**DONOTDELETE**
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Hi All,
I was just curious if anyone has tried the 15x70s from Burgess Optical. They seem to be an incredibly good deal ($99.00). They've gotten some pretty good reviews in Astronomy and S&T (for whatever that's worth  ), but I was hoping to hear a completely unbiased opinion.
Seems like no one from my favorite review site has gotten to them yet 
If you've tried 'em, let me know what you thought before I buy a pair.
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 26242
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Howdy!
While I haven't used *that* particular pair, I did just purchase a set of Galileo 15x70's for $69 from www.sportsmansguide.com that I'm extremely impressed with. From all appearances, they come from the same factory as the Oberwork, Barska, and I'd bet - Burgess. The outside looks a little different, but how many different Bak 4 15x70 chinese binoc manufacturerscan there be?
Bak 4 prisms, Fully Multi-coated (they state, to me they look more like fully coated) about a 4.4 deg fov.
Best $69 bucks I've spent on the hobby.
Tom T.
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I concurr that the Galileo 15x70's are the best glass for the money I've ever purchased. Only $63 with buyer's club discount, probably 7.5/10 optics, and a free tripod adapter. I own 5 binoculars over 50mm and the Galileo's are my favorite. The optics aren't as good as my Pentax 20x60's, but the Galileo's are more comfortable to look through.
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 26242
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Yah - I thought the tripod adapter was pretty lousy tho - for smaller units, it's fine. Unless you don't touch the units at all, you may want to plan on replacing it with a *metal* one (it's plastic).
T
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 26242
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Edward -
What other binos do you own (that you are comparing the Galileo's to)? I'm thinking of some other pairs (I just rediscovered binocular observing after a fairly long absence).
Thanks
Tom T.
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rboe
Numbfinger
Reged: 03/16/02
Posts: 38126
Loc: Phx, AZ
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I have the 15X70's I bought from Oberwerk a year ago that I though were a steal at $150. Bought the metal tripod adaptor AND the mirror mount to save my neck.
Then I blundered into a great deal for 15X70's Barska's and a free tripod adaptor: $60.00!! Bought them for work (18th floor, great views of fires and mayhem). The site is now sold out.
The Oberwerks came collimated (for a while anyway) and with better coatings. Need to quantify that later: Have not done that yet. Nice deep green coatings while the Barska's are light blue. The Barska tripod adaptor shivers like a cold dog. Looks good; don't use it. The Barska's needed some serious collimating before I could use them. Once that was done they worked very nicely. Have NOT used them at night yet. I will when I compare the two units.
On another site they sold some bino's labeled PARKS for $299.00 and they look for all the world the same as the Barska's and the Oberwerks (new model) so I must agree that there is one busy Chinese team putting out some nice bino's with varing quality of optics/coatings. At least until Bush decides to attack them. 
In any event, these are very nice to use and I can't think of a better bang for the optical buck unless you already own two or three pair already.
Ron
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Ron
NS11GPS
Pronto
16" dob
15X70 Obies
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**DONOTDELETE**
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Tom, I tried to take a look at the galileos you mentioned at the site you linked to, but they seem to not carry the 15x70s anymore. I guess I'll have to do some searching.
rboe, from what I've read the Oberworks and the Burgess binocs are basically identical and seem to come from the same manufacturer. I'm sure the Barskas do also. Seems like there is a binocular equivalent of Synta.
Thanks to everyone for the info, though. I did not realize that there were so many reasonable quality choices for 15x70s in this ultra-low price-range. Time to do some shopping around.
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rboe
Numbfinger
Reged: 03/16/02
Posts: 38126
Loc: Phx, AZ
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I can recommend Oberwerk as a good company to do business with. I was able to get advise via email with any problems and the product is definitly better off the shelf than the Barska's. However; from Internet posts, I had assumed the Barska's would need adjustments (cloudynights has the article's on line to help with this) so I had the mindset that I would have to tweek them.
If I was just buying them without any other outside information I would have been very disappointed with them. They were also less than half of what I paid Oberwerk for but the Oberwerks came collimated (I have since had to adjust them ever so little) and have what appear to be better coatings. Perhaps fully multi-coated vs. fully coated as has been suggested to me.
One final note. The eye cups on the Oberwerks have rotted out right were they have the thin double fold when you retract them. I keep them there because I get the spaceship port hole feeling with them stored. I expect the Barska's to rot also. Have not tried to have the eye cups replaced (hey, I don't use them!). I believe a reviewer thought this might happen and this caused me to inspect my pair - and what do you know, they were bad!
