Celestron 71009 SkyMaster 15 x 70 Binocular, Black
Celestron 71009 SkyMaster 15 x 70 Binocular, Black
Comfortable & Eyeglass Friendly
Soft, rubber eyecups are comfortable to use and can be folded down for use with eyeglasses.
Durable Textured Finish
The rugged, armoured exterior provides protection as well as a secure gripping surface.
Multiple Accessories Included
Objective lens cap, rain guard, carrying case, neck strap, lens cloth, and instruction manual all included.
 |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnification | 12x | 15x | 20x | 25x |
| Field of View (degrees) | 5.3° | 4.4° | 3.7° | 2.7° |
| Field of View (feet @ 1000yds) | 278 | 230 | 195 | 141 |
| Lens Coatings | Multi-coated | Multi-coated | Multi-coated | Multi-coated |
| Prism Material | BaK4 | BaK4 | BaK4 | BaK4 |
| Diopter Range | -4 to +8 | -4 to +8 | -4 to +8 | -5 to +5 |
| Close Focus Distance (feet) | 47.2 ft | 52.5 ft | 106.3 ft | 102.5 |
| Eye Relief (mm) | 17mm | 18mm | 18mm | 13mm |
| Eyecup | Folding | Folding | Folding | Folding |
| Environmental Protection | Water Resistant | Water Resistant | Water Resistant | Water Resistant |
| Tripod Adaptable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|---|
| Weight: | 3.28 Pounds |
| Size: | 15 x 70 |
| Dimensions: | 22.1 x 10.9 x 27.9 centimetres |
| Brand: | Celestron |
| Model: | 71009 |
| Part: | 71009 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Dimensions: | 22.1 x 10.9 x 27.9 centimetres |
| Origin: | Japan |
| Size: | 15 x 70 |
Very good and powerful, a tripod is needed for the night sky but can actually be used generally without one if you hold them at the far end to reduce shake
My other half took an interest in stars in 2022, so I bought her these binoculars as they had such a high rating and are for looking at the night-sky/stars.
They’re quite bulky and heavy – eventually I’ll need to invest in a tripod as your arm starts to hurt and it’s hard to focus after some time.
Overall, they’re really nice looking binoculars and they’re well built.
Love these binoculars great quality picture fir a reasonable price.
Not light, but that’s not the point! Superb! Read the manual and learn how to adjust the collimation if needs be. It will empower you! If you buy a professional set of binoculars, then you should know, or learn how to use and maintain!
My hubby bought me this for christmas. Fab i love gazing at the moon.
Is there any other gadets to go with this? Maybe to zoom more in on the moon?
Best pair of binoculars I ever had. I’m watching planes with it and gives very nice picture. Worth the money.
I guess they are ok but heavy to hold and focus. I tried on night sky. Okay. Yet to try in field in daylight.
Binoculars is on the heavy side. Definitely need a tripod to view the night sky as hand shaking is too much. I was able to see stars that are invisible with the naked eye. Jupiter and four of it’s moons were clearly visible. I was not able to see the rings of Saturn though. Very good optics. No distortion o served.
For long-term stargazing the 15×70 SkyMaster is by far the better one because of stability of the view. The 25x zoom shakes so much that it needs a tripod, which often is a bit more hassle to set up.
With the 15×70 you can still see Uranus and Neptune, the moons of Jupiter clearly, the shape of Saturn vaguely, the shape of Andromeda clearly, and gazing into the Pleiades or Milky Way in deep fascination and wonder. It’s a good step up from standard 10×50 for more detail and discovery in the night sky, while still having enough field of view to see the “bigger picture”.
Though;
For stunning views the 25x is the better one – the mountain ranges on the moon, the little gap between Saturn and the Rings, or the bands and moons of Jupiter (not the red spot), are all breath-taking.
