Wes James
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/12/06
Posts: 2457
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Saw an ad this past week for some ultra-wide angle Bushnell binocs... and then, in another post on the Miyauchi's, saw mention of a new 5x32 ultra-wide angle coming down the road. Seems like the newest thing/trend coming out of China?? Anyone heard more on these? Got me to thinking- for the widest field of view for skysweeping- what would be the way to go binocular-wise?? (Astro use only)
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Wes
Atlantic Beach, FL
Some bino’s from Miyauchi 5x32 Binon's up through Garrett 20x110 Signature's,
Some telescopes from a Stellarvue 80mm NHNG up through a couple of 8” reflectors…
And a wonderful 4.25" Delmarva Shiefspiegler!
Some good friends, made here on C/N.
Oh- several cats and a wonderful wife!
Anyone want a cat???? :-O
"When your work speaks for itself- Don't Interrupt" -Gamble Rogers
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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interesting thoughts, eh Wes? I was looking at a pair of bino's of similar strength at Vixen North America's website. the Foresta 8x42's and they had an advertised FOV of 8.8°...iunno about you but that's pretty impressive!!! 
they're a fairly handsome binocular as well me thinks 
if they shipped to Canada, I might even be tempted to get a pair...but alas, they are not 
Vixen 8x42 Foresta Binoculars @ Vixen North American
edit - hmmm, at the new Vixen Optics website, they have these listed for quite a bit lower in price and there's an adjustment in the FOV...dropped down to 7.5° vs the previous 8.8°. 7.5° is still a lot, just not quite as much as before. it's also 0.4° wider then my 7x50's. do you think it's possible you'd 'really' notice that difference? 
see new Foresta specs here @ VixenOptics.com
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
Edited by EdZ (09/02/07 08:30 PM)
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edwincjones
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 4423
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the miyauchi should be at bigbinoculars.com soon, but expensive at around $400 and heavy at around 2#--13 degrees FOV
edj
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n w arkansas
Binocular, Solar, General Amateur Astronomy
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Rick
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/12/05
Posts: 2575
Loc: Tokyo, Japan
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Cam, I have these. I suspect the Vixen Optics web page is wrong as the FOV of the 8x42 is 8.8deg. All Foresta porros have now been discontiued in favor of the smaller roofs.
The 8x42 are not sharp to the edge however (maybe center 50%) and like most small Vixen porros suffer from prism clipping. Probably better for nature views than astro use. But they do give wide immersive views, and have excellent ergonomics. Eyerelief might be tight for some though. Shoulder/waist canvas carry bag is sweet for hiking too.
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www.japanastro.com
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charen
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/28/05
Posts: 786
Loc: New Zealand
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Meade produce a 4x30mm 'Travelview' foldng roof prism binocular with 7.5 exit pupil. Unsure of F.O.V.
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35 binos.
80mm Cat.
WO66ED
SV NH 80mm / EQ3
Meade 8in.LX90
Skywatcher Equinox ED120 / Goto HEQ5.
Edited by charen (09/03/07 03:56 AM)
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richtea
sage
Reged: 02/01/05
Posts: 208
Loc: UK Yorkshire
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Hi
At a glance this Vixen binocular body and design reminds me very much of the later Swift Audubon 820 and 820ED Models
Interesting fov at 8.8 degrees though as the only other decent porro i can bring to mind with this fov is the Nikon E11 8 x 30
Regards
RichT
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Carl Zeiss MC Jenoptem 10 x 50
Nikon SE 10 x 42
Nikon E11 8 x 30 + 10 x 35
Bresser/Meade x2 10 x 50(40)
Pentax Papilo 6.5 x 21
Minolta Activa WP FP 8 x 40
Praktica WA Lanthanum x2 8 x 25
Swift Audubon 804 FMC 8.5 x 44
Fujinon CD Phase Coated Roof 7 x 42
Opticron Minerva Porro 9 x 35
Opticron Vega 11 WA Porro 12 x 50
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gatorengineer
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/28/05
Posts: 725
Loc: Hellertown, PA
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The widest production bino I am aware of is the Kronos 6x30 at 12.5 degrees. Holger reviewed it on his page, but I cant check it from work. Priced around $130....
http://www.telescopesa.za.org/www.russianproducts.za.org/russian%20binocs/fieldbinocularsbpshc6x30.htm
Bresser / Meade made some wide stuff but it appears to be discontinued. There have been plenty of rumblings of Miyauchis demise here in the forum so the choices for wide are getting narrow.....