Oh, the Oberwerks came with a very nice wide neck strap that has proven to be useful at times. Who would have known? All in all, while they were more expensive I still think they were worth the money for what I got: And so where the Barska's.
Ron
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Ron
NS11GPS
Pronto
16" dob
15X70 Obies
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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"What other binos do you own (that you are comparing the Galileo's to)?"
I purchased both the Galileos and the Barskas. Kept the Galileos and sent the Barskas back to Hartland America.
Both appear to have been made by the same factory. The primary difference was in the center focus system. The Barska's use a course thread focus screw and required very little movement to change the focus. Any contact with the eyepieces would alter the focus. The Galileo's have a fine thread adjustment screw. Much easier to fine focus and they stay in focus even with my eyeglasses pressed up against the eyepieces.
JP
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 26242
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Shoot - you just missed em - they had them last night when I posted. Still - sportsmans guide is one of those discount overun type places so they may or may not show up again.
Tom T.
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rboe
Numbfinger
Reged: 03/16/02
Posts: 38126
Loc: Phx, AZ
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I have a pair of Nikon 7x35, Burris 7x35, WWII army surplus 7x35 and I believe Tasco 7X35 (wife's). And the two 15X70's
The Tasco is the worse. Real crapper, but it was a gift (all but the Nikon's were gifts). The old Army unit has individual focusing eye pieces which I thought was odd but they work better than they sound.
I have not really wrung the Nikon out against the Burris unit. The Burris is built stouter but I think the Nikons have a better image. I use both interchangebly so there is nothing there to quibble about.
The Oberwerks focuser is the old model and sounds like the Barska you disliked. They improved it a lot and I have though about replacing it (hence the Barska's). Depending on the Dark Sky test I may swap them between work and home.
Sounds like factory has bins of parts and you pick one from each bin to make your branded bino. Basic units are alike but vary in little details depending on the parts selection.
Or they have QC issue!
Someday I would like to get something bigger. These are light enough for me to use without a tripod during the daytime. Night time I need to brace against a chair or something if I avoid the tripod.
Ron
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Ron
NS11GPS
Pronto
16" dob
15X70 Obies
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I noticed Sportsmans Guide didn't have the 15x70 Galileos this week. Hopefully they'll come back.
To answer Tom's question I'll summarize the large binoculars I've had in the past 1 1/2 years:
Galileo 11x70 (3 pairs, all good, 2 sold or given to friends)- $69
Great deal(!), comfortable to use, good (7.5/10) optics, good (7/10)mechanics. Starfields and Messier galaxies excellent. moon great(wear sunglasses). trapezium shows 3 stars. saturn oval and occasionally see ring. Used with tripod 90% of time. My favorites. I'm amazed by the quality and quantity of optical glass I get for $69. Add a $30 tripod for perhaps the best deal in all of astronomy.
Pentax PCF V WP 20x60- $185
Great (9/10) optics (flat and sharp to edge), very good (8/10) mechanics. about as good on deep sky as my 15x70's (optical quality and magnification compensates for aperture?), awesome on moon. trapezium shows 4 stars. Saturn shows ring (with gap between ring and planet)clearly. Jupiter shows 2 bands. Compact, very high quality. The binoculars to use on planets. I can use them to assess seeing, then decide if I'll get out my telescope. However: narrow FOV, can't hand hold, some false plumes of light around Jupiter, minimum interpupillary distance a bit big for my beady eyes (57mm IPD).
JC Optics 11x70's- $49 (were on sale, now $69 at Sportmans Guide)
Fair (6/10) optics, good (7/10) mechanics. Starfields very enjoyable. Barely 3 stars in trapezium. saturn blurry oval. Easy to hand hold, much more compact than the Galileo's, well worth $49. Will replace my Oberwerks on next backpacking trip. However, not much coatings I can see, inferior to the Galileo 15x70's.
Orion Intrepid 11x60- about $120, no longer available.
My first astronomy binoculars, I liked them. Came out of collimation when dropped (in case and box about 30" to a carpetted floor), then given to friend.
Oberwerks 11 x 56- $99
Very good binoculars, good optics (7.5/10) and mechanics (7/10). Easy to hand hold and backpack with (M31 awesome from 13,000 feet). Looked like could have come from same Chinese factory as the Galileos and Orions. Service from Kevin excellent. Very good all around binoculars. However, the additional brightness and magnification of 15 x 70's is a big step up, and I seldom use these anymore.
I hope my experiences and opinions help someone. Tripod mounted binocular astronomy is incredibly easy and fun. I should have bought binoculars before I bought my telescope. Conventional wisdom is right on that one.
