at all the reflections, are they all of the same colour? Or are the reflections at the back bright and white. Brighter reflections means only 1st element is coated, the rest are uncoated.
8. Look thru the front end once again towards the rear of the bino. You should see a circle, is any part of the prism cutting into the circle? If it does means the prism might be undersized.
9. Look thru the front once again, are there any debris? Fungus? Dust? Stain? Inspect under strong light to reveal signs of fungus. Any shop worth it's salt should never sell u fungus infected item.
I consider any bino that pass all of the above criterias as keepers, and it's not hard to find them under 300 bucks. Happy shopping.
Gimme a call if you need help, i find it really frustrating when a newbie comes to a star party with a badly made pair of bino that he paid 50-100 bucks for. Why the hell are these manufacturers still making these craps.
~MooEy~
given our badly light polluted skies, exit pupils of 7mm is a huge waste of light, ur better off with smaller binos that cost lesser and put less strain on the hands. 12x50, 10x50, 8x42, 10x40, 7x35 are much more recommended for our skies.
don't scrimp too much, u prolly only need 1 pair of bino throughout ur years of astronomy. no point buying a cheaper pair, somewhere along the way u feel u didn't like it that much and eventually upgrade.
always test out the pair of bino that you are going to buy, avoid any purchase based on specs. those are the most useless things ever. bak4fmc 10x50 doesn't means it's gd. even if it's from a reputable manufacturer.
1. Look at overall construction, is it well made? are there any paint on wrong places like edge of glass. Excessive glue being used? Does it look like it's coming apart? Are there's any interal stains/debris? Give it a hard shake, is there any rattling noise?
2. How's the eye relief like over here? Gd eye relief usually means the objective is slower and longer focal length eye pieces are used. Alternatively it could means a "barlowed" eyepiece design is used, this translated to better performance. Poor eye relief straight away means cheapness in optical design.
3. Look thru it, is the field stop sharp and well defined? Center an object with your left eye, now close your left eye and check with your right eye, is the object at the same location? Or did it shift a little? If it did shift a little, that means collimation is off. Avoid buying it at all cost.
4. Center some far away text of reasonable size, try reading it. Does it feels sharp? Or does it feel mushy. Now for the really critical part, shift this text to the edge of the field, can you still reasonably read it? Or does sharpness fall off extremely quickly?
5. Have an overall feel, Is it too big/small for you? Does it feel too heavy? How is the focusing mechanism, smooth? rough? Look at the price tag, is it within ur budget?
Now for some of the more minor points that might make u happy in the long run.
6. Point the bino towards some bright light, usually this means just above ur head. Look at that floresence lamp, is there significant purple fringing ard it when ur in focus?
7. Look thru the front of the bino, notice the reflection, they should be dark blue/purple/green, not light blue or ruby red. Look at all the reflections, are they all of the same colour? Or are the reflections at the back bright and white. Brighter reflections means only 1st element is coated, the rest are uncoated.
8. Look thru the front end once again towards the rear of the bino. You should see a circle, is any part of the prism cutting into the circle? If it does means the prism might be undersized.
9. Look thru the front once again, are there any debris? Fungus? Dust? Stain? Inspect under strong light to reveal signs of fungus. Any shop worth it's salt should never sell u fungus infected item.
I consider any bino that pass all of the above criterias as keepers, and it's not hard to find them under 300 bucks. Happy shopping.
Gimme a call if you need help, i find it really frustrating when a newbie comes to a star party with a badly made pair of bino that he paid 50-100 bucks for. Why the hell are these manufacturers still making these craps.
~MooEy~
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melcolmlee
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2009 9:08 pm
- Location: Woodlands
I have bought or used over a dozen binos over the last few decades, so here are some of my opinion for choosing your astro binos, especially your first one:
1. For your first bino, try a 7x35 porro or 8x40 porro which is light, wide field for easy star-hopping, easy to hold a steady view and economical. If you have a higher budget, you can consider a good quality 8x42 roof prism bino which is more compact. Exit pupil of 4 or 5mm is good enough especially for urban sky observing. Reputable brands to consider are Nikon, Celestron, Pentax etc. Try not to get a 10x because it is heavier, narrower field of view and not as easy to hold steady; however it is suitable for more advanced observer who want a more magnified view and can hold it steady. The standard guideline in older astronomy books to get a 10x50 or 7x50 is no longer practical in our context nowadays, in my opinion.
