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neoweb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Hi... my first post here! I've had a long interest in astronomy but am very much a casual observer. I've owned a couple of small-ish reflector scopes in the distant past but gave up on scopes as i don't usually have that much time to observe and found binoculars far more convenient (and enjoyable).
I’m just coming back to observing after a break... i've been using Celestron Skymaster 15x70mm which i've had for some time and these have been great but want to pass them on and because of budget was wondering whether the Bushnell Astro 20x80mm are a worthy, if only a slight, step up? They cost around the same as the Celestrons.
I do want to move up to something bigger but only if there’s a marked improvement otherwise I might just stick with the Skymasters for the time being.
I'm interested mainly in wide field viewing, star clusters, deep space objects (of which i saw many with the 15x70mm) and envisage observing 4-5 times a month at the most.
Worth going for? Thanks for any help.
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Celestron StarHopper 8" f/6 Dob
38mm Burgess 2" SWA | 30mm Ultima | 20mm Omni
17mm Hyperion | 12.5mm Baader Ortho
8mm TV Plossl | 6mm TMB/BO Planetary
Orion Shorty Plus barlow
15 X 70mm Skymasters
Saturn-like: desktop image
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stevek
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/16/06
Posts: 1246
Loc: west michigan
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neoweb - my thought on the binocs you list is that there will not be much difference/improvement for you with this switch. I suspect (but am NOT sure) that the Skymasters are FMC and possibly braodband coated whereas the Bushnells are less likely to be FMC or broadband coated. I've compared a couple of MC vs. FMC and FMC/broadband coated binocs and IMHO braodband FMC and FMC yield a clearer view of dimmer DSOs. The Bushnells will certainly give you a smaller TFOV also. I'd recommend dropping this one on EdZ (the binocs GURU) and the guys and gals in the binocs forum - you'll get a load of info and experience from regular users there.
Steve
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DSO 8" f6 DOB w/ 8x50 RACI & 2"Crayford
1958 Sears Discoverer 76mm Refractor
GSO SV 30mm 2",21mm Hyp,13mm Strat,BO/TMB ver2-6mm & 4mm
1.25"Filters: DGM-NPB, 25%ND
1.25" plossls: 25mm,20mm,15mm,9mm
Orion 2X Shorty Barlow
Garrett Gemini LW 11x56mm binocs
BTG-10 4.0mW green laser pointer
"What is that burning in the sky? Tell me y'all..." Jeff Beck/Jan Hammer
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NeoDinian
Experienced Postmaster
Reged: 10/05/05
Posts: 12228
Loc: Rockford Illinois
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You'll gain some magnification, but not much in brightness because of the very slight aperature gain.
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Neo... (Jeff)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
10" LX200-GPS/SMT UHTC "Draco"
 Rockford, Il.
NeoDinian's Eye on the Sky!
Coming soon:
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Talstarone
Vendor (Inner Planetary Products)
Reged: 09/12/06
Posts: 7677
Loc: Benson, North Carolina
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Hi neoweb. I would like to extend a Very Warm Welcome to the Cloudy Nights Family. It is certainly a joy to have you here with us.
Binocular observing is a great part of Astronomy. The wide fields of view, and the ease of scanning the skies, are usually unmatched by many telescopes.
The Celestron 15 x 70 SkyMasters are extremely good binoculars for the price. I have had the pleasure of using these binoculars on multiple occasions and were truly impressed with their performance.
In making the move to 20 x 80 Bushnell Astro Binoculars is a good gain in aperature, with a gain of 10 mm. Also you will be adding a significant magnification increase of 5 x's.
You will have to look to make sure the Bushnells are Fully Multi Coated on all lens surfaces as well as on the internal prisims.
I would imagine the 20 x 80s would have the metal body bracing in order to maintain the collimation between the two lenses.
I can not speak for the actual images through these Bushnells, as i have never used them. I have used many low cost pairs of 20 x 80 binoculars and were impressed by the views I recieved.
You will probably be giving up some of your wide field of view. And also you will need a very steady support to accomidate the increase in magnification.
Though you will be gaining a good increase in aperature. So, I would think the final choice should be left up to you.
You know your needs and observing likes, so that would enable you to judge if the increase in aperature and magnification, are worth it in this case.
I wish you much success in making the right choice for your needs.
And again i would Like to Welcome You to the Cloudy Nights Family.
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Todd C.
Celestron NexStar 4SE(102mm F/13)Maksutov-Cass
www.innerplanetaryproducts.com
Meteorites and More....
"Outer Space at Down to Earth Prices"
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neoweb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Thanks everyone, really appreciate the replies and the welcome...
Steve/Todd, i was able find the following tech spec regarding the Bushnell optics:
--Multi-Coated optics
--High quality baK-4 prisms
--Prism System: Porro
I just noticed in another thread that someone wrote: "did test the Bushnell 20x80's against the Celestron 20x80's and couldn't see or tell any difference"... so perhaps there's not that much difference between the two makes, which leaves my question about any marked advantage with the slightly bigger size?