The quality of these are excellent, although I’ve only had minimal chance to useI can tell they definitely enhance my view and allow me to see things I can unaided They are VERY heavy! You probably will not use than without a proper tripod or mount! That being said, it can be difficult to get them in a position on the mount/tripod to be easily used! Still sorting the best way to set up and use comfortably. At this price point, may opt for a small telescope
They are well made but I have a couple of gripes: the first is that the pivot to alter the eyepiece separation is far too stiff requiring considerable strength to move it. Fortunately I only need to adjust it once! The second gripe is the rod which holds the tripod mounting strut. The rod is round with a threaded locking screw which tightens onto it to lock the binoculars in position. Even using mole grips to tighten the screw I am unable to prevent the binoculars from rotating around the rod. If the upper surface of the rod was ground flat this problem would be resolved. Otherwise I am quite happy with these glasses – they are versatile enough to use for both terrestrial and astronomical viewing giving more than acceptable results in both fields. One point to bear in mind for birders etc is that there is no central focusing wheel, each eypiece must be focused individually. It is also worth repeating that these are real heavyweights – you will not want to carry them and a hefty tripod/monopod far!
Firstly, the only negative point to make; there’s a tiny bit of debris at the very edge of one the lens, but thankfully you can hardly see it, but it is there. I don’t think that this is common as I did a lot of research on this particular model & checked a lot of reviews as everyone should.
The lenses are of very high quality with very good multi coating; they are crystal clear at night & allow lots of light in so your view is bright. The aberration is very low or even none existent from what I see, better than the Skymaster 15 x 70 I had previously & they were still good. These weigh quite a bit, so a good sturdy tripod is a must if you plan to use these for awhile; they can be hand held for short periods but your arms will get tired. They are BIG & impressive looking, the build quality is also good, they feel like they will last. I do enjoy using these on a clear night, I also love using them during the day if I’m out at a nature reserve for fleeting viewing; they are a little large for walking around viewing but they are so clear & powerful that I can see close-up detail, again the only thing is arm fatigue. If you enjoy the night sky & want to view star clusters etc (not close up of planets, you will require a very decent telescope for that) then these are perfect. I managed to buy these for a sale price of 109, they are usually about 135 & still worth it at that price. A great purchase.
Bought this for stargazing, a new hobby of mine, these bins were perfect out of the box, I have seen reviews of people having problems with these but thankfully mine were okay.
The image quality is crystal clear for budget binoculars like these, and with such a high magnification also. I don’t think they are heavy, but I have no frame of reference, you can easily hold them up and view things in mid range distance, but I would imagine keeping them held up would be a task, and for full length magnification, you will need a tripod,
I purchased the Neewer portable 56 inch camera tripod along with my order, also great value for money they’re more than capable for handling the binoculars, there is a weak point however, the included tripod mount that comes with the binoculars is plastic crap, buy a better metal mount and you’ll be glad you did, I bought a metal mount for 7 or 8 euro I think. The plastic mount will have a slight sway all the time when mounted, the metal is much more stable and if you want to get the most out of these on a tripod, id use a metal mount.
All in all I would recommend, to my knowledge both the 15×70 and 20×80 skywatchers are better quality but these do just fine.
If you wouldn’t like to buy a tripod, the 15×70 would be a more viable option, if you want even more clarity, better overall quality, buy the 20×80 as I believe there are better quality materials,glass lens in those
a good set of binoculars, flimsy bag not withstanding. after researching many and fixing on the next one up which was cheaper. reading all the comments changed my mind to this one. less magnification and a wider view which meant less wobble. having a tripod already is a boo
Very good for moon gazing, any further would be a push. Definitely needs a tripod to keep images steady (or maybe that’s just me). Amazing quality, comes with a carry bag, and the image is very crisp! Would recommend, and would absolutely buy again.
Bought these for my wife to stargaze and watch the wildlife around our place, great binoculars.
Without a tripod, these are the absolute maximum magnification I would go to, otherwise you’ll never keep it steady.
I brace myself off something like a doorway or tree to steady the view.
Very good product from Celestron.
Pros: Clear image, good fov for star gazing.
Very big aperture for a bino meaning you can see darker objects in the night sky.