Ed
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Greetings from the UK where binoculars (like gas) really hit your wallet.
I tracked down the factory/area of China where pretty much all these binoculars come from and ordered a bunch of them basically so that I could get a pair or 2 for my personal use. The Chinese are nice people to deal with and pretty efficient.
I think you are all right in saying that multi-coating is one of the great differentiators and yes their Q.Control is rather poor. I was sent a pair of 20x80's with great streaks in the lens coatings and a pair of 15x70's that would simply not focus. That said they are great value for money and the 15x70 is the best of them.
I am looking forward to their new non-metal body 20x80 (Oberwerk now have them) and their cheaper 22/25 x100 which could be interesting. Great if they offered a cheap option with interchangeable eyepiece capability.
Your comments on the extreme value for money of these binoculars are even more valid in the UK where retailers would like to get $300/£180 out of the buyer for a 15x70. Well done to the Chinese for making such products available to the masses.
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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A few further thoughts on big binoculars (I compared 5 above).
I think I did not do justice to the excellent Oberwerk 11x56 in my original comments. Upon direct comparison they very nearly keep up with the cheap 11x70's on deep sky, and are sharper on double stars. The quality (and likely QC) of Oberwerks is noticeably above the cheap brands, yet they still cost far less than the big three (Orion, Celestron, Meade). I think the Oberwerks will still be my choice for backpacking.
Unlike some other users I can't tell any difference between my cheap plastic (Carson and no brand) and fancy $17 (Swift, Japanese) metal tripod binocular adapters. I did just notice part of my interpupillary distance problem with my Pentax 20x60 was the tripod adapter.
If anyone wondered, eye relief is excellent with all five binoculars I discussed. I wear glasses essentially all the time when observing.
Again, hope this can help someone.
ed
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 26242
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Quote:
<snip>
Unlike some other users I can't tell any difference between my cheap plastic (Carson and no brand) and fancy $17 (Swift, Japanese) metal tripod binocular adapters. I did just notice part of my interpupillary distance problem with my Pentax 20x60 was the tripod adapter.
<snip>
ed
I guess I'm one of the ones that can tell the difference. The plastic adapter that ships with the Galileo 15x70's (looks exactly like the carson adapter), is IMO inadaquate to take the torsional stress in that size bino - when ever I touch the binos or the mount, they sway for several seconds - since I have a tendancy to bump the binos with my forehead or eyes, they never settled down. FWIW, they are fine with my 8x40 sonomas (which weigh a fair amount less).
I've only used a few tripod adapters - I'm most happy with my Pentax. Solid metal, and works with roof prism binos too.
Tom T.
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Ok I've owned my 15X70 Burgess binoculars for about 3 months now. I"ve em mounted on a T&T Mount and a bogen 3211 tripod. They give me an excellent FOV at around 4.2 degrees. There hand holdable for a few minutes but mount them. Yeah 99 bucks and a pair that will last ya a while. I've also a pair of 10X50 Meade armor binoculars if I want to hand hold. I highly recommend the Burgess for a great starter pair of big binoculars. If you don't like em your bucks have not been that big. You can always sell em and move up to a bigger pair if needed. These are big enough for me.
viperbob
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**DONOTDELETE**
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I live in UK and cand afford expensive binoculars(yet just paying off student loan). I recently got 13x70 "Breaker optical JL 998" on ebay for $75(£50), but those a horrible things, they will not focus at all on stars, so I disassemble them in order to collimate them but it is not possible as everuthing glued inside. They looked brand new. What a pile of crap. I will sell them back on ebay LOL, so becarfull make sure you do not buy mine.
I have my old Russian binos that my dad brought from soviet army, they probably 20 or 30 years and they great.
Regards
Serge
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 9939
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Serge , Sorry to hear you made the mistake of buying those
terrible BREAKER 13 x 70s . It's a shame really because I think 13 x 70 COULD be an interesting mag/objective ratio producing a very bright image .I wish you'd have posted on here first to ask about them . I could have told you and saved you the money , time and hassle . In the U.K. check out Chris Heapy's astro ads for used binos. On average about twice a month really good bino bargains tend to come up.
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Two eyes and a preference to use both
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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**DONOTDELETE**
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Thanks for the advice. I will have a look at Chris webpage. Do you have link for it?
Brakes binos only good when I am little drunk since I cant focus properly then anyway. LOL
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 9939
Loc: Lancashire UK
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easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~chrish/aa-ads.htm -
Serge - sorry about this long delay - the above is the link.
Good luck - Kenny .
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Two eyes and a preference to use both
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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