Hi berto,
I ordered the 88's long before the were available. When they arrived I couldn't use them. They are 14 lbs and I had no tripods that could support them.
I bought a prototype 4 arm p-mount From T&T. I chose this mount for it's reasonable cost and robustness. Also I pass his hometown on my commute and was amused by his "crutch" tripod design (I'm in the medical field). This mount easily holds the 88's (and probably any of the larger bino's as well).
My first choice would have been a fork mount if I could have found one for less. Helix and Universal Astronomics are known for their quality bino mounts. Oberwerk has a nice new mount with the 45 deg bino telescopes. Maybe that mount will be offered separatly in the future.
Once the 88's were steady, I found that the image from the left tube was great! Pinpoint stars with minimal false color around the moon and bright stars. Unfortunatly the right tube had unacceptable astigmatism. Apogee took them back without question and promply sent a replacement pair. These lived up to my expectations and I've been very happy with them.
My interactions with Apogee have always been positive. I have bought a couple of Lomo scopes and other items from them without any problems.
Are these the perfect binos? No.
The pros:
#1,2,3 90 deg oculars!
Not great for those who view while reclined, but great in an upright viewing position. Very convenient from 20 deg all the way to the zenith without hyperextending your neck.
#3,4,5 The cost!
Most of the other 90' binos are much more expensive. Yes, they are probably superior to the 88's in every way. I feel the 88's offer the most bang/buck amoung the 90' binos available.
#7 Semi-Apo.
Gosh, who knows if this is true. I'm not even sure that people agree on what semi-apo means other than better than achromatic, but not as good as apochromatic. My opinion (which only matters to me) is that the optics have nice color correction. My Oberwerks 12x60s have more false color in them. I don't have any other refractors to compare them to.
#8 Four choices of EPs.
20x, 24x, 32, 40x. Not a bad range of powers for binocular use. For lower power I use standard binos.
#9 Carrying case and a removable handle on the binos.
The cons:
#1 non-standard eyepieces.
The only other eyepieces I've heard working with the 88's are some of the Orion expanse EP's, and only after the metal tubes are unscrewed. Even though the offered EPs are good, no one likes being a captive audience. Also the issues of eye relief and foldable eyecups rears it's ugly head when you can't chose your own EPs.
#2 A slight cut off while looking into the objectives.
It's difficult for me to say how much this affects the performance of the binos. To be fair I'd like to compare these binos to another 88 where the only difference is the absence of the cut-off. I'm not sure why it's there in the first place and hope it can be improved in future versions.
#3 Weight.
14 lbs is substantial. These have to mounted as you would any of the other giant bino's. Certainly there are 90's and 100's which weigh less but they are not 90' binos. The more expensive Miyauchi 90's do weigh less but they still need proper mounting.
#4 Loss of point and look.
Although the 88's have upright non-reversed images, one drawback to 45' and 90' binos is that you lose the intuitive aspect of using standard binos. You can't just lift your eyes over the eyecups and see the same piece of sky. These are definitly not for bird-watchers and are not well suited for terrestrial use in general. These binos beg for a finder scope. I belive someone (Simmons?) adapted a rifle scope to his Miyauchi binos. The base for the removable handle would be the perfect place for a similar finder.
The improvements I'd like to see are mostly in the accessories. Sure I'd like larger objectives, no cut off, standard EPs and lower price. But I'm happy with the binos just the way they are. I'd like to see a finder scope similar to the rifle scope concept, and a fork mount. Hopefully one that can take advantage of those 1/4-20 bosses on the sides of the tubes.
I'm certainly happy with the 88's and can recomend them and Apogee for their quick response to my problem with the first pair. They did a great job in getting a good, reasonably priced 90' giant bino to the US market.
BTW, I have no financial connections with any of the above people/businesses.
Peter
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