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16" & 20" Dobs
4" Triplet Refractor
10" LX200R OTA
8"F20 Dall Kirkham
12.5" F3.5 Newt
CGE
Lots of binos---
Nikon 8x30, 10x35, Prostars,10W/18 x 70 astrolux; 10x50 Fujis. Collectors items 12x60 BLC, 10x80 Flaks, Gas Masks, US Mark 28, 30, 41, 43's
Telescopes Past - 8" Stf Mak, C8, Meade LX10-10", SN8, TAL150K, Orion 150MC, Jason 60mm refractor, ATM 6" F8, WO 110FLT, 92mm Off Axis Newt, Nikon 20x120 bino's, 15x110 Boarderguards, Kuhne Flaks
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Joe Ogiba
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/14/02
Posts: 3361
Loc: NJ USA
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Quote:
Meade produce a 4x30mm 'Travelview' foldng roof prism binocular with 7.5 exit pupil. Unsure of F.O.V.
217 ft FOV is not wide angle at 4x .
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Pentax PF-80ED
Meade 102ED APO
Orion EON 72
120ST
Apex 127
C6 XLT
CR150
C9.25
XT10
Zeiss 7x42 FL
Canon 10x42L IS WP
15x50 IS
12x36 IS II
Garrett Optical 28x110 HD-WP Signature Series
Oberwerk BT-80 45
Apogee RA-88-SA
Denk II Power x Switch binoviewer w/13mm Ethos, 20mm Pentax XW's, 20mm Widescan III's.
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Joe Ogiba
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/14/02
Posts: 3361
Loc: NJ USA
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My 7x32 Expanse binoculars have a 14° FOV rating.
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Pentax PF-80ED
Meade 102ED APO
Orion EON 72
120ST
Apex 127
C6 XLT
CR150
C9.25
XT10
Zeiss 7x42 FL
Canon 10x42L IS WP
15x50 IS
12x36 IS II
Garrett Optical 28x110 HD-WP Signature Series
Oberwerk BT-80 45
Apogee RA-88-SA
Denk II Power x Switch binoviewer w/13mm Ethos, 20mm Pentax XW's, 20mm Widescan III's.
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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What do we need the Ethos for? You already have two of them in that binocular, and for less than a 100$ I bet. So why is it costing Al Nagler $400-$700 each to develop the prized 100° fov when the Expanse already have done it for Oh what about $40??? Al, listen up, somebody beat you to it.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10146
Loc: Lancashire UK
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There are WIDE angle binoculars ( 8 degrees TFOV plus ) and there are SUPER WIDE binoculars ( such as the Orion Expanse which Joe mentioned above ).
In my opinion , that model was little more than a novelty glass - and nothing short of a disastrous experiment .
I spent many hours testing a Orion Expanse 7 x 32 , and probably as many hours again writing up my review , so if anyone is interested in finding out why I arrived at that conclusion , the review can be seen in the CN Binoculars mini - reviews section .
On the other hand , I don't expect the TeleVue Ethos 13mm eyepiece with a 100 degree AFOV will be anything less than sensational .
Regards , 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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Joe Ogiba
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/14/02
Posts: 3361
Loc: NJ USA
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Kenny, I like my 7x32's for what they are (low cost UWA binoculars). As long as I am using them in a back lit situation because of internal reflections from the light colored body behind the objectives. I plan on unscrewing the objectives and painting that area flat black. If there were better quality 14° 7x binoculars I would buy them but it seems like there is no demand for a quality UWA binocular.
Joe
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Pentax PF-80ED
Meade 102ED APO
Orion EON 72
120ST
Apex 127
C6 XLT
CR150
C9.25
XT10
Zeiss 7x42 FL
Canon 10x42L IS WP
15x50 IS
12x36 IS II
Garrett Optical 28x110 HD-WP Signature Series
Oberwerk BT-80 45
Apogee RA-88-SA
Denk II Power x Switch binoviewer w/13mm Ethos, 20mm Pentax XW's, 20mm Widescan III's.
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Joe Ogiba
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/14/02
Posts: 3361
Loc: NJ USA
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Quote:
What do we need the Ethos for? You already have two of them in that binocular, and for less than a 100$ I bet. So why is it costing Al Nagler $400-$700 each to develop the prized 100° fov when the Expanse already have done it for Oh what about $40??? Al, listen up, somebody beat you to it.
edz
A pair of 13mm 100° Ethos eyepieces cost $1,240.00 so I am sure most people know the 7x32 Expanse are not going to have anything near Ethos eyepieces for the price they are selling for. The list of UWA binoculars at any price is very short.
