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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hi All,
I want to become a ameature astrologer. I don't know where to begin. I want to start with a binocular. But I don't know which one to buy. Can anybody suggest which one to choose and how to jump start my space viewing.
Thank you
Saikrishna
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Craig Simmons
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/10/03
Posts: 1502
Loc: Falls Church, VA
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Hi Saikrishna, that would be amateur astronomer. Astrology is something found in newspapers. How much are you looking to spend? Welcome to the hobby.
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Craig Simmons
Oberwerk 8x56, 20x90
Nikon Action IV 10x50
Barska 15x70
Galileo 20x60
Stellarvue 15x63, 20x85
Orion XT10 pre-Classic
Antares 10
Stellarvue AT1010
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Craig,
Thanks for the correction. I'm still learning english. I'm looking at $150.
Thanks
Saikrishna
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Craig Simmons
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/10/03
Posts: 1502
Loc: Falls Church, VA
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At that price the size you want would be either 8x42mm or 10x50mm (or similar size) for hand held use. Anything larger will require a tripod which increases the cost. Oberwerk makes some good binos and are a good company to deal with. There's lots of good binos to choose from in that price range.
Here's a link to some reviews to give you an idea of what's available.
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10/Number/63783/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1
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Craig Simmons
Oberwerk 8x56, 20x90
Nikon Action IV 10x50
Barska 15x70
Galileo 20x60
Stellarvue 15x63, 20x85
Orion XT10 pre-Classic
Antares 10
Stellarvue AT1010
Edited by Craig Simmons (07/23/04 03:32 PM)
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10145
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Welcome to CN Saikrishna !
There are too many models in too many different sizes , designed for different KINDS of viewing ( hand -held or mounted ) and even for different TYPES of astronomy ( wide -field scanning / moon / DSOs etc ) for there to possibly be ONE SINGLE answer to your question.
Yours is however quite a common question and I recommend you try to read as many posts as you can here on CN Binocular Forums.
As a rough guide , if you intend to hold a bino in hand when using them for astronomy , you will probably find your arms start to shake too much to get the full benefit from any magnification over around 10x.
Also any binocular either over 50mm in size or around 35 ozs in weight ( roughly 1 kilogram ) will probably be too HEAVY for extended use.
To start with I would recommend a 10 x 50.
From recent reviews and comments it sounds like you could do much worse than the Nikon Extreme , Pentax PCF , Minolta Activa , Olympus or Oberwerk in that price range , but it is VERY adviseable to try before you buy.
Different people have different shaped faces , differently shaped and set eyes , and above all , different OPINIONS about what is hot and what is NOT !
Good luck with your quest !
Kenny.
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Saikrishna...my suggestion: wide-angle 8x40 or 8x42 or 10x50. Wide angle makes it a lot easier to find objects. If you plan to get a telescope or larger binoculars eventually, I'd go with the 8x40 or 8x42s. If you wear glasses, you'll need long eye relief (it's nice to have even if you don't wear glasses).
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lighttrap
Reged: 02/06/04
Posts: 3833
Loc: cloudy, foggy, humid NC, US
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Quote:
my suggestion: wide-angle 8x40 or 8x42 or 10x50. Wide angle makes it a lot easier to find objects.
As somebody that's owned something ridiculous like 30+ binoculars, and has tried out maybe twice that number outside of the confines of a store, I would absolutely NOT recommend wide angle binoculars for astronomy. The very eyepieces that make them wide angle, introduce edge distortions that make the whole point of wide angles for finding stellar objects a moot point, since they will be so distorted that your brain will either reject them, or they'll just annoy you to distraction. Wide angle binoculars have their place for limited daytime use, but for nocturnal use, standard FOVs that lack such annoying edge of field distortions are a MUCH better choice. If you want a wider FOV for nighttime binocular use, switch to a lower power. (Purists will argue that's a gross oversimplification, but it's more or less true for the types of binocualars that most folks who ask this type of question are likely to be considering.)
Regards,
Mike Swaim
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18" Starsplitter II f/4.5
8" Hardin Dob f/6
C5 workhorse mini SCT f/10 or f/6.3
70mm TV Ranger dual purpose birding/astro
77mm Leica Televid APO
16x70 Fujinons on UA Deluxe Mt.
12x50 Nikon SE
8x30 Nikon E2s
and many others
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lighttrap
Reged: 02/06/04
Posts: 3833
Loc: cloudy, foggy, humid NC, US
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Saikrishna,
If I may be so bold to ask, what country are you likely to be purchasing your binoculars in or from? That could play a key role in getting accurate answers to your question. Personally, I'm only familiar with the US market, but we do have people here from all over, and as I understand it, binocular availability varies widely.
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18" Starsplitter II f/4.5
8" Hardin Dob f/6
C5 workhorse mini SCT f/10 or f/6.3
70mm TV Ranger dual purpose birding/astro
77mm Leica Televid APO
16x70 Fujinons on UA Deluxe Mt.
12x50 Nikon SE
8x30 Nikon E2s
and many others
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I knew I might get some flak for recommending wide-angle. You always always hear & read that wide angle is bad for astro beause of edge distortions/lack of edge sharpness...that it's so bad and irritating that it negates any advantage of the wider field of view.
With my inexpensive Olympus Trooper 7x35s (65 degree apparent) I found the edge sharpness to be nowhere near as bothersome for astro and daytime use as everyone else was saying wide-angle would be...in fact I found it bothers me little or not at all, day and night. What does bother me is the almost tube-like 50 degree apparent field of view of many other binocs today. On-axis, this is probably the sharpest pair of binocs I've yet owned. Did I get an unusually good pair? I don't know. I found the edge softness to be a small price to pay for the aesthetics of an expansive field of view and the ease of finding objects that it allows.
Granted, this is the only pair of wide-angle binocs I've owned...other wider a.f.o.v. ones might be more or less satisfactory to me (or others). Wide-angle & long eye relief is only my suggestion. Binocs are very much a matter of personal preference...only Saikrishna can decide what's best for Saikrishna.
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