2. Important to check in the catalogue specifications:
a. waterproof - it is fogproof, fungus free, and it can last you a long time if you take good care of it
b. good eye-relief of 15-20mm, preferably 20mm if you wear glasses
c. fully multicoated lens & Bak4 prisms
d. a wide field of 60-65 degrees AFOV is prefered over 50 degrees AFOV.
3. Important to check and test the actual bino samples:
a. spot-on alignment between left & right image - my eyes are very critical of even slight mis-alignment, and there are lots of bino samples that are out of alignment
b. wide field and sharp to the edge (as sharp as possible) that you can fully see even with glasses on - you may have to pay more for this quality, but it is worth paying a bit more for a better quality bino.
If you need more specific details or models, just let me know.
1. For your first bino, try a 7x35 porro or 8x40 porro which is light, wide field for easy star-hopping, easy to hold a steady view and economical. If you have a higher budget, you can consider a good quality 8x42 roof prism bino which is more compact. Exit pupil of 4 or 5mm is good enough especially for urban sky observing. Reputable brands to consider are Nikon, Celestron, Pentax etc. Try not to get a 10x because it is heavier, narrower field of view and not as easy to hold steady; however it is suitable for more advanced observer who want a more magnified view and can hold it steady. The standard guideline in older astronomy books to get a 10x50 or 7x50 is no longer practical in our context nowadays, in my opinion.
2. Important to check in the catalogue specifications:
a. waterproof - it is fogproof, fungus free, and it can last you a long time if you take good care of it
b. good eye-relief of 15-20mm, preferably 20mm if you wear glasses
c. fully multicoated lens & Bak4 prisms
d. a wide field of 60-65 degrees AFOV is prefered over 50 degrees AFOV.
3. Important to check and test the actual bino samples:
a. spot-on alignment between left & right image - my eyes are very critical of even slight mis-alignment, and there are lots of bino samples that are out of alignment
b. wide field and sharp to the edge (as sharp as possible) that you can fully see even with glasses on - you may have to pay more for this quality, but it is worth paying a bit more for a better quality bino.
If you need more specific details or models, just let me know.
rlow
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stargazer.23
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 9:11 pm
- Location: Marine Parade
Hi all,
Thanks for the valuable advice. Am re-doing my research and re-looking at the options available. However, i am still undecided on whether to get a 8x40 or 10x50. Understand that the slightly higher magnification probably won't make much difference, but am rather tempted by the bigger aperture... would a 50mm show significant difference over a 40mm?
This is going to be my first, and most likely, only pair of bino. So am really keen on getting a good pair for long term use. Would you guys be able to recommend some models? My budget is about $300.
Cheers!
p/s: I'm currently eyeing the Nikon Action EX series... would this be a good buy?
Thanks for the valuable advice. Am re-doing my research and re-looking at the options available. However, i am still undecided on whether to get a 8x40 or 10x50. Understand that the slightly higher magnification probably won't make much difference, but am rather tempted by the bigger aperture... would a 50mm show significant difference over a 40mm?
This is going to be my first, and most likely, only pair of bino. So am really keen on getting a good pair for long term use. Would you guys be able to recommend some models? My budget is about $300.
Cheers!
p/s: I'm currently eyeing the Nikon Action EX series... would this be a good buy?
Hi stargazer.23, yes, the Nikon Action EX series would be a decent buy. Zackae owns the 8x42 model, and I've taken a look through it before. It's really quite decent.
Like I said before, the 4x82 would not make a big difference. Your eyes wouldn't be able to tell the difference of 8mm in light-gathering power. Even if you can see a few more dim stars (which is very unlikely), you probably won't be able to recognise them.
Regards,
Zane
Like I said before, the 4x82 would not make a big difference. Your eyes wouldn't be able to tell the difference of 8mm in light-gathering power. Even if you can see a few more dim stars (which is very unlikely), you probably won't be able to recognise them.
Regards,
Zane