
Comparing Two Wide field Constellation Binoculars- Orion 2x54mm versus Kasai 2.3x40mm
#26
Posted 17 September 2024 - 06:32 PM
#27
Posted 22 September 2024 - 10:35 PM
#28
Posted 22 September 2024 - 11:41 PM
Actually the orion 2x54 is proving hard to find anymore
As mentioned earlier in the thread Orion was just branding them, they weren’t unique to Orion. You can still get the SkyRover version which is identical.
- therealdmt and SkyWarrior1990 like this
#29
Posted 23 September 2024 - 12:11 AM
As mentioned earlier in the thread Orion was just branding them, they weren’t unique to Orion. You can still get the SkyRover version which is identical.
Good to know 😎👌
#30
Posted 23 September 2024 - 07:25 PM
Thank you for this review. I have had the Orion 2x binos since they were first introduced and I really love what they do. I have convinced several people to buy them, and one of them gave me the best description. "They are like reading glassed for the sky." Perfect way to describe what they do.
But, now that Orion is going away... I've been looking at alternatives since others would like the same set, and I haven't found anything with the same capabilities. As I understand it, Orion had a patent on how these were constructed. Is there a current patent holder on that now or is somebody else able to come along and make them?
Sky Rover makes them and you can find them under Omegon's brand.
#31
Posted 23 September 2024 - 07:28 PM
I have the Orion unit and I agree with all the comments in the review. I hope they are still available in the post-Orion world.
I will add something, though. I didn't think they would be of value for non-astronomical use, but I was wrong! Last summer I brought them along on a cave art tour in Europe, and they were PERFECT for amplifying the brightness and details of the cave paintings. Any more power would have been a distinct disadvantage. I now bring them along when I visit art (or other) museums--I can stand five feet off and it feels like my nose is on the canvas, sharper than if I stand guard-alarmingly close to the picture.
They are. The are actually made by Sky Rover but you can find them under Omegon's brand
#32
Posted 23 September 2024 - 07:53 PM
I love the Orions I have. When I use them, the slight magnification bringing out more stars, but still a wide field of view. Reminds me of how it was looking up at the night sky as a kid with better eyes than me now, decades later.
- Y0_OY likes this
#33
Posted 12 October 2024 - 09:50 AM
Years ago, I had a pair similar to the Kasai. I did not like them because I could not wear my eyeglasses when viewing through them. The conical eye settings did not allow me to wear my eyeglasses. Without my glasses, the view was terrible. I dislike astronomy gear like this that seems to be designed for people who don't wear glasses. DON'T ASSUME! I couldn't wait to sell them.
About a year ago, I bought a pair of the Orion. I'm able to keep my glasses on while viewing through these. Much, much better!
The Orion does not pinch my nose. My nose is relatively narrow at the bridge and I do not have deep-set eyes.
For practical reasons, I reject any binoculars of any type which do not allow me to keep my glasses on.
So now, in my opinion, there are three Orion products that will be missed:
- ST80
- ST120
- 2x54 binos
I'm glad I have all three.
Mike
- j.gardavsky and Y0_OY like this
#34
Posted 25 October 2024 - 05:57 PM
I own the 2x54 under the Omegon brand. I bought them because I was hoping that I could see some more stars under my Bortle 9 metropolitan sky. Well, obviously that was a bit naive, because as the review says, light pollution is a problem with their aperture.
At first I would regret spending money on them but I have since learned to love them. I enjoy sweeping the nightsky with the when I travel to darker skies. Checking on T CrB over the summer has been so easy with them.
So, yeah, they are a bit niche but they complement every setup nicely.
Thank you for the well written review.
- Sarkikos, NinePlanets, j.gardavsky and 1 other like this
#36
Posted 06 November 2024 - 09:48 AM
I just recieved the 2x54 from Sky Rover Optics for $127
Well made and crisp view, I can't wait to get a clear night.
I got mine last week and after a few nights out with them I have to say that they are a blast to use. Just enough magnification to make out M33, M31, and lots of OCs in Cassiopeia, sharp and bright and, best of all, no hand shake visible. I keep these in the pouch on my belt and keep my Canon 12x36 IS on a strap around my neck and they make a great combination.