Cons: It’s heavy to hold by hand unless you have very strong arms. 15X zoom is great but when it comes to stability it’s very hard to hold it without the image shaking a lot. A tripod is almost a mus
After owning a couple of telescopes, and getting these for portability, I can’t fault the quality of these. VERY solid construction, feel very nice in the hands, and the clarity of the moon and constellations is unbelievable. I didn’t think binoculars could give such impressive views!
I can honestly say I was worried about what I was buying, simply because I haven’t a baldy about this stuff!! But I need not have worried, these bins are fantastic, u can see loads. My son wanted to see Star constellations and the moon brighter & boy it’s clear as anything!!!
One thing I’d recommend is a stand as if u shake at all like I do it’s harder work to see.
But highly recommend this product!! 5stars x
Used for wandering in the heavens for which it is perfect. It is a little on the heavy side and you need to work out how you are going to take some of the weight. I am using a tripod but need to look at some other alternatives like using mirrors or a counterweight.
The quality of image is as expected. I can see a beautiful view of jupiter and at least four moons. The milky way lights up with stars. The seven sisters was a treat.
Very happy with my purchase.
Admittedly my pair doesn’t give me the pin size stars that my far more expensive Zeiss do so easily but the extra aperture and magnification give views that leap out at you, even in light-polluted Walsall, UK.
My first object was the Andromeda Galaxy which through small binoculars is just a faint, fuzzy blob, but now not only has the ‘blob’ become bright but has also gained shape! I actually see the beginnings of a spiral.
The famous double cluster in the vicinity of Cassiopeia and Perseus is spectacular, managing to almost fill the field of view. I later spent 30 minutes with these binoculars aimed at the Pleiades, from time to time looking at my star charts to identify individual stars. Just as was the case with the double cluster the Seven Sister (a lot more than that though through any pair of binoculars) filled the field of view, adding to the enjoyment.
I was able to separate the famous double star, Albireo in Cygnus, and moving west from that the cluster in Hercules, M13, was very clear. In all instances I was pleased with the way the binoculars got the colour of the stars right.
I would like to describe more objects but unfortunately we are experiencing a long period of cloudy nights so viewing has been impossible.
I should add that everything I have described here can easily be seen with smaller, more portable binoculars but these have now added the Wow factor for me.
To conclude, I am so glad I bought these Celestron 20 x 80. You won’t need to take out a mortgage to buy them and they will last for years.
I was advised by an astronomy expert that these binoculars were an excellent place to start to start for a beginner in sky watching…. I’ve had so much fun over the last few months using them. You definitely need a tripod though to keep a steady hand gazing at the sky as they are surprisingly heavy…. Couldn’t give a higher recommendation.
I like the optical quality. Good for Astronomical observation. I was able to see clearly Jupiter moons and some deep sky objects
I don’t like the holder bracket mount. It’s in plastic and wobble a lot sidelay which make the observation on tripod worse than by hand. I had to buy a new bracket and can now enjoy the full potentiel of the Binocula
Optical Quality:
For 75 these are excellent optical quality. Obviously because of the high power and price paid you cannot expect pin-sharp images and with most binoculars in this price range there is some chromatic aberration (coloured edges around bright images) and a little distortion at the edges of the field of view. However, this in no way detracts from the pleasure of using them. Full correction of this would take us into professional prices i.e. thousands. The 15×70 specification is ideal for stars. Remember image brightness is (exit pupil diameter)^2 . That is (70/15)^2. The exit pupil diameter of these is large and also permits the use of prescription glasses if you fold down the rubber eye cups. That is the reason I chose 15×70 and not the 20×80 model.
Mechanical Quality:
The focus is smooth and the mechanical design allows plenty of thumb wheel movement throughout the focus. A great help.
I would have liked to have seen a ridged stabilising bridge across the ends of the objective barrels. The collimation of my pair was slightly out causing me to see two slightly over lapping images of the Moon for example. This is the risk of long focal length binoculars with long barrels. Any slight knock will de-collimate them particularly during manual handling and mounting. Lucky for me I found I could correct for this by folding a clean kitchen sponge and squeezing it between the ends of the object barrels. That just shows how sensitive the collimation is. But once corrected the Moon and its craters leaped out at me as almost 3D!
