How to Choose a Binocular - Orion Telescopes and Binoculars

http://www.telescope.com In this video, Ken from Orion gives you some great advice on what to consider when purchasing a pair of Binoculars. We cover different factors like aperture, magnification, field of view, lens coatings, size and more so you can pick the pair that is best for your needs and budget.

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[ThePurpleHarpoon]

I want some bins for sky-watching.Thinking of either 7x50, 8x40 or 10x50.

erm...I do have a tripod so won't have a problem with shake, it's all about what will give me the wow factor.

Any suggestions?

and do Bak-4 prisms really have a big advantage over Bak-7s?

[oriontelescopes]

Hello,

Bigger aperture is better for the wow factor as it pulls in more light, so I would recommend the 10x50 (especially since you say you have a tripod to put it on). BAK-4 prisms will produce better images than the BK7 prisms, and provide a nice round exit pupil with no distortion at the edges. If you’re looking for a recommendation, I’d suggest trying the UltraView 10x50 (#9351). That’s one of my personal favorites for 50mm astronomy binoculars.

Thanks

-Ken

Orion Telescopes

[goRespond]

At the moment i'm deciding between the Orion 20x80 Astronomy Binoculars and the Celestron Skymaster 25x70 Binoculars. I'm not sure which is more suitable, I'm leaning toward the Orion 20x80 since it will let me capture more light so that I can look at further planets/objects clearer. If the price disprepancy between these two is not of significance, which of the two is recommended for the purposes that I stated in my earlier comment?

[oriontelescopes]

@goRespond

Visual astronomy is all about collecting as much light as possible, so the 20x80’s would fit this bill nicely. Neither are designed for planetary viewing (see my earlier comment), but for panning around the Milky Way and seeing stars as well as brighter clusters, nebulae, and galaxies, the 20x80’s would be quite nice.

I hope that helps,

-Ken

Orion Telescopes

[goRespond]

Very informative and enjoyable video. I am thinking of purchasing a pair of binoculars from the site linked in your description. I'm just wonderinf if they ship to Australia? Also, I will be using the binoculars mainly (and most likely exclusively) for astronomic purposes. Are there any recommondations you have for me? It would be great if I could view Saturn and Neptune as they are my favourite planets, but I may require a telescope for that?

[oriontelescopes]

@goRespond

We don’t ship to Australia, but we do have a few dealers there. If you go to our website then click on dealer locator at the bottom, you can view a list for your area. As for binoculars, you can see bigger nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies, but surface detail on planets won’t be visible. You’ll see the moons around Jupiter, but for the rings of Saturn you’ll need a telescope with more magnification.

Thanks!

-Ken

Orion Telescopes

[ThePurpleHarpoon]

@oriontelescopes

Thank you very much, Ken.

[Odin412z]

Great video - thanks!

[petar298]

@oriontelescopes I did see 1 cloud belt if I looked very very closely, or it was just because I knew it was there :) What eyepiece should I use? H4mm, H12,5mm or H20mm? I also have a 2x Barlow. I just dont know what the right combination is. I have a reflector telescope. I think its a 4,5 inch one.

[oriontelescopes]

Hi Petar298,

You should be able to see at least one cloud band on Jupiter if you use a medium high power eyepiece. It sounds like your moon filter might not be the best quality if it looks green – it should be a neutral grey. I’d try observing without that filter (higher power can help dim the image down as well), or perhaps try using some good quality planetary filters. We have some available on our website if you would like to experiment with them.

Thanks!

-Ken

Orion Telescopes