btschumy
Think Astronomy
Reged: 04/13/04
Posts: 1111
Loc: Austin, TX, USA
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I just couldn't resist finding out how these compare to my Fuji 16x70's so I ordered a pair today from Oceanside Photo & Telescope. They are in the same price range as the Fujis so I hope quality is similar. The guy at OPT indicated they were.
I ponied up an extra $20 to have a tech check the optics and collimation. They will also put a shock sticker on them to let me know if they have had any rough treatment in transit.
They should ship on Thursday after the tech checks them. I requested 3 day air shipping to minimize handling. Oh Boy! New toys on the way!
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Bill Tschumy
Where is M13? Freeware -- Add a new dimension to your observing.
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10163
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Bill ,
Please allow me share just a tiny portion of your understandable excitement :- )
IF , indeed , THESE 20 x 80s turn out anything like similar in QUALITY to the Fujinon FMT SX 16 x 70s , then I suspect you may inadvertently have discovered a very important binocular .
It seems to me that a VERY GOOD 20 x 80 is a much sought after instrument.
Good luck with it Bill !
I'm sure you will let us all know PRECISELY what your impressions are , and THAT might prove a very useful service to many more people than you might realise :-)
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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Mark9473
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 2703
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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Bill, do you have an ETA for a first (re)view?
What I would like most to hear about, is sharpness across the field, sensitivity to glare and reflections e.g. from the Moon, and confirmation of the field of view.
We're all hoping you'll have great weather over the weekend!
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Vixen 8x42; Swift 8.5x44, 10x50 and 20x80; TS 7x50; Orion 15x63
WO Megrez II 80 FD + Baader 90° T2 Amici
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btschumy
Think Astronomy
Reged: 04/13/04
Posts: 1111
Loc: Austin, TX, USA
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Quote:
Bill, do you have an ETA for a first (re)view?
I expect to receive them on Monday. If the skies are clear I should be able to use them from my suburban setting that evening. Saturday the 27th would probably be the first chance I could try them from a dark (LM 6+) setting.
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Bill Tschumy
Where is M13? Freeware -- Add a new dimension to your observing.
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edwincjones
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 4430
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To share Kenny's excitement, we really do need something between the quality of the Kowas/Miyauchi and the cheap binocs from Asia flooding the market.
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n w arkansas
Binocular, Solar, General Amateur Astronomy
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btschumy
Think Astronomy
Reged: 04/13/04
Posts: 1111
Loc: Austin, TX, USA
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I agree 100%. That's why I so interested in this pair. I hope Vixen has done them right. Keep your fingers crossed.
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Bill Tschumy
Where is M13? Freeware -- Add a new dimension to your observing.
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10163
Loc: Lancashire UK
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As an afterthought , to tie in with edwin c's comment , there ARE 20 x 80s available from Steiner and Opticron which MIGHT be superior to most , if not all , of the Chinese models , at least in some ways .
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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aporigine
sage
Reged: 07/03/05
Posts: 425
Loc: Tuolumne foothills CA
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Let us know how well they float!!
cheers aporigine
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Beauty is in the eyepiece of the beholder.
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14703
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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I am also interested in hearing about these binos, Bill. Let us know about the FOV sharpness, and all that good stuff. I had done a little research on Vixen during my search for a next purchase, but I could not find a definitive answer to the following question :
Are Vixen binos made in China? And if so, are they basically the same binos as Zhumell? I have noticed a lot of cosmetic similarities between Vixen and Zhumell.
MIkeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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btschumy
Think Astronomy
Reged: 04/13/04
Posts: 1111
Loc: Austin, TX, USA
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Quote:
Are Vixen binos made in China? And if so, are they basically the same binos as Zhumell?
The person I talked to at OPT said he could see no markings indicating where the binoculars were made. However, he said that looking at the lens cells, they appeared to be of a style coming out of Japan rather than China. I have no knowledge of whether you can really make that distinction based upon the lens cell design.
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Bill Tschumy
Where is M13? Freeware -- Add a new dimension to your observing.
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dvb
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/18/05
Posts: 1924
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I will also look forward to your review, as I understand these are the same Japanese bino that is also badged by Celestron and Orion. There are some discussions of them in the CN Reviews, such as:
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=182&pr=2x48x61
Enjoy!
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Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Newt on Matilda
Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Collapsible Dob
Meade 8" SN f/4
Celestron C8 SCT
Celestron C6 SCT
Skywatcher ED100
Skywatcher ED80
EQ6 Pro "Matilda"
AT Voyager
Skymaster 15x70
Mallincam HyperColor Plus
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btschumy
Think Astronomy
Reged: 04/13/04
Posts: 1111
Loc: Austin, TX, USA
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I think it was the older Vixen 20x80's that were similar to the Celestron and Orion models. This is a totally new model.
