Which binoculars better ?

leehai1980 · Post by **leehai1980** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:50 am

Celestron out land 8x 42 or nikon 7x 50 action binocular better for dso and singapore environment ?

Post by **weixing** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 8:29 am

Hi,
8x42 will be better in our light polluted sky.

Have a nice day.

cloud_cover · Post by **cloud_cover** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 9:17 am

Should ask Gary - During the last session at Punggai I brought my new Nikon Action Ex 10x50 and he had a Celestron. I didn't look through his but he did look through mine and pronounced the Nikon to be impressive (I'm assuming that means better than the Celestron but shall nto put words in his mouth!)
I find the Nikon to be very sharp at the centre and balance is good so even handholding a 10x50 is not an issue.
A word though - If you can afford, get the Action Ex rather than the Action. The optics have been noted to be better and the extra cost of waterproofing and sealing are worth it - you don't have to worry about dew and fog forming internally when used in late stargazing sessions. A practical discovery on my first stargazing trip!

orly_andico · Post by **orly_andico** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:22 am

I second that... used cloud_cover's Nikon binos for a while, and, while i'm no devotee of premium binos, it was definitely better than my old Bushnells...!

I believe these Nikons are in the $150 range?

There also are some decent Pentax binos, I believe rlow is using them. Also $150 range AFAIR.

cloud_cover · Post by **cloud_cover** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:26 am

Ahem.... no lar $250 range. But the Pentax ones are even more expensive to buy, $300+.

orly_andico · Post by **orly_andico** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:35 am

Ed Zarenski (the binocular guru) compares the Nikon AE's to several competitors here:
http://www.cloudynights.com/documents/nikon.pdf

might be worth checking out.

MooEy · Post by **MooEy** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:46 am

do check with robin on the william optics binos

http://www.williamoptics.com/binoculars ... atures.php

stargazer.23 · Post by **stargazer.23** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 11:09 am

Should ask Gary - During the last session at Punggai I brought my new Nikon Action Ex 10x50 and he had a Celestron.

Hi cloud cover, may I know where you bought your Nikon Action EX and how much was it? I'm looking to buy one too but all the shops I went to so far didnt carry the model... One shop offered to bring it in for me, but quoted me over $300!

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 11:15 am

The Celestron 8x42 was not mine but Chris's. I looked through both binos but at different objects and at different durations. So it is hard to compare which is better. The sky was so good that night that I was busy enjoying the bino views rather than comparing which is better. If you observe 99% of the time in light polluted skies, a slightly bigger aperture/magnification may not make a big difference. I have some brand new el cheapo Practica 8x42 binos that I may wish to sell in the near future. For those who are on a really tight budget, do look out for it.

fizzy123 · Post by **fizzy123** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 11:17 am

There is this cheap 7X50 bino going at $50 or $22 on offer, at suntec carefour. I used it extensively at the recent Punggai trip. Did a quick comparison with Chris's 8X42 bino, not much difference except for the fact that Chris's bino make the objects look more 3D. Other than that, I still managed to pick up M8, M20, M24, M4, M31 using this humble piece of equipment. Do consider it if you are cash strap