765 replies to this topic

[Echolight]

It would be more legit if you used two simultaneously. 

I got gorilla tape...

[jrazz]

The title says "Team 15x-25x".... I don't have a problem but the townfolk will have your hide if you keep on showing these single-eye monstrosities.

 

 

Oh, cool find tho! Nice price

[Astronoob76]

 

Left to right and back to front: Nikon Aculon 16x50, Tento 20x60, Celestron Skymaster 20x80

Front row: DDoptics Pirschler 15x56 with AK-prisms (great for stuff like the Orion nebula) and the Canon 18x50IS with a bino bandit and lense hoods.

Oops, forgot one on the pic, the Celestron Skymaster 15x70 which was my first "bigger" bino.

[Echolight]

The title says "Team 15x-25x".... I don't have a problem but the townfolk will have your hide if you keep on showing these single-eye monstrosities.

 

 

Oh, cool find tho! Nice price

I coulda shown my giant Celestron Skymaster. But everyone's got one of those.

[Fiske]

The title says "Team 15x-25x".... I don't have a problem but the townfolk will have your hide if you keep on showing these single-eye monstrosities.

 

 

Oh, cool find tho! Nice price

Emphasis mine. 

[Rich V.]

Three common high quality 16x70s; APM MS ED, Fujinon FMT and Lunt MS.  I still consider the 16x70 size as a "must have" in my bino lineup; they go way deeper than lower mag binos but the 4° FOV is still generous enough to be considered "wide field" in my book. 

 

These three all have nice flat fields out nearly to the edge of field that many other binos are lacking.  Either MS bino has about double the effective ER of the FMTs.  That's why only the FMTs need the eyecups rolled back for me even without eyeglasses.  Notice the larger eye lenses and slightly longer focal length of the MS binos as well.

 

Rich

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[Milos1977]

Ahh .. Every one of these Team x topics quickly ends up costing me dearly 

Still miss my 16x56 Nikon. 

[jrazz]

Ahh .. Every one of these Team x topics quickly ends up costing me dearly 

Still miss my 16x56 Nikon. 

This forum is costing me dearly!

[Fiske]

Either MS bino has about double the effective ER of the FMTs.  That's why only the FMTs need the eyecups rolled back for me even without eyeglasses.  Notice the larger eye lenses and slightly longer focal length of the MS binos as well.

The generous eye relief of the APM 16x70 ED MS is too much of a good thing in my case.  Wearing glasses with the eyecups rolled down the views are subject to beaning. I have started a project to create replacement eyecups sized specifically for my eye relief with a 3D printer.

 

Otherwise, I'm entirely in agreement with Rich's assessment of 15/16x70 binoculars. They are indispensable for suburban astronomy.

[ihf]

Spotting scopes (and monoculars) do belong in this forum. And these little magnification monsters tend to be very cute! Problem is the image quality tends to be modest in my experience for anything below the Pentax level.

 

I think one problem with spotting scopes is that curvature is high and the eyepiece needs to be carefully matched. This is done by the manufacturer in the case for binoculars with fixed eyepieces. But spotting scopes by default have a zoom, which makes the view difficult on the wide end. The few that take any astronomical eyepieces (instead of expensive and often not so wide eyepieces designed by the manufacturer) still have difficulties matching on the wide end. Most astro eyepieces are designed for a flat interface, which most spotting scopes cannot provide.

 

Another advantage to buying lots of binoculars (to fix the zoom problem)!

[Erik Bakker]

Spotting scopes (and monoculars) do belong in this forum. And these little magnification monsters tend to be very cute! Problem is the image quality tends to be modest in my experience for anything below the Pentax level.

 

I think one problem with spotting scopes is that curvature is high and the eyepiece needs to be carefully matched. This is done by the manufacturer in the case for binoculars with fixed eyepieces. But spotting scopes by default have a zoom, which makes the view difficult on the wide end. The few that take any astronomical eyepieces (instead of expensive and often not so wide eyepieces designed by the manufacturer) still have difficulties matching on the wide end. Most astro eyepieces are designed for a flat interface, which most spotting scopes cannot provide.

 

Another advantage to buying lots of binoculars (to fix the zoom problem)!

My experience with lots of spotting scopes too.

 

Then serendipitously I met the Nikon ED82A with it’s native Nikon MC II 25-75x zoom and later the Nikon 30, 50 and 75x MC Wide eyepieces. Not only are they all REALLY good, they changed my vision on and appreciation of what a good spotting scope with carefully matched eyepieces can do for me. And I say that with refractors like the Zeiss AS 80/840, Vixen FL55, FL70, FL102 and Takahashi FS-102 NSV and A-P EDF130 with an assortment of Zeiss, TeleVue and Brandon 0.965”, 1 1/4” and 2” eyepieces as my own personal references in the small to medium sized refractors over the decades. The Nikon ED82 and it’s 4 eyepieces are so good that out of all these instruments, I would choose that set if I could have only one telescope with 4 eyepieces of my choice on a desert island. Are it’s views the widest, the brightest or the planets the most detailed out of all the scopes mentioned? No. But it’s superb images, versatility, ease of use and ergonomics make it a supremely enjoyable compromise that never cease to amaze me what it CAN show. 