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Bill Tschumy
Where is M13? Freeware -- Add a new dimension to your observing.
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14703
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Quote:
I will also look forward to your review, as I understand these are the same Japanese bino that is also badged by Celestron and Orion.
To the best of my knowledge, the entire Celestron Skymaster line is Chinese. If I am wrong, and they are Japanese, then I will say they do not live up to the higher standards that supposedly exist in Japanese binos.
Ditto goes for Orion, last I heard, they are all Chinese.
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12601
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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Quote:
I will also look forward to your review, as I understand these are the same Japanese bino that is also badged by Celestron and Orion. There are some discussions of them in the CN Reviews, such as:
Quote:
To the best of my knowledge, the entire Celestron Skymaster line is Chinese. If I am wrong, and they are Japanese, then I will say they do not live up to the higher standards that supposedly exist in Japanese binos.
Ditto goes for Orion, last I heard, they are all Chinese.
The Orion Megaview literature advertises it as made in Japan.
The Celestron Skymaster is not the same binocular as the Orion Megaview. Build quality is cheaper. The current Celestron Skymaster does not look like the Megaview at all.
The Vixen Giant is not the same binocular as the Orion Megaview or the Celsetron Skymaster. In fact all three of these binoculars are different.
The review from 2 1/2 years ago is probably comparing different binoculars than even what these current models are. The Celestron Giant Deluxe is not the Celestron Skymaster.
I don't know how much weight I would put in a review where the reviewer claims too have split the trapezium into 4 stars with a 9x63. No one is capable of doing that, to my knowledge, even with a 15x binocular.
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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dvb
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/18/05
Posts: 1924
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http://www.telescopes.com/products/Celestron_SkyMaster_20x80_Center_Focus_33003.html
http://www.telescopes.com/products/Vixen_12x80_BCF_Giant_Waterproof_33825.html
Well, there is certainly a significant difference in price, as the above two catalogue ads indicate. Unfortunately, not many comparative specs are provided --just that the eye relief of the Vixens are 16mm and the Celestron 15mm, and the shipping weight of the Vixens are 5 lb. v 9 lb for the Celestron.
Perhaps it is time to retire the CN review?
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Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Newt on Matilda
Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Collapsible Dob
Meade 8" SN f/4
Celestron C8 SCT
Celestron C6 SCT
Skywatcher ED100
Skywatcher ED80
EQ6 Pro "Matilda"
AT Voyager
Skymaster 15x70
Mallincam HyperColor Plus
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12601
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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I don't think these Vixens should even be compared to the Celestron Skymaster. The Skymaster is a low to mid-end model binocular. Some single coated optics internally. Single coated eyepieces. Poor sharpness of field performance beyond 70% out and very poor beyond 80%. Oberwerk models of equal size are higher quality than Celestron Skymaster.
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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btschumy
Think Astronomy
Reged: 04/13/04
Posts: 1111
Loc: Austin, TX, USA
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Quote:
http://www.telescopes.com/products/Celestron_SkyMaster_20x80_Center_Focus_33003.html
http://www.telescopes.com/products/Vixen_12x80_BCF_Giant_Waterproof_33825.html
This latter link is for the older Vixen. The new model I ordered looks nothing like this. You can see the new model here.
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Bill Tschumy
Where is M13? Freeware -- Add a new dimension to your observing.
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GLR GROUP
super member
Reged: 03/22/04
Posts: 188
Loc: Cugliate Fabiasco,(VA) (ITALY)
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Hi Bill!
I am very interested to the new vixen 20x80. I have possessed for three years the old model, it was better respect to the various chinese clones, but the punctiformity was not exceptional and the focus system had some problem during the winter cold night, here in the north part of Italy. Now i observe with a Vixen Ultima 9x63 and 25x100 Ts. I'll be happy to know if the new model is better than the old . The Italian retailer has assured to me that the new series is still produced in Japan.
i send you a photo of my old 20x80 compared to an Intes Kronos 30x90
Kind Regards from Italy
Piergiovanni
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[url] www.binomania.it [/url] you can find many binoculars reviews!
[url] www.landscapephotography.it [/url] a tribute to italian and switzerland landscapes
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10163
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Lovely photo Pier !
Nice detail on the wooden bench in the foreground.
I know you have trouble typing English Pier , but could you tell us how you rate the Intes 30 x 90 , very basically ?
Maybe compared with the Vixen , Miyuachi and TS ?
Best wishes to you ,
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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GLR GROUP
super member
Reged: 03/22/04
Posts: 188
Loc: Cugliate Fabiasco,(VA) (ITALY)
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here's a fast comparation between the new and the old model.
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[url] www.binomania.it [/url] you can find many binoculars reviews!
[url] www.landscapephotography.it [/url] a tribute to italian and switzerland landscapes
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