156 replies to this topic

[MT4]

What binos do you hand-hold on a regular basis?

 

Here are the three "permanent" members of my Team Hand-held:

 

   6.5x32  Moon-Star    (9.3 degs, 720g)    *** WOW!!!  "Focus-free" 6.5x done right.

   10x32   Nikon EDG    (6.5 degs, 650g)    *** WOW!!!  WOW!!!  Stunning sharpness, contrast and stray light
 


  20x60   Zeiss S      (3.0 degs, 1.6kg)   *** WOW!!!  Stabilized 20x!

 

 

And here are the two honorary members that can be used hand-held in a pinch but otherwise ride on a portable mini-pier mount:

 

   15x56  Swarovski SLC (4.5 degs, 1.2kg)   *** WOW!!!  Stunning sharpness and contrast.

 

   15x56  Maven B.5     (4.5 degs, 1.25kg)  *** WOW!!!  Stunning sharpness and contrast.

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Edited by MT4, 04 September 2023 - 06:43 PM.

[Erik Bakker]

Permanent members of my team hand held  from dusk ‘till dawn:

Nikon 7x50 SP

Nikon 10x70 SP

 

Best used on a tripod, but quite often hand held in my recliner:

Nikon 18x70 WF

 

Honorary member for allround hand held observing:

Nikon EDG 8x42

 

Light and small enough to take with me anywhere, anytime:

Nikon 7x15 M CF

[Milos1977]

I like the thread title 🍻

Most of my viewing on a daily basis is up through the open windows of SouthWest side of the sky. I get a decent chunk of the sky, and Im very grateful for that. Due to not having a balcony, handheld use give me much more flexibility to maneuver than even monopad which I use sometimes. So, out of my current collection listed below, I hand held all of them :-). In a pinch at least! Thats how I first give them a "feel" wether I want to spend more or less time using a particular one. 99% of the time I start that way regardless of magnification power and weight. Sessions are relatively short, true, but thats the way I currently roll. Biggest obstacle is still the light pollution and bad weather.

 

One of the binoculars that might surprise many I hand held only is my favorite APM 11x70 MS ED. I do support my forearms or elbows when standing or sitting but only as much as I would when holding any smaller binoculars. It's a pleasure to view through them. 

 

I created adjustable forehead support for my binoculars that help hand holding a lot. 

 

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[Astronoob76]

All up to 12x magnification.

Most used are: vintage wide angle 7x35, "Scope" EWA 7x50, Kowa BDII 6.5x32, Fuji HC 8x42, Fuji FMTR 7x50, DDoptics "Pirschler" 10x45 (with AK-prisms), Canon 18x50IS, and when I go up to 12x I use the Vortex DB 12x50. I sometimes also use my old 9x63. By far my favourite for aimless stargazing is the 7x35, J-B22, with 12° FoV.

I tried using a monopod for stabilization but it didn't really work for me. So I'd rather reduce magnification than use one.

If I wanna use something larger, I'd use my Dobsonian.

Edited by Astronoob76, 04 September 2023 - 10:05 AM.

[bigeyes]

Nikon 7x50SP

 

Hand-held:

 

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[Mike W]

Nikon 8X42 HG

" " 10X35 E

" " 12X40 "honorary E"

" " 7X50 On the way


Swift Audubon HR5 letting go
Nikon 7X35 E "C" gone to bird forum
" " 7X35 E letting go

Edited by Mike W, 04 September 2023 - 08:52 AM.

[Terra Nova]

Nice topic. Here’s my list with footnotes:

 

​Roof Prism Binoculars:

Maven C4 18x56 ED B, H seated, but mostly T
Athlon Midas G2 12x50 ED B but mostly H
Meade Masterclass 10x56 ED H
Vortex Diamondback 8x32 H
Lunt Sunoculars 8x32 H
MiniASTRO 15.8° 5x25 H
Bushnell 8x21 compact binoculars H

Porro-Prism Binoculars:

Orion 20X80 (Tosco, Japan, 1995) T
Oberwerk 20x70 ED Ultra (China, 2023) T
Zeiss Oberkochen 15x60 (~1960s, West Germany) T but H on rare occasions
Zeiss Jena 10x50 Dekarems (~1960s, DDR) H but T on rare occasions 
Nikon Tropical 7x50 IF HP (Japan, ~2020) H but T on rare occasions
Sears Tower 8x40 (Japan ~1956) H
Binolux 7x35 Extra Wide Angle (11° FOV, ~1970s, Japan) H

 

H = Handheld

T = Tripod mounted

B = Both

 

* And most remarkably, they all get used fairly regularly, ofter in a complementary duet in any of the above combinations.

Edited by Terra Nova, 04 September 2023 - 08:45 AM.

[Dale Smith]

Great post topic, MT! Love reading about fellow forum member’s Team Handhelds.