The binoculars do come with a soft carrying case but I would recommend purchasing an aluminium instrument carrying case with foam inserts. This can also be used for safe storage. Personally I would not risk walking about with them in the softcase.
Using:
I would recommend experience with small and lower powered binoculars before deciding to purchase these. Although they are actually quite light for their size they are bulky. Using them hand-held is a sad waste of their potential. Hand-holding also raises the risk of knocks. The binoculars do come with a tripod adapter. However, I found a standard camera tripod hopeless. The binoculars are too heavy and because their centre of gravity is beyond the tripod pivot point and towards the objectives they will crash downwards at the slightest loosing of the tripod pan head. There is also a risk of the whole tripod falling over. I suggest you use a heavy-duty telescope type tripod and NOT one for digital cameras. Or I found I could get away with a heavy-duty mono pod though not ideal.
Remember if using a tripod think how you are going to view the sky overhead. Standard heavy-duty tripod mounting is great for terrestrial use but breaks your neck looking upwards.
The tripod adapter itself will not clamp the binoculars securely enough. The screw of the adapter is the standard tripod 1/4″ UNC and is not of sufficient diameter to clamp securely enough to prevent the weight of the binoculars twisting and yawing while in use. Also, the height of the adapter causes the binoculars to vibrate. Personally I have decided to make my own cantilever mount via a heavy-duty telescope tripod. There are many designs out there on the internet. However, deciding to purchase one will set you back about 3x the cost the binoculars.
Remember the more comfortable you are the more you will see. Standing, while viewing, is not comfortable long term so a lounger or deck chair is a good idea. Also, that way the tripod does not have to be fully extended and so is more stable.
Summary
The views of the Milky Way with these binoculars are breathtaking. In this they exceed the views from my large expensive telescope which cannot be used with low magnifications. Such a telescope will no where will match the field of view of these binoculars or the feeling of actually being out there amongst the stars that these binoculars give you. Overall I am very pleased with my purchase. I will update tis with a photo of my DIY mount when complete.
I bought these for my sons birthday as he’s very much into star gazing and he absolutely loved them. Although they are quite heavy for him to use unaided I also bought a tripod so he can be hands free when using. Very clear vision and easy to use I highly recommend these if you have a budding astronomer in the family!
I bought the 15×70 version as I was worried about an unsteady (and dimmer ) image with the 25×70 version. These binoculars have excellent image quality for the price. Reading some other reviews I had been worried that the colimitation may be out, but no issues for me. In terms of image quality: it is easy to see four of Jupiter’s moons and just about possible to see Saturn’s rings. Focusing is dead easy and the diopter adjustment is fine. My only minor gripe (and it is minor!) is that the rubber eyepiece cover is difficult to put back on easily.
Out of the box the lens caps fell off, but then I don’t them anyway. The first sighting presented me with a double image but after adjusting the culminating screws (Youtube for instructions) the image was superb.
Not as heavy as I’d expected but for a steadier picture it is best with a tripod, but get a better adapter as the plastic one supplied flaps about like a flag in a thunder storm.
Overall, this is a really, really good piece of kit which should easily satisfy the avid astronomer and nature watcher.
These binoculars are good value. They give a sharp image with only brighter stars causing any chromatic distortion (but that happens with more expensive products too). They are quite heavy, necessarily to accommodate the large lens aperture. Because the magnification is x15, any slight movement of your hands holding them will be magnified and probably some sort of stabilising/tripod system would be ideal
Good for seeing the moon but not so good for planets. It does come with a mount for a tripod so not sure why Amazon often displays it with a separate tripod mount. It works well for looking at the ships leaving harbour.
We bought these binoculars to look at the night sky whilst on holiday. Unfortunately it was too cloudy, however they are quite heavy and hard to navigate to what you want to look at. We primarily use these for looking at the moon/clouds/landscape but feel that a tripod would really help, primarily to stop your arms aching and to also provide a non shaky view.
I am no expert but have as a hobbyist used spotter scopes and binoculars on a regular basis. These are not the best pair of binoculars I have ever used, (they were a pair from the RSPB). The image is good but not without some loss of dynamism. It just didn’t feel crisp. However I am not disappointed as the price was reasonable.
