Telescope Reviews: OLD FRIENDS ARE BACK

I went out this morning around 3:00 a.m. with a 7x50mm IF that EdZ sent to me as a loaner.

I started off by looking at a few "old friends" who are now back in my neighborhood, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Perseus.

Last year I was blessed with finding Comet Homes, in this region of the heavens, even before I knew anything about it.

This morning I was looking at the open clusters h and x Per, better known at the Double Cluster. I also noticed my old friend the Andromeda Galaxy/M31.

Well that got me fired-up and I went in and brought out my NcSTAR 20x70mm and did some quick scanning of the same part of the sky. Not satisfied with the dark views of the 20x70mm, I went back inside and brought out the BIG GUNS, my Barska 30x80mm X-TRAIL and my Orion 30x80mm MEGAView..

Back to the Double Cluster, I am always amazed at how beautiful it looks through 30x binoculars. Both binoculars gave me pinpoint stars and the viewing was excellent. I remembered seeing the Double Cluster through a 25x100mm, last year, and it was even MORE spectacular. Unfortunately, I returned the 25x100mm for a couple of reasons. Ever since then I have been imagining how fantastic the Double Cluster would probably look through a GO Signature Series 28x110mm. Maybe, someday, Joe will take a look through his and let us known.

Through the 7x50mm and the 20x70mm M31 was not very exciting. Looking at it through the Orion 30x80mm M31 was larger, but still basically just a "faint fuzzy". I must be situated in a lousy location, as I have NEVER had a "really good" view of the Andromeda Galaxy from where I live, regardless of which binoculars I choose to look through.

I decided to give Jupiter a try with both 30x80mm binoculars. I could see both bands on Jupiter and four moons through both the Barska and the Orion. Because of the inferior coatings on the Barska, things are alittle darker than when viewed through the Orion MEGAView. The bands were clearer and more distinct thru the Orion. Also, I get more of a halo around Jupiter with the Orion binocular than I do with the Barska.

Lastly, I had to take a look at the full moon. The Orion MEGAView is soooo bright

that I had to go get my clip on sunglasses to keep from blinding myself. Because the Barska delivers darker views, only Fully Coated optics, and fields stops, which the Orion does not have, viewing the full moon was less blinding and more comfortable. Both binoculars are very sharp and clear.

I also looked at the full moon through the NcSTAR 20x70mm, & as I stated in an ealier review, there is ghosting with the NcSTAR due to the MC? coatings, and possibly? a lack of coatings on the prisms, but, the sharpness of the views more than makes up for the other drawbacks.

The difference between 20x and 30x is significant, and I prefer the 30x views because of the larger size, better details.

The time flies by so quickly and around 4:00 a.m., or alittle after, I began to see daylight appearing. Bummer!

All in all it was a very enjoyable viewing session and I was pleased to find out that the 7x50mm binocular does seem to show alot more stars, when scanning the heavens. The 7+mm exit pupils were transmitting alot of light and stars to my 6+mm eye pupils. I am beginning to SEE why people like using the 7x50's so much. If I ever was to get a 7x50mm someday, I think that I would want to save up alot of money and get the BEST that I could possibly afford.

Because I am somewhat of a high magnifiction freak, when it comes to binoculars, a 7x50mm is rather low on my list of dream binos.

Clear Skies to every at CN

Edited by hallelujah (06/22/08 05:23 PM)