antronomy binoculars
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,859
connoisseur
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OP
connoisseur
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,859 |
Is anyone here into astronomy, and if so, do you have binoculars that you use? I'm looking for handheld ones, around 2 lb. Orion 8x56 mini giants are in the lead now, but I'm looking at oberwerk and gemini as well. I know I want Fully Multi Coated, other then that I'm not as sure about what is important to look for. Since people on this board seem to be into a little bit of everything, I figured why not try to gain some insight here.
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Re: antronomy binoculars
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,379 Likes: 7
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,379 Likes: 7 |
I'm only a dabbler, but I'll toss out a few thoughts... 1. As you get older, your pupil doesn't open up as widely at night so the rule about a 7mm exit pupil (56mm objective / 8 power = 7mm exit pupil) doesn't apply so much. I mostly use a pair of 8x40 Bushnell wide field binos (officially my hunting binos) with great success. 2. For bino viewing I find a wide field of view adds as much to the experience as the extra light gathering (which, I guess, is why I enjoy stargazing with my high quality but mid-sized hunting binos so much). 3. Try to actually look through the binos rather than just going on research. I was surprised how little I liked the highly rated units Something like 8x56 seems like a good size, or even a good 7x50. I find even a 10x hard to hold steady without a mount. Good luck with your search, and enjoy !!
M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39 M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1 LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8
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Re: antronomy binoculars
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,654
shareholder in the making
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shareholder in the making
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,654 |
Yeah Jason, I'm still into astronomy, but not to the extent that I was previously(my chemistry degree, which eventually turned out to be pre-law, was originally aiming at pre-astronomy). I see that you've been studying, and you know that "fully" multi-coated is important to avoid flare and ghost images. As JohnB. indicated, the 7mm exit pupil might not be that useful; even if your eyes might be good enough you have to be observing in a very dark area for that to come about. In most places a 5mm exit pupil should be fine, and the 8x42 Oberwerk roof prism for around $130 might be a good choice.
Although I have binoculars, they're mostly for sports and I rarely turn them to the sky. You didn't describe what your main interest was, but of course a nice telescope might be a good idea.
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Enjoy the music, not the equipment.
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Re: antronomy binoculars
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,859
connoisseur
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OP
connoisseur
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,859 |
I have a low end telescope, but the finder doesn't magnify and I have trouble finding things at times. I thought some handheld binoculars could make that easier, and if there is something I want to see with even more detail hopefully I can find it in the telescope once I know where it is with the binoculars.
I think I am going to go with the 9x60 Oberwerks for $110.
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