Despite their very large size l do not find them heavy which surprised me.
They are big though 13″ x 8.5″ 33cm x 22cm.
They come with lens caps and a bag.
They are well built and seem sturdy.
The downside is the cap covering the eye pieces does not fit very well at all, the end caps fit ok but l have found they do tend to come off now and then.
The worse thing is the bag, it is thin and floppy! it offers very little in the way of protection and worse the bit of hook and loop is barely enough to keep it in the bag.
The optics are quite good given the price and it is very easy to mount on a tripod, l was confused as to how this was possible but when it arrived l saw that the big sliver knob thing, well lets see if l can explain, the silver knob you can see in the photo is for tightening a bar that extends down between the binoculars to a standard fitting for a tripod shoe, if thats the right word? so you dont have to buy the adapter thing shown in the section frequently bought together. l will see if l can add a photo.
To sum up these are great for the money and worth buying just to see the moon! they are good for night time as the big front lenses let in a good amount of light, they are also as good in the day for looking at the landscape. Used with a tripod gives even better and relaxed viewing.
The photo shows the binoculars viewed from the front with the tripod shoe fitted, it just screws on and there is a locking ring for easier tightening, the silver knob allows the mount to be adjusted along the silver bar to find the point of balance when used on a tripod, thats what l use it for. Hope this is of help.
These are my 3rd set of these unfortunately. The focus adjustment was damaged on my first two sets but amazon sent replacements very speedily. Checks yours when they arrive. I would have hoped the build quality was better but I may have just been unlucky.
The plastic tripod mount is very wobbly, best to try and buy a metal one, although the metal one will still wobble a little it is a lot lot better.
The minimum focus is probably around 40m so no great for looking at anything in most back gardens, or your next door neighbour.
Had a look through them this evening and observed Jupiter and its moons and an almost full moon. Took some pictures on iPhone 7+ through the bins at 1x and 2x on the iPhone to give a rough idea of what you can see. The 2x pictures are more likely what your eye will see. They are wobbly and a little burry but it was the best I could do. The clarity through the bins is great but the iPhone pictures are just to show the magnification so ignore the quality and the flares from a nearby street lights. I have been observing the moons moving around Jupiter over the last few nights and it is amazing to see them change every night.
I did a little bit of research before buying these and the Amazon reviews for these really helped as I was after a pair just for astronomy.
Packed well enough. As they’d been left in the shed on this cold morning they didn’t need to acclimatise so tried them out like an excited kid, I’m bald and certainly not a kid, well not by age anyhow.
These are really good. I needed to adjust the right eye as it was wound all the way up but that is not important. There’s a lot of adjusting there for folk that need to balance the focus for their needs. Once the right eye is set it is rock solid and doesn’t move if I wedge the bins on my face. The focus wheel is very resistive and is great for fine control. I’m left handed and I’ve found that I gold the right side at the far end of the bins and my left hand is by the focus wheel. Works well to counteract the slight vibrations I can’t quite eliminate from my hands. Won’t be a problem when I look to the night skies as once the focus is set it won’t need adjusting and I’ll hold the far ends of the bins.
There is a lot of adjustment available for the width seperating your eyes and is resistive so fine adjustment is a doddle, once it’s set it too is rock solid. My 6 year old daughter can use them when set to the narrowest. We rested them on a convenient fence and she scanned the hills and skys that make up our view. She is blown away, as am I.
From the house we are lucky to be able to see for around 30 miles and the view is filled with rolling hills, mountaind (Snowden, Siabod, Tryfan The Arans, Berwyns etc). These distant, usually wet hills are amazing in these. Birds look fantastic as do distant running horses.
They are not perfect though. Looking at the jagged bluffs in the distant and the edges are rainbow edged (is this chromatic aberation?). White birds on a brilliant white cloud are the same. BUT I was lucky to have 2 swans fly in to my field of view and it was wonderful to watch them with the green hill behind them. The 3D effect (caused by focusing at a certain point) is awesome, like paralax scrolling. Lovely detail and crystal clear with excellent detail for things miles or hundreds of metres away.