I've been using a mono-pod with the 15x70mm... will move to a tripod if i'm persuaded to get the Bushnells.
Also, exactly how much field of view will i use?
Thanks, again.
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firestar
Born to be Mild
Reged: 10/18/06
Posts: 3942
Loc: Cleveland Ohio USA
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welcome to cloudy nights!
You may want to check out the binocular section,most folks here probably consider bushnell as kmart quality optics.
You may get a good pair and you may not.
I dont think trading up from the celestrons will be much of an upgrade.
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Eastlake Ohio
Lots of cheap Asian glass  
Antares 12" Dob,Antares 8" Dob
Meade 8" SCT, Celestron C8 SCT
Zhumell 152 mm F8,Antares 127 mm f9.4
Orion short tube 90 F5.6,Celestron 80 ED F7.5
Imaging Source DMK 21AU04 ccd camera
Stellarvue bv3's with 32,26,23,21,9 mm pairs
Olivon 42,35,28mm,siebert 21,12.5,7mm,GSO superview 20mm,Meade swa 13.8mm,Hyperion 13mm
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 24572
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Quote:
--Multi-Coated optics
That's a problem. Multi-coated not fully multi-coated. I doubt you'd see anything more in these than your current 15x70s.
Who knows, if they took other short cuts the views could be worse. 
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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neoweb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Quote:
That's a problem. Multi-coated not fully multi-coated. I doubt you'd see anything more in these than your current 15x70s.
The box for my Skymasters also says only "Multi-coated" but they turned out to be fully multi-coated (as Steve earlier suggested) so perhaps i should ask the Bushnell store for some extra info...
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Celestron StarHopper 8" f/6 Dob
38mm Burgess 2" SWA | 30mm Ultima | 20mm Omni
17mm Hyperion | 12.5mm Baader Ortho
8mm TV Plossl | 6mm TMB/BO Planetary
Orion Shorty Plus barlow
15 X 70mm Skymasters
Saturn-like: desktop image
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Talstarone
Vendor (Inner Planetary Products)
Reged: 09/12/06
Posts: 7677
Loc: Benson, North Carolina
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That would be the best solution to this entire question of the exact specs on the Bushnell Binoculars.
Just make sure you speak to a dealer that carries both brands of Binoculars, even if its not the dealer you are thinking of purchasing from.
i have found in my purchasing choices, dealers that carry many brands can give honest answers as they would stand to make a sell either way. There is also a chance they, or someone there, would have tried both sets of binoculars and would have a good idea of the optical differences.
Then if you get an answer you feel comfortable with, you will know that the dealership that helped you decide, would be a dealership you could do future business with , and feel secure in their suggestions.
I wish I could be of more help, but i am just not very familiar with the Bushnell Binoculars.
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Todd C.
Celestron NexStar 4SE(102mm F/13)Maksutov-Cass
www.innerplanetaryproducts.com
Meteorites and More....
"Outer Space at Down to Earth Prices"
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SaberScorpX
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/12/05
Posts: 4159
Loc: illinois, usa
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Welcome to CN, Neo-
Forgetting brands for the moment, I have a feeling that a hop up to 20x may only leave you wishing for even more magnification. IMO, the next significant jump would be to 25-30x.
A quality lightweight and widefield 20x80 would, however, be a fine replacement for the 15s.
With binoculars, magnification has a much higher performance emphasis than aperture. The preferred VI (Visibility Index) Mag X Sq. Root of Aperture yields the following values:
7x35 40
7x50 50
10x50 70
10x70 85
15x70 125
15x80 135
20x70 165
20x80 180
25x80 225
25x100 250
30x80 270
30x100 300
IOW, while a darker sky can easily compensate for 10-20mm of aperture, it barely competes with an instrument offering a 10x larger image scale.
My recommendation for a replacement is a Barska, Garrett or Oberwerk 20x80LW.
For a significant upgrade addition, look at any 25-30x models offered by the same companies.
Also stop by our Binocular Forum for as much info as you can stand about choosing and using binos.
Saber Does The Stars at:
http://www.astronomyblogs.com/member/saberscorpx/
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stevek
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/16/06
Posts: 1246
Loc: west michigan
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Stephen - I hadnt seen the VI index before. Good Info! No wonder I like my 11x56 so much more than my old 10x50s (VI 70->82). I've got to follow up more over in Binocs forum on that one  .
Steve
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DSO 8" f6 DOB w/ 8x50 RACI & 2"Crayford
1958 Sears Discoverer 76mm Refractor
GSO SV 30mm 2",21mm Hyp,13mm Strat,BO/TMB ver2-6mm & 4mm
1.25"Filters: DGM-NPB, 25%ND
1.25" plossls: 25mm,20mm,15mm,9mm
Orion 2X Shorty Barlow
Garrett Gemini LW 11x56mm binocs
BTG-10 4.0mW green laser pointer
"What is that burning in the sky? Tell me y'all..." Jeff Beck/Jan Hammer
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