Binocular for low light birding and astro UK (1 Viewer)

[truculenter aspicientis]

Was thinking something like hawke endurance 8x56..
Any preference on models brands and recommendations pls?

Thanks Gary

 

[Elkhornsun]

For astro the Pentax 20x60 binos work great and they are easy to mount on a tripod for extended viewing of the night sky. Also inexpensive at around $210 US.

For low light birding any 10x is OK and then it depends on how much you want to pay and how heavy and large a bino you want to carry. The Nikon Monarch binos are one of the best values at the low end.

 

[Binocollector]

Was thinking something like hawke endurance 8x56..
Any preference on models brands and recommendations pls?

Thanks Gary

I have a Kite Cervus HD 8x56 - very similar to the GPO 8x56. AK-prisms and very bright. But it does have some off axis chromatic abberation. Still rather nice and great eye relief to be used with glasses.
I paid 500 for mine.
If you want higher magnification, I'd go with a 10x56.
There is an 8x45 model with AK-prisms sold by the German company DDoptics which might be a valid alternative to an 8x56 and it's rather compact. I have the 10x45 version. Really nice bino.

 

[wllmspd]

Steiner night hunter get quite good following , though more costly. APM ED come in. A range of sizes and are sharp and flat field, but individual eye focussing that is not so good for daytime usage.

Peter

 

[Tringa45]

Steiner night hunter get quite good following , though more costly. APM ED come in. A range of sizes and are sharp and flat field, but individual eye focussing that is not so good for daytime usage.

Peter

Watch out, Peter! By mentioning that make I think Bill Cook is already in a stoop.
I have an 8x56 SLC and think that format does a very good job in both applications. At dusk recently looking for Short-eared owls it was significantly brighter than a fellow birder's 10x42 Canon IS.

John

 

[Mark9473]

No experience with this one, but I just noticed FLO have an ex-demo GPO Passion 8x56 on offer:

GPO Passion 56mm Binoculars 8x56 | First Light Optics

First Light Optics - Suppliers of Astronomy telescopes, binoculars and accessories from Skywatcher, Celestron, Meade, William Optics, Atik, Imaging Source, Starlight Xpress, ADM, Moonlite, Catseye, Hutech and others.

www.firstlightoptics.com

 

[JOC1]

Was thinking something like hawke endurance 8x56..
Any preference on models brands and recommendations pls?

Thanks Gary

Depends if you plan on mounting or handheld only.

If you plan on mounting for your Astro use, definitely go for more magnification. The more magnification, the more stars you will see at night. A 10x50 would be great for all around use.

If you are doing handheld for birding and Astro, then I would go with a 7x50. The less mag will make it steadier when trying to focus in on the stars.

Hope that helps!

 

[Maljunulo]

How much are you willing to spend?

 

[Dennis Mau]

Swarovski SLC 10x56 or if you want something a little lighter the Swarovski EL 10x50.

 

[fazalmajid]

I use a Leica Ultravid 10x50 BR for that purpose, my first full-sized binoculars from Circa 2004. Stabilized binoculars like the Canon 10x42L IS can also be very good at showing details in stars you won't see otherwise. The Zeiss Victory HT would probably be very good for astro as well.

 

[Dennis Mau]

I use a Leica Ultravid 10x50 BR for that purpose, my first full-sized binoculars from Circa 2004. Stabilized binoculars like the Canon 10x42L IS can also be very good at showing details in stars you won't see otherwise. The Zeiss Victory HT would probably be very good for astro as well.

The HT is not quite as good as the SLC due to the softer edges. You want sharp edges for astro.

 

[dries1]

The Leica UV 10X50 is a premium glass and I enjoy the views they provide (they handle ghosting extremely well at night), and during the day, a great wide open view.

 

[has530]

The delta optical titanium ED got a good review on allbinos. For your application what I personally use is a vintage MIJ 7x50 11° porro prism. It was $10 with slightly hazy prisms and out of collimation but I fixed it up and it suits me perfectly. I find that so much of my time looking for owls is scanning I wanted as wide a FOV as I could get (same for astro and when I want more magnification I grab my Canon 15x50 IS).

 

[wllmspd]

Which 11degree 7x50, quite a rare spec?

Peter

 

[Binocollector]

Which 11degree 7x50, quite a rare spec?

Peter

I have 3 wide angle 7x50s.
The best is my "Scope" 7x50 with 580ft/1,000yds, BaK4 prisms, magnesium body (body actually has a typo and says "Magunesium"), double focuser (one fast one slow). It has better center sharpness than my Fuji FMTR - I did use it for astronomy and compared both. Not as bright though because of the coatings. Manufacturer code is J-B191.
And I have a J-B22 with 10°. Only BK7 but better flatness of the field. Really nice for astronomy as the stars are point like almost to the edge.