Telescope Reviews: Zeiss 15 x 60 B/GAT & Takahashi 22 x 60 Astronomer

About a week or so ago on the Nikon 18x70 vs Fujinon 16x70 thread I mentioned that I had a pair of Takahashi 22x60s on order and would be getting them soon. Several posters replied that the 22x60s were really an excellent binocular and wanted to know how I thought they compared to my Zeiss 15x60s.

Unlike the Nikon 18x70s and Fujinon 16x70s which both have the same field size and similar magnifications (and hence makes it fairly easy to compare them against one another), the magnification and field size differences between the 15x60s and 22x60s are so significant that it perhaps more accurate to say that these two binoculars compliment one another more than compete against each other.

Fortunately, the day after the 22x60s arrived it was a moonless night and I was able to take them to a 6,100 foot dark sky site on the Northeast side of Mt. Rainier. Under those conditions the Takahashi binoculars performed very much like the Takahashi apo refractors. They sky was very very dark, the stars were very sharp and the contrast was outstanding. Compared to most binoculars the Zeiss 15 x 60s have a very dark sky background and excellent contrast, but the Tak 22 x 60s are in another league.

I spent the better part of last Saturday night laying back in my LaFuma recliner with the Taks supported my a Unimount Light Deluxe panning around Sagittarius, the overhead Milky Way, and hunting down many deep sky objects (e.g., M13, M27, M31, M33, M57, M81/82, etc.). Except for M31 which requires the larger field of a binocular like the 15 x 60s to nicely frame it, the views I got of all of these objects were the best I've ever had with a pair of binoculars with respect to image scale, sharpness, and contrast. Double stars were also very cleanly and widely separated compared to how they appear in most binoculars.

The very high power/very dark sky backround that one experiences with these binoculars made me feel that I was looking through an apo refractor rather than a binocular. I have never used a binocular before that provided such a combination of high power, dark sky background, and great contrast. What makes these binoculars really special is their outstanding optics combined with the excellent views they provide of individual deep sky objects like M8, M24 and the Double Cluster.

The major drawback of the Takahashi 22 x 60s is their fairly small (i.e., 2.1 degrees) true field and fairly narrow (i.e., 46 degrees) apparent field. This makes it harder to find objects plus the field itself is too small to fully encompass some of the larger deep sky/binocular such as Coma Berenices. However, it does just fit in M45 and despite the fact that the object isn't framed, the view is still very impressive. Another strength of this binocular - its very high power/dark sky background is also a disadvantage when it comes to crusing around through the Milky Way star clouds. The clouds appear much brighter and more beathtaking in a lower power/wider field binocular like the Zeiss 15x60s or the Nikon 10x70s.

I would not want to exchange my 15x60s for the 22x60s but I do like 22x60s very much and am glad I got them.

The Zeiss 15x60 B/GATs are also a very remarkable binocular. They have a 4.33 degree true field and a 65 degree apparent field. Moreover, their total field area is 326% larger than that of the 22x60 Taks. Their field is large enough that most users won't need a red dot finder in order to use them. Furthermore, it is large enough to fully encompass almost all telescope and binocular deep sky objects and also to allow you to take in large sections of Milky Way clouds. And their very wide 65 degree apparent field gives you more of the subjective feeling that you are out in space yourself rather than viewing small sections of it through an optical instrument.

Also, viewing with the Zeiss 15x60s are the closest thing I've ever experienced to using a "perfect binocular" in that they don't have any major drawbacks (other than their high cost and the fact that they are no longer made). Their true/apprent fields are large and comfortable to observe with. Their magnification is high enough to reveal a lot of detail on many deep sky objects. Their eye relief is a very comfortable (for me anyway) 15mm. Their size and weight makes them useable with almost any mount. Their sky background is very dark and yet many deep sky objects and Milky Way clouds appear fairly bright in them. Lastly, the stars look sharp in them - all across the field.

To view the types of objects that the Tak 22x60s show well, you can use a apochromatic refractor (although, it is nice to be able bino view those same objects with the 22x60s). There is no telescope or telescope/binoviewer combination that can provide the kind of views across a four degree plus field that the Zeiss 15x60s can give you.

So given my preferences and priorities, if I had to make a choice between the two I rather have the Zeiss 15x60s. But I'm also glad that I now have them both. As I said near the beginning of this post, the Tak 22x60s compliment the Zeiss 15x60s very nicely.

Both binoculars can be used terrestrially. Neither has a near focus capability but with the Zeiss it is around 30 feet but the Taks it is 140 feet. Both also provide great contrast when doing terrestrial viewing but the 15x60s have the advantage of a much larger field. On the other hand, the 22x power of the Taks comes in very handy for long distance viewing (I'll address that topic separately in another post).

I've attached a photograph of the two placed side-by-side. As you can see, the Taks a quite a bit longer and they weigh 74.0 ounces versus 55.6 ounces for the Zeiss 15x60s. The 15x60s have a center focuser and with the Tak 22x60s you must focus each eye individually. To conclude, I can highly recommend both of them but would also recommend that you get red dot finder to use along with the Tak 22 x 60s if you decide to get a pair.

John Finnan

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Leica 7x42 Ultravid
Nikon 7x50 Prostar
Swarovski 8.5x42 EL
Nikon 10x70 Astroluxe
Leica 12x50 Ultravid
Zeiss 15x60 B/GAT
Takahashi 22x60 Astronomer
NP-127 w/Bino Vue