Can someone recommend to me a good pair of 10×50 (or somewhere near that) binoculars for astronomy?
April 17, 2010 by
Filed under Binocular Reviews
Ive been looking at these Nikon Action 10×50’s. They look pretty good and have good reviews. I have also been looking at these celestron outland LX 10×50’s. Im concerned about the celestrons because they keep on advertising the fact that it has an extremely near focus. I want mine for astronomical purposes, not closeup. If anyone can tell me which one is better, or recommend a different pair, please do so. Keep it under 100 dollars.
Either of these would be fine, but the best 10×50s under $100 are probably the Orion Scenix:
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=binocular_standard/~pcategory=binoculars/~product_id=09333
go to a camera or sporting goods store and have a look. this can be a subjective decision. which ones *feel* right?
good binoculars will give sharp images, and the images will fuse to a single image without effort or strain.
this really isn’t that major an issue. good binoculars are easy to come by. ppl have recommended lots of good ones. my old ones are a pair of bushnell 7×50s i bought from a camera store. they work fine. my new ones are a pair of zeiss 8×42s. they are absolutely bloody amazing.
quit dithering, go buy some binoculars and go look at some stars. that’s the point of the exercise.
Close focus does not affect far focus. I have some 8×42’s that let me focus on my knees. It’s great for looking at butterflies. When Saturn’s rings were tilted all the way over, i was able to see them in the 8×42’s as separate from the body of the planet. Most people say you need at least 15x for that. Close focus can drive the cost up, however.
I find it difficult to hand hold binoculars at 10x and higher. But then, i can only do about 25 pushups. Perhaps you have lighter binoculars or stronger, steadier arms.
In my experience any binoculars are fine. But cheap binoculars are typically fragile. But if you treat them like fragile glass artwork, they’ll last a long time. Don’t toss them into the floor of the canoe. Don’t leave them in your car where heat/cold cycles will get at them. Expensive binoculars will take more abuse, but remember that you have more to lose. Go to a sporting goods store and get a pair for $25. Keep your receipt. At your earliest opportunity, check them out by looking at stars. If you see double stars, return them.
Good tripods are expensive. My Bogen tripod was $250, and worth it.