 

My own:

 

MoonStar 6.5x32 9.3 Degrees

Kowa BD II 6.5x32 10 degrees

Vixen 6.5x32 9 degrees

(The MoonStar is becoming the starting player at this specification.)

 

Nikon 7x50 SP 7.3 degrees

Resolux 7x50 7.5 degrees

Nikon Ocean Pro 7x50 7.2 degrees

(The SP has become the starting player at 7x50)

 

Oberwerk 8x30 SE 8.2 degrees

 

Resolux 10.5x70 5 degrees. Heavier at 5.5 pounds, but I love the low shake that results, and the greater reach that 70mm provides, even in my Bortle 7 skies. Easily the binocular I use the most at 10x-ish magnification

 

That’s my Team Handheld at 6.5-10.5x. I also use my APM 12x50 MS ED and my Helios Stellar-II 16x80 handheld, the latter mostly handheld. It’s only slightly heavier than the Resolux 10.5x70 and works fine for “pan and scan” views.

[jrazz]

Really it's these two:

 

 

 

The 15x70 Ultra is a recurring, sporadic member of this team. I used to use it more before the MoonStar arrived as it can show a lot of detail and is surprisingly easy to hand hold. 

[Rich V.]

For me, the best hand held detail is with the Canon 10x42L IS.

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[dnayakan]

Handheld: Kowa 6.5 x 32, Steiner 7 x 50, an old Promaster 10 x 42

 

Handheld on occasion but much prefer mounted: OB 12 x 50, Maven 15 x 56

 

Always mounted: OB 20 x 70

 

Terrestrial viewing almost always handheld. Much prefer some kind of mounting for astronomical viewing. I think the fact that everything moves in terrestrial viewing allows my brain to ‘accommodate’ movement to some extent. With astronomical viewing, it is points of light jiggling against inky blackness and my brain seems unable to accommodate small movements. It bothers me - rather a lot. I’m also not the most stable of individuals…

[Albie]

I am down to three binoculars these days , got rid of the ones I rarely used .

 

Handheld would be Nikon MHG 8x42 (occasionally on a Manfrotto monopod) .

Handheld 50% of the time and the other 50% on a little tripod is the Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 version 2 . The papilio in the pic is a 6.5x21 version 1 that is long gone .

Astrophysics 15x70 (BA8) mostly on a monopod , occasionally hand held .

 

 

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[aznuge]

What binos do you hand-hold on a regular basis?

 

...

It cycles for me, but lately they are these: 6.5x21 Papilio II (daytime sporting events); NL 8x32 & EDG 7x42 (birds and night sky); 10x42L & 15x50 IS (some night sky but mostly solar these days).

[gwlee]

I only own handheld binoculars and use them all on a regular basis: 7x42 UVHD+, 7x50 FMT-SX, 10x50 FMT-SX. Occasionally, I mount my 50mm IF porro prism binoculars to critically focus them, use them for long range terrestrial viewing, or view low elevation celestial objects. 
 

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Edited by gwlee, 04 September 2023 - 02:39 PM.

[Napp]

My most used binoculars handheld are Oberwerk Lightweight 15X70,  Nikon Action 10x50, Bushnell 8X42 and  SVBONY 2.1X42 binoculars.  The Oberwerk Lightweight 15X70’s are my most used handheld.  They are light enough that I can hold them fairly steadily and they really punch through light pollution.  I used them both this morning and yesterday morning to observe Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura.  I used them handheld as I had driven to the beach to get a low eastern horizon.  They punched through the ocean haze to show the comet as a small, green, fuzzy dot.

[MT4]

I like the thread title

Most of my viewing on a daily basis is up through the open windows of SouthWest side of the sky. I get a decent chunk of the sky, and Im very grateful for that. Due to not having a balcony, handheld use give me much more flexibility to maneuver than even monopad which I use sometimes. So, out of my current collection listed below, I hand held all of them :-). In a pinch at least! Thats how I first give them a "feel" wether I want to spend more or less time using a particular one. 99% of the time I start that way regardless of magnification power and weight. Sessions are relatively short, true, but thats the way I currently roll. Biggest obstacle is still the light pollution and bad weather.

 

One of the binoculars that might surprise many I hand held only is my favorite APM 11x70 MS ED. I do support my forearms or elbows when standing or sitting but only as much as I would when holding any smaller binoculars. It's a pleasure to view through them. 

 

I created adjustable forehead support for my binoculars that help hand holding a lot. 

 

Your handheld binocular usage patterns sound very similar to mine.   Your biggest obstacles to observing sound very similar to mine too.  New York vs. Tokyo similar.  

 

I'm fortunate to have a decent L-shaped balcony facing West and North.   It's where I use my bigger instruments and scopes.   Through my east-facing window, I use my smaller instruments, including a Tak FSQ-85EDP, Borg 71FL and Kowa Highlander, on a regular basis.

