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Celestron 15 x 70 Skymaster Binocular


Streetbob

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The eyepieces on these are rather wide angle.


 


They calculate out to be 66 degree apparent field!


 


Hopefully the four element objectives should provide a well corrected field.


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Thanks for the thread.  They seem to be well regarded.  


 


Being a bit of a dunce on these things, is 66 degree apparent field good or bad?

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I like wide angle.
Eyepieces come with various apparent fields of view, from say 40 degrees to 100 degrees. 40 degrees is like looking through a straw.

Generally, binoculars have non-interchangeable eyepieces and don't come with much bigger apparent fields than this one, though some have up to 70 degree.
It is a bit like the difference between having a portable TV in your lounge or a 50" plasma screen.

Because abberations are generally more prevalent towards the edge of the field of view, a wide angle eyepiece is likely to make these more visible. They may show up as fuzzy out of focus or comet shaped stars at the edge to a greater or lesser degree. Some people are more tolerant than others of a lack of sharpness towards the edge. This is not a problem if the optical components are of sufficiently high quality to keep these abberations to a minimum. Usually higher quality costs more money.

 

The reports show that these seem to be great value for money, and they don't seem to suffer greatly from such problems.

I'm sure they will give some fine views for a superb price. Of course, you could go and pay 10 times as much for similar size top end binoculars, but I don't think you would get 10 times the enjoyment :) .
 

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I have a pair of these bins on a photo tripod - I have a fine tuning head so I can track in alt/az - they have just a smidgeon of CA but otherwise they are nice and clear and sharp. I take them out on most sessions - scope or not. :)


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Thanks Kim, I can live with a bit of CA if they are generally sharp, so I think I will order these binoculars at that price. I already have a suitable photo tripod with bino bracket.


 


 




I have a fine tuning head so I can track in alt/az. :)




 


Your fine tuning head looks cool in the shades, Kim. Mine isn't quite as smooth and sometimes sticks a bit when tracking in azimuth after I've slept in an awkward position :D .


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Thanks for all this info. I shall purchase a pair forthwith.  Happy Days.  :D


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That will be the real field shown of the sky.


 


You will see about 16 moon diameters across the field of view, which is a wide field.


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I have ordered these they arrive tomorrow.  Pretty efficient I feel.


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Guest endure

That will be the real field shown of the sky.

 

You will see about 16 moon diameters across the field of view, which is a wide field.

Cheers

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Not a bad pair of binos - I sold mine for the 20x80's, but tbh I think I preferred the 15x70's.


 


And yes, they are best with a tripod.


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Bins have just arrived.  Packaged well and quick delivery.  They have a good solid feel and have adjustable focus on right eyepiece.  Good to use with glasses too.  One piece ep cover doesn't fit well though.


 


My weedy photo tripod seems to cope well though the plastic bracket isn't up to the job so will have to get a better one.


 


Hopefully will be able to try them out this evening, but initial impressions are good and for the price a bargain.  


 


More opportunities to get out there and spot something when time is short. Hoorah


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Not a bad pair of binos - I sold mine for the 20x80's, but tbh I think I preferred the 15x70's.

And yes, they are best with a tripod.

I 100% agree with this I would swap back to my 15 x 70 tomorrow. .

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I nearly bought some 20x80s today for use as a grab n' go on my photo tripod. Currently I only have 10x50s.


 


After reading the above post, I would be very interested to know why you prefer the 15x70s.


 


I am presuming that the relatively large increase in weight for a small increase in light gathering power is the main reason, and possibly the reduction in field of view.


 


Without having them both side by side under a dark sky, I can only compare the specs and crunch out the numbers. (Like I usually do :D  ).


 


Thanks in advance for your input.


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  • 5 months later...

Do the 15x70 binoculars actually come with an attachment for a tripod or do you need a separate bracket?

They come with a plastic one-which is not great quality and transfers vibrations quite a lot. I bought a metal version which is much more sturdy.

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Guest beewolf

Is the consensus that these would be a good pair of binoculars to get pending a scope decision? Seems to me they are a reasonable price and would be good for general use as well, even when you have a telescope.

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Oh yeah definitely! I have a pair and still use them when my scope is imaging. They're a lovely set of bins.

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Yup I have a set of the Celestron 15x70's too - and some objects are better in them than with certain telescopes. The wide fov lets you see the whole of M31, M45, & M44 for starters - and all look very nice with them too. The bracket to mount them on a camera tripod is here:


 


http://www.firstlightoptics.com/binocular-accessories/l-type-binocular-tripod-adapters.html :)


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These are very nice binoculars at the right price.

The other big plus point is that they are just the right size.

Not too small - so you will be able to see some very interesting views.

Not too big - so you will use them very often.

I am very pleased with mine for the above reasons :)

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  • 4 weeks later...
Guest beewolf

Well Santa came up trumps and I got a pair of these for Christmas - I have to say they are really superb and for the price I would recommend to anyone, especially if they are just starting out. When on a tripod the are a brilliant pair of terrestrial binoculars as well so the money will almost certainly not be wasted!

My only problem is with severe neckache when looking at objects that are near the zenith when they are on a tripod - I think I could do with a different sort of mount.

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You need a parallelogram mount :) I want one of those too but just never get around to it, there's always something else to buy :D

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  • 4 weeks later...

This forum is stellar! (Get it)? I got my scope from Rother Valley Optics and was looking to upgrade my bins as I'm currently using 10x50 Olympus birding bins.

Excellent advice. Didn't know you could get adapters for tripods.

Superb.

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