10x50 - porro or roof? (1 Viewer)

[CSG]

These would be used, specifically, for casual star gazing, mostly at home (I live in a rural area with dark skies).

Requirements:

Light weight
Wide field (open minded here)
Excellent optics with good color correction
Enough ER for me to wear glasses (don't wear them during the day but have an astigmatism so prefer them for star gazing)
Under $500

Why 10x50? Because.

 

[OsageArcher]

I know you said 10x50 but I put this out anyway since you said you'd use them for stargazing - these would be almost one magnitude brighter than 50mm objectives:

http://bigbinoculars.com/1570.htm

I bought both the 11x70 and the 15x70 and both are an excellent value for the money. They are both relatively lightweight given the 70mm aperture - I can hand-hold them with pretty good success, especially when lying on my back looking at the sky.

Heck you could buy both and still be under your $500 budget.

 

[CSG]

I guess I should add my Garrett 25x100's to my signature. I've never used a pair of 70's that I could successfully hand hold. The Garretts are mounted on a Manfrotto 475 set of legs with a 501 head.

As I said -10x50's are what I'm looking for.

 

[[email protected]]

These would be used, specifically, for casual star gazing, mostly at home (I live in a rural area with dark skies).

Requirements:

Light weight
Wide field (open minded here)
Excellent optics with good color correction
Enough ER for me to wear glasses (don't wear them during the day but have an astigmatism so prefer them for star gazing)
Under $500

Why 10x50? Because.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7245-Ex...F8&qid=1379295734&sr=8-2&keywords=Nikon+10x50

 

[PhilR.]

I don't think there is anything that will meet all of your requirements. I can't think of any 50mm porro that I would consider "light weight", and the roofs that I would consider lightweight such as the Leupold Mojave or EO Ranger will not meet your FOV requirement. And one that might meet your weight and FOV req., which is the Razor, is well out of your price range. The Vixen Ascot will meet most of your requirements, especially the FOV, but it' optics will not meet your requirements.

You might look at the Vortex 10x56 Vulture HD, which has 18mm of ER and ED glass, in a package that meets your price requirement.

And if you get one, please let me know how well it works.......

 

[CSG]

Those look interesting, Phil. I was unaware of that model and will look at it more closely.

 

[steve@37n84w]

I have occasionally seen the Fujinon 10x50 sell for around 500.00 although it's usually about the 600.00 range. While it's not light weight it is by far the most highly recommended 10x50 on the Cloudy Night site for those looking for a superb astronomy binocular.

It is of coruse an IF binocular but when used for astronomy purposes many like myself actually prefer this type of focus, after all you are viewing at infinity, just set it and forget it. I did a side by side with a Sarovski 10x50 EL and the optics in the Fujinon were just as good as the EL when used at night for astronomy purposes.

For terrestrial use the EL was better at handling veiling glare and of course offered much better ergonomics and center focus making it much better for daytime use. If however if you want the binocular for astronomy use as you indicated the Fujinon at 500.-600.00 is just as good as the superb EL which sells for around 2600.00 making the Fujinon a great value.

The only problem some people have with the Fujinon series is the large diameter oculars which sometimes hamper attaining the full fov depending on your facial structure and size of your nose. I currently use two 10x50s under the night sky (Fujinon FMTR-SX and Pentax PIF) and the 10x50 configuration is just about perfect for hand held use under the night sky.

Steve

 

[MPeoples]

Hi,

I use a Leica 8x50 BA for astronomy and also a 16x70 Fujinons. I would look at the Nikon 10x50 Action EX Extreme and the Pentax 10x50 PCF WP II. Look at the Celestron 15x70 great for the price.

Mike

 

[CSG]

After talking to a few retailers, all of whom advised that I would gain little (except for a lighter wallet) over what I already own, I've put this potential purchase on the back burner.

I know, that's not how we roll on Bird Forum but I've got a lot of pretty good glass already.