Telescope Reviews: Re: 15x70 over 10x50?

There is no doubt that 15x opens up many doors that remain closed through 10x binoculars .

BUT -- the field of view that I can actually see through my 15 x 70 is probably closer to 3.0 degrees than the stated 4.0 degrees .

When looking at Orion's belt , I can JUST about get the middle star and either one of it's main flank star in the same field of view . with a tiny bit of sky at either side.
The separation between the two stars is less than 3.0 degrees ( around 2.7 degrees in fact ) .

Apart from around half the image of area seen through the binoculars being distinctly UNsharp , the actual total area covered is almost exactly the same as that seen through my 76mm TeleVue with a 32mm Plossl , which I KNOW to yield 15x magnification with a TFOV of only 3.2 degrees .

That is a tremendously small area of sky compared to the 8.6 degrees I can see through my 7 x 42 , the 7 degrees I see through my 7 x 50 , or even the 6 degrees I see through my 10 x 42 -- so small that for me it makes trying to navigate via star hopping a little frustrating .

Add to this the fact that whilst 10x is just about within the comfort range of avoiding dancing stars whilst hand - holding , 15x requires stable support , usually in the form of tripods and heads that cost more than most 15 x 70 binoculars currently available .

I am also not sure that any binoculars that are literally specified as 15 x 70 that are actually as good in every single aspect of build and image quality as are the very best 10 x 50s available -- such as Fujinon FMTSX , Swarovski SLC or Leica HD Ultravid .

Kenny

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