FWIW, I notice that they are now out of stock, so I’m glad that I got them when I did.
Edited for typos.
Edited by Doug Culbertson, 06 November 2024 - 09:49 AM.
- Sarkikos, Joshua Roth, therealdmt and 4 others like this
#37
Posted 06 November 2024 - 07:47 PM
Until recently, I haven't been keeping track of the DSO I've seen with my 2x54's. So far, my "official" observations through these binos have been:
- M31
- NGC 457 (ET Cluster)
- M39
- M13
- M15
- Double Cluster
- Melotte 20
- M34
- M45
- Hyades
- Collinder 39 (Coathanger)
It'd be interesting to keep a running tally of which DSO can be seen through these.
Mike
Edited by Sarkikos, 07 November 2024 - 09:46 AM.
- Joshua Roth, j.gardavsky, Takuan and 3 others like this
#39
Posted 07 November 2024 - 09:36 AM
The magnification is only 2x on the 2x54's. Many DSO that can be seen with them will probably only be detected as a spot of light. No structure seen at all. So, it will be a matter of comparing the star field through the binos with what you see on a chart. For this, I would use SkySafari on a smartphone. Hold the binos in one hand, the smartphone in the other, while comparing the star field and chart.
Mike
Edited by Sarkikos, 07 November 2024 - 09:48 AM.
#40
Posted 12 November 2024 - 09:50 AM
- M31
- NGC 457 (ET Cluster)
- M39
- M13
- M15
- Double Cluster
- Melotte 20
- M34
- M45
- Hyades
- Collinder 39 (Coathanger)
Nice list. Can you add some info on the condition under which you use them (Bortle scale etc.). That would be extremely helpful to get an idea of what's possible for others.
- Sarkikos likes this
#41
Posted 12 November 2024 - 10:28 AM
Nice list. Can you add some info on the condition under which you use them (Bortle scale etc.). That would be extremely helpful to get an idea of what's possible for others.
I viewed these DSO from my yard, which is Bortle 4-4.5. So, not super dark like some spoiled observers enjoy, but also not super light-polluted like I suffered at my previous home.
When the Moon leaves the sky again, I'll try some others.
By comparison, I've observed 268 DSO with my Canon 10x42 IS binos. The aperture is less than the 2x54's but the magnification is five times greater. I don't think I'll be able to detect and verify all those 268 DSO with the 2x54's. At any rate, it should be a lot more difficult due to the lower magnification.
Mike
Edited by Sarkikos, 12 November 2024 - 10:34 AM.
- Yorick likes this
#42
Posted 12 November 2024 - 03:46 PM
So, not super dark like some spoiled observers enjoy, but also not super light-polluted like I suffered at my previous home.
City dweller here, so super light-polluted skies for me. That's were the 2x54 let me down a bit. I thought I could get more out of them from my home base.
Do love them whenever I travel, though.
#43
Posted 14 November 2024 - 10:32 PM
Worth noting are the Vixen 2.1x42 binoculars, likely the actual first manufacturer of these which then got copied by Kasai, or Orion or some combination.
I believe you can still find them, it's worth the extra cost for good glass, around $200 usually.
These are a secret to observing from the city, and they act as finderscopes for your binoculars. I enjoy using in bortle 8 and of course under dark skies as well. Some people get DIY glasses attachments even and they're great for reclining. The Galileo style lense and dual eyecup focus takes patience to get to use, and don't expect panorama optics, but it's worth it when you nail the focus and have an entire constellation reveal itself in one view.
#44
Posted 14 November 2024 - 10:37 PM
City dweller here, so super light-polluted skies for me. That's were the 2x54 let me down a bit. I thought I could get more out of them from my home base.
Do love them whenever I travel, though.
I would say the opposite. I use these purposely under Bortle 8 since it lets you see what is not visible a little better, which is useful then to orient your next binoculars for closer views in a spot your body and head is already turned to so you don't lose the spot. Of course the Vixen 2.1x42 pair I use are great under dark sky too.
