Please help me make a decision on which binoculars to buy?
March 31, 2010 by
Filed under Binocular Reviews
I want to get some astronomical binoculars. I had this pair picked out:
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=binocular_giant/~pcategory=binoculars/~product_id=09463
I liked these because the magnification isn’t too high where I would have to put it on a tripod all the time. Although there would be times where I would put it on a tripod. After doing a little more research, I came across these binoculars:
http://www.telescopes.com/binoculars/astronomy-binoculars/zhumelltachyon25×100astronomicalbinocularwithtripodpackage.cfm
Now, I understand that with these binoculars I will pretty much always have to have them on a tripod. But these are only $100 more than the other ones, comes with a tripod, and has some really good user reviews.
I have never used binoculars for astronomy before, so my question is this: Will buying the larger binoculars give me dramatically better views than the smaller ones? If so, is it worth it not to be able to just hold them in your hand?
I would go for the smaller ones myself. But it is personal preference. Some people really like giant binoculars. I think something that needs to be tripod mounted all the time should be a telescope.
buy the 9×63s.
the whole point of binoculars is agile, handheld investigation of the sky.
The Orion #09463 are good ones, the 9X63 means that the binoculars multiply the object nine times and the 63 is the size of the front lenses are.
The higher the power the closer the object will appear to be
Another vendor to look at that has a great selection -
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/
I would add that using a mount of some sort makes for a better viewing experience. What a mount allows you to do is remove you from holding the binoculars all the time. And its great for when your attempting to find an object. It ain’t n fun when you have to set the binocular down all the time, just to check a reference position on a chart.
An alternative to just a tripod by itself is a parallelogram system. It allows for hands free viewing, easy to move around and is much more relaxing.
You can make one yourself without to much trouble (if you have the tools and some skill).
http://www.gcw.org.uk/bino/binonet.htm
http://members.ziggo.nl/jhm.vangastel/Astronomy/binocs/binocs.htm
Another option, put a little more complected, is the “Couch Potato Chair”. This is more of a all in one solution where you become part of the mount itself.
http://www.geocities.com/lwraif/SimP/
Using one of these ideas does allow you to use a larger binocular (which gathers more light) without the hassles of holding by hand or the awkwardness of using a tripod by itself.