 

And it’s a great combination with any of my hand held binoculars or even 18x70 too!

[Cestus]

My Obie Deluxe 20x80 is my favorite. I just got a new Celestron 25x100 and it has worked pretty well. However, I have a soft spot for the Obie. I also have a 15x56 Vortex DB and for really quick looks it works extremely well.

[Mark Y.]

My two new Binoculars......Oberwerk 20x65 ED and the APM MS 34x80ED's.

 

Honestly,both are too new to make a decision on which I prefer....but....I'm going to have a fun Spring and Summer deciding.

[tropical]

Count me in with the Tak signature ..   

[DRodrigues]

http://www.pt-ducks....5x56 binoculars

[jrazz]

Oh well... 

I am now a bona-fida member of the BA club (Binoholics Anonymous - without the anonymous)

 

Finally clicked on the 25x100.... Going to go and apologize to my bank account....

 

 

 

On the positive side, I managed to avoid the BT temptation!

[Fiske]

On the positive side, I managed to avoid the BT temptation!

So far...

 

[jrazz]

Do not confuse me with facts!

 

I really want the aperture and can't stomach the cost of the 100 sized BTs. I might in the future but for now, If I can "manage" on a mere achromat I should be good.

Edited by jrazz, 15 May 2022 - 02:09 PM.

[Fiske]

As outstanding as something like the Oberwerk 100XL-SD is, and it really is, observing with a binocular telescope isn't the same experience as observing with a straight through binocular simply from the fact that BTs have angled eyepieces. That they aren't straight through. Navigating is less intuitive, less immediate. Still FAR easier than navigating with a telescope, one must say. I don't think it is possible to experience the night sky as an integrated whole observing with a standard telescope. Seriously. It is with a BT, because you're still navigating the same sky seen naked eye (which is not the case with the vast majority of telescopes, which have either mirror reversed or upside down orientations from the naked eye view). But even with a BT, you're one step removed because your eyes are not directed at what is being viewed. You're always aware of looking through an instrument. Straight through binoculars that fit properly become in a way transparent. The night sky is more immediately present and the intermediacy of the binocular is subsumed by the experience. 

 

So, while I observe with and love binocular telescopes, I will never stop observing with straight through binoculars. The two types of instruments work together for a complete experience of the night sky. At least for me.

Edited by Fiske, 15 May 2022 - 03:35 PM.

[edwincjones]

My 15-25X team is solo now and getting old

Miyauchi 100mmFL with 20,26,37X EPs

 

edj

[Terra Nova]

My binoculars in this magnification category are:

Orion 20X80s (Japan).
Tento 20x60s (USSR), currently at Suddarth Binocular Hospital.
Zeiss West (Oberkochen) 15x60s.

Shrine-Manon 16x50s (Japan).

[jrazz]

OMG OMG OMG OMG

It's here!

 

And it's BIG!!!!

Way bigger than I expected. Just looking at the mountains I can already tell I'll like it. The eyecups are much more like the 20x65ED (read narrower) than the 15x70 Ultra so they fit my face better. Looking outside there are not a lot of internal reflections and the CA is better controlled than the Ultra. Not at 20x65ED quality but definitely to the point where they make no difference. Sharpness seems excellent as well. FOV is slightly narrower than the 20x65 and Ultra but a) not THAT much narrower and b) I expected that. 

 

Cannot BELEIVE that these are 1/5th the cost of the BT-100 (and 1/6 of the SD version). They look like so much binoculars for the money!

I'll put together a better review once we get clear skies (it's blowing 30mph steady outside and snow is expected tomorrow) but I'm already excited!!!

 

 

 

 

Here it is next to the Leica 8x42. I like big binos....

 

Edited by jrazz, 19 May 2022 - 07:11 PM.

[scroff]

My Team 15-25x.

 

 

From left to right:

 

Oberwerk 15x70 Ultra

Oberwerk 20x80 Deluxe III

Oberwerk 25x100 Deluxe

APM 20x80 ED MS

APM 16x70 ED MS

 

Center:

 

Oberwerk 20x65ED Deluxe

 

If you could only have one of these, which one ?!

[jrazz]

Waaaay to early to tell....

 

Right now I'm in love with the 20x65ED. Just a perfect binocular IMOH. The 15x70 is such a good generalist but I really like the quality of the 20x65ED.

 

All this being said, from the little I saw, it's going to be between the 20x65ED and the 25x100 and I think the 25x100 will win. Can't cheat physics. The aperture and magnification will probably make it the ultimate for me.

 

 

 

Edit: 

Waaaait a minute! Only have one? From you?!?!? The "if I could only have 20" person? 

Edited by jrazz, 19 May 2022 - 07:44 PM.

[Fiske]

Waaaay to early to tell....

 

Right now I'm in love with the 20x65ED. Just a perfect binocular IMOH. The 15x70 is such a good generalist but I really like the quality of the 20x65ED.

 

All this being said, from the little I saw, it's going to be between the 20x65ED and the 25x100 and I think the 25x100 will win. Can't cheat physics. The aperture and magnification will probably make it the ultimate for me.

 

 

 

Edit: 

Waaaait a minute! Only have one? From you?!?!? The "if I could only have 20" person? 

Wasn't me. You've been tricked.