- Epick Crom and Y0_OY like this
#45
Posted 14 November 2024 - 11:57 PM
#46
Posted 15 November 2024 - 04:47 AM
Yes, that was the reason I bought mine, to actually see the stars in constellations that are washed out from my light polluted back yard.
#47
Posted 07 December 2024 - 04:09 PM
Yep, I have the SkyRover version and they are delightful!
I can also vouch for the SkyRovers, excellent binos.
- NinePlanets likes this
#48
Posted 16 December 2024 - 03:03 PM
Just for what little it might be worth, please allow me to say that I had one of the well-built and optical sound original Russian 2.4 x 50s a few years back and used them once and only once! There are 3 reasons for that, namely:
1.] because I live in a city with plenty of light pollution, with a limiting magnitude diminishment to about mag. 2.5 - 3.0 with the naked eye, while the glass was only able to go roughly 1 magnitude deeper than that, which was probably because;
2.] any two-eyed -- since these things aren't actually binoculars -- optical system with such HUGE exit pupils is wasted on old farts like me who have only a ~5mm ocular optical system. That means that my eyes can only take in about 1/25th of the actual total light output of these glass! In fact, even if I could somehow dilate my pupils to 8mm, -- which would require either breaking in to an ophthalmologist's office for dilation drops or, worse still, taking a hefty dose of LSD, neither of which bad options seem to me like games worth the small candle of improved depth throughput to me using glasses like these -- I would still only be able to take in 1/4th or so of the total light output! ... and
3.] At least for urban, suburban, and exurban dwellers, almost ANY pair of real binoculars, -- you know, those things that have prisms inside them -- will blow away the performance of any of these, to my mind totally GIMMICKY huge exit pupil devices. [If you don't believe me, have a comparison look yourself. Take out, say, that old pair of 8x24 Nikons or Pentaxes that you use for hiking trips and A/B them with any of these 2.3-3.0 X 42-50mm devices and see which performs better. Relative limiting magnitude for binoculars is largely approximated by the old magnification X square root of objectives diameter rule of thumb. So those older binocs would have a relative sky depth penetrating power of 39.2. A 2.3 X 50 glass, by contrast, would have a power of only 16.3, -- only three times better than a 5mm naked eye! -- and that of course assumes that you could use all of the latter's vastly oversized exit pupils, which no human ever could!
In sky penetrating power magnification makes a big difference! For example, I currently have a pair of Canon IS 18x50s, and not only do they blow away gimmicky things like 2.3 X 50 glasses, with their relative sky depth power ratio of 127.3 they even quite noticeably better my older Canon IS 15x50s with a sky power measure of 106.
One last point, if you DO decide to buy one of these big-eyed monstrosities, you can certainly get them for much less than $180. In fact, Ali Express, and no doubt other online optics discounters have very similar products selling for around $45-55. But caveat emptor on those too! If you don't like them, it may be a hassle to ship them back to China, whether by "slow boat" or hyper-fast maglev trains, which latter you will need to wait maybe five more years for, since Chinese engineers are still deciding how best to get their next generation of still faster hypersonic trains to cross on top of the Pacific Ocean. [Take that, you 50 mph limited, AMTRACK! The only purpose YOUR trains seems to be to shine a bright light for all the world to see just how far behind China this country has allowed its transportation infrastructure to fall.]
Alas, I am teetering on the edge of politics so I will end things here!
#49
Posted 16 December 2024 - 03:11 PM
optical system with such HUGE exit pupils is wasted on old farts like me who have only a ~5mm ocular optical system. That means that my eyes can only take in about 1/250th of the actual total light output of these glass!
This statement is wrong. These are Galilean telescopes, not Keplerian, and therefore their exit pupil is virtual and inside the telescope. The objective diameter has nothing to do with the exit pupil size. Instead, the entrance pupil of your eye is magnified by the magnification of the telescopes. The objective diameter of a Galilean is related to the field of view, and that's why they are so large in the design to provide the large field of view.
- Doug Culbertson, jgroub, NinePlanets and 2 others like this
#50
Posted 16 December 2024 - 05:47 PM
DVexile is correct.
The whole point is field of view - not brightness, which is a very slight bonus.