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Pentax PF-80ED
Meade 102ED APO
Orion EON 72
120ST
Apex 127
C6 XLT
CR150
C9.25
XT10
Zeiss 7x42 FL
Canon 10x42L IS WP
15x50 IS
12x36 IS II
Garrett Optical 28x110 HD-WP Signature Series
Oberwerk BT-80 45
Apogee RA-88-SA
Denk II Power x Switch binoviewer w/13mm Ethos, 20mm Pentax XW's, 20mm Widescan III's.
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Les
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/22/06
Posts: 666
Loc: Maryland
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Quote:
On the other hand , I don't expect the TeleVue Ethos 13mm eyepiece with a 100 degree AFOV will be anything less than sensational .
KennyJ,
The S&T review confirms your expectation.
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Les
Canon 10x42L IS
Oberwerks BT80/45, Helix Hercules mount on Oberwerks Standard Tripod
Swift 8x44ED Ultralite
Questar 50th Anniversary Model, 501 head on Manfrotto 475 tripod
Stellarvue SV90T 90mm Fluorite refractor Bogen 3236/Televue Tele-Pod Head
Questar 7 Astro
Vixen GP-DX on Baader Surveyor Tripod
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10146
Loc: Lancashire UK
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< The S&T review confirms your expectation. >
Thanks , Les .
At $620 a throw ( and you can probably double that price in the UK ) I'm pleased to hear that -- even if only for those with deeper pockets than I have ! :-)
Regards , 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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edcannon
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 679
Loc: Austin, Texas
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Sticking with my thinking that 7x is a bit too small for astronomy, there's the Orion Outsider (fairly long eye relief):
8x40 - 9.4 degrees
10x50 - 7.6 degrees
But you have to deal with various quality issues. My fully multicoated, BaK-4 Orion Ultraview has an 8.2-degree true field of view, and the 10x50's TFOV is 6.5 degrees.
Just going to the widest fields: there's the Bushnell 4x21 Xtra-Wide focus-free model rated 900 feet per 1000 yards or 300 meters/1000 meters. According to my calculations, that's about 17.15 degrees TFOV. (Strangely, I get the above [model 13-0421] when I click the link to the 4x30 [model 13-0521]. Maybe it's a website error, and they don't make the 4x21 anymore?)
Here's the craziest that I have seen online. On http://www.nightvisionwholesale.com/ they have an opera glass listed as being 2.3x40 (17mm exit pupil!), with a 28-degree field of view!!
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Ed Cannon - Austin, Texas, USA
As of 23 August 2008 - Celestron Skymaster 12x60
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Mike Rapchak
sage
Reged: 11/17/06
Posts: 450
Loc: Indiana, USA
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Wes,
You might consider hunting around for an old pair of Celestron Nova binos. I have a 1984-vintage 10x50 model that provides an 8-degree (420 ft @ 1000 yds) FOV. The views through these are gorgeous. Sure, there's distortion near the edges of the field, but I never notice it unless I look for it (and who wants to do that?). They're built like a tank and still perform like new (I honestly haven't been too gentle with them over the past few years). Coatings are more than adequate, as is eye relief (though I don't know the figure at the moment). For a genuine "space walk" effect they can't be beat. 
Mike Rapchak Jr.
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1501
Loc: Connecticut
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FYI
I didn't realize that Bushnell has a new XTRA-Wide model, the 4x30. I think it's fov spec. is 900' @ 1000yd just as the 4x21 was. That's roughly a 17 deg fov.
Although most here may not buy it, we should at least know that it's out there.
Yes, it still appears to be a fixed focus model like the 4x21 it replaces.
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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Joe Ogiba
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/14/02
Posts: 3361
Loc: NJ USA
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I consider all fixed focus binoculars as kids toys.
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Pentax PF-80ED
Meade 102ED APO
Orion EON 72
120ST
Apex 127
C6 XLT
CR150
C9.25
XT10
Zeiss 7x42 FL
Canon 10x42L IS WP
15x50 IS
12x36 IS II
Garrett Optical 28x110 HD-WP Signature Series
Oberwerk BT-80 45
Apogee RA-88-SA
Denk II Power x Switch binoviewer w/13mm Ethos, 20mm Pentax XW's, 20mm Widescan III's.
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Rick
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/12/05
Posts: 2575
Loc: Tokyo, Japan
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Here in Japan Kasai is promoting their new 2.3x40mm "Widebino28" which has a 28deg TFOV. Unique for a Galileo-design optic I think.
http://www.kasai-trading.jp/widebino28.htm
cheers,
Rick
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