[MT4]

Permanent members of my team hand held  from dusk ‘till dawn:

Nikon 7x50 SP

Nikon 10x70 SP

 

Best used on a tripod, but quite often hand held in my recliner:

Nikon 18x70 WF

 

Honorary member for allround hand held observing:

Nikon EDG 8x42

 

Light and small enough to take with me anywhere, anytime:

Nikon 7x15 M CF

 

That's Team Best-of-Breed Handhelds 

[MT4]

Nikon 7x50SP

 

Hand-held:

 

Timeless beauty to look at and through!

[MT4]

Nikon 8X42 HG

" " 10X35 E

" " 12X40 "honorary E"

" " 7X50 On the way


Swift Audubon HR5 letting go
Nikon 7X35 E "C" gone to bird forum
" " 7X35 E letting go

 

That's Team Nikon Handhelds. 

 

I've recently let go of a Swift Audubon HR5 due to the short ER.

[MT4]

Nice topic. Here’s my list with footnotes:

 

​Roof Prism Binoculars:

Maven C4 18x56 ED B, H seated, but mostly T
Athlon Midas G2 12x50 ED B but mostly H
Meade Masterclass 10x56 ED H
Vortex Diamondback 8x32 H
Lunt Sunoculars 8x32 H
MiniASTRO 15.8° 5x25 H
Bushnell 8x21 compact binoculars H

Porro-Prism Binoculars:

Orion 20X80 (Tosco, Japan, 1995) T
Oberwerk 20x70 ED Ultra (China, 2023) T
Zeiss Oberkochen 15x60 (~1960s, West Germany) T but H on rare occasions
Zeiss Jena 10x50 Dekarems (~1960s, DDR) H but T on rare occasions 
Nikon Tropical 7x50 IF HP (Japan, ~2020) H but T on rare occasions
Sears Tower 8x40 (Japan ~1956) H
Binolux 7x35 Extra Wide Angle (11° FOV, ~1970s, Japan) H

 

H = Handheld

T = Tripod mounted

B = Both

 

* And most remarkably, they all get used fairly regularly, ofter in a complementary duet in any of the above combinations.

 

Lovely binos and classifications!

 

The Binolux sounds like a "luxury" binocular.  I bet it's wonderful in use.

 

The Mini-Astro sounds similar to the VisionKing 5x25.   I've been wondering about this one but I am not sure if the ER would work for me...

[MT4]

Great post topic, MT! Love reading about fellow forum member’s Team Handhelds.

 

My own:

 

MoonStar 6.5x32 9.3 Degrees

Kowa BD II 6.5x32 10 degrees

Vixen 6.5x32 9 degrees

(The MoonStar is becoming the starting player at this specification.)

 

Nikon 7x50 SP 7.3 degrees

Resolux 7x50 7.5 degrees

Nikon Ocean Pro 7x50 7.2 degrees

(The SP has become the starting player at 7x50)

 

Oberwerk 8x30 SE 8.2 degrees

 

Resolux 10.5x70 5 degrees. Heavier at 5.5 pounds, but I love the low shake that results, and the greater reach that 70mm provides, even in my Bortle 7 skies. Easily the binocular I use the most at 10x-ish magnification

 

That’s my Team Handheld at 6.5-10.5x. I also use my APM 12x50 MS ED and my Helios Stellar-II 16x80 handheld, the latter mostly handheld. It’s only slightly heavier than the Resolux 10.5x70 and works fine for “pan and scan” views.

 

Yeah it's fun to read about what people use hand-held.   But perhaps not so great for the wallet.   

[MT4]

Really it's these two:

 

 

 

 

The 15x70 Ultra is a recurring, sporadic member of this team. I used to use it more before the MoonStar arrived as it can show a lot of detail and is surprisingly easy to hand hold. 

 

MoonStar, what a silly but apt name! 

[MT4]

For me, the best hand held detail is with the Canon 10x42L IS.

 

It's a beauty to look at and through.

 

I think the Canon 10x42L IS looks the best among all Canon binos.   It's got the best optics too.

[MT4]

I am down to three binoculars these days , got rid of the ones I rarely used .

 

Handheld would be Nikon MHG 8x42 (occasionally on a Manfrotto monopod) .

Handheld 50% of the time and the other 50% on a little tripod is the Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 version 2 . The papilio in the pic is a 6.5x21 version 1 that is long gone .

Astrophysics 15x70 (BA8) mostly on a monopod , occasionally hand held .

 

That Astrophysics 15x70 (BA8) looks like an Oberwerk.   I didn't know that AP makes binos.   Interesting,

[Pinewood]

Hello,

 

For finding planets at dawn or dusk, I like my IOR 7x40, a clone of the similar Zeiss Jena Porro.

For bird watching, a modern Zeiss 8x32 does very nicely.  Should I wish to carry two binoculars for bird watching ,  they would be a 7x42 and a 10x32.

 

Stay safe,

Arthur