Earlier this year I bought Olympus DPS-1 8×40 for my in-laws. These are used for bird spotting and are very very good. Have tried them for astronomy but a little to restricted for me. Also if held against the face too hard then the right eyeiece can slide from the focus position it was in. Not a very fair comparison as they are more of a premium brand and way smaller BUT compare I will and these are better in most ways, clearer, more to see because of the magnification and bigger lense, more resistive focus (I prefer this as it’s easier for tiny adjustment). BUT are a bit heavier and they don’t have the rainbow edge fringing as much as these (it is there though). They are much more portable too. These celestions have a much longer body after the lense so in the rain earlier no rain got to the lense due to this overhang but does on the smaller binoculars.
I bought these Celestrons for astronomy as I don’t have time to get out my telescope much these days (Tal-1). I know these binoculars can’t replace my telescope. It is an amazing device and I have huge open skies with no light pollution but I work shifts, got 2 young kids one thing I lack is time. With these I’ll just need to pop out in a thick coat and go for it. I will update my review after a clear night allows me a look at the skies.
I don’t know the technical terms for much regarding binoculars, have read loads of positive and negative reviews and I’m very glad I took a gamble on these beasts. The rubberised body is nice to hold and goes right over the big ends and back up towards the lense too. The strap is crap, digs in my neck. The eyepiece cap is tethered but the other 2.
For me there are as yet no negatives.
XXX UPDATE XXX
5 people have used these and had no problems, all impressed but then one other friend used them and could not gat a single image, constantly seeing double. We have used them since and nobody else sees double, strange.
XXX UPDATE XXX I can now scan the skies directly above using these. Almost impossible with my telescope. I found a big white galaxy, really clear, some awesome star clusters but had no means of identifying anything. Awesome binoculars.
When I choose bins I rarely go for anything where the focus doesn’t divide into the object lens size by at least five times (just my estimate). These are 15 x 70, so just under that BUT the exit pupil is large, so you get lots of light through. They are never going to be as bright as my 7×42 bushnell of course, but nor will my bushnell get the distant these give! All the same, at 15 x 70 the image is still nice and clear. I can’t really see why you would go for 20x or more because of the loss of light, unless you get an object lens of 100 or more, which would be really big!
Anyway, I bought mine mostly for watching the killer whales and harbour porpoise that swim along the coast near my house, and maybe to see what more distant neighbours are up to, sorry, I mean stars and stuff. Trying them today, they have been perfect. I have actually NOT tried these for astronomy as yet, but I’m sure I will.
Weight wise, they are heavy and they are big in length, the main body is pretty much in keeping with a 10×50 pair of traditional bins. Though, using them mostly for watching sea life and birds means that I scan the ocean with my eyes and then use these to focus in on detail. If I was to keep them at eye level all the time, it would be a real test of strength! So I’ve no doubt I will look at a tripod.
So Tripod? Yes, if you are going to use these for extensive periods of time, and something good, not your standard 9.99 aldi type. The adapter that comes with it, as already been said by others, is pointless. Get another one, they are pretty cheap anyway. I really wish they would just drop that in the package and improve the case, or use the saving on some other area of the bins.
Technically, I guess I’m lucky, I have had NO collimation issues from the box, they were perfectly aligned. Overland viewing gives no fringe, not sure with astronomy stuff as that is not really my field.
Focusing is a little stiff at the moment, though I’m used to that with new bins, so I expect they will loosen up.
The carrying case is pretty basic, no, the carrying case is very basic and will offer no protection from bumps whatsoever. I guess when you make a decent pair of bins, you have to cut costs elsewhere; celestron have done the cost cutting with a naff neck strap, near to useless carry case and a very useless tripod adapter. BUT don’t let that put you off. The binoculars themselves are excellent.
So in short, large, but bright, and a great price for a decent set of binoculars. Very pleased with the purchase.
My main uses are going to be stargazing and some bird watching and I’ll update once I have some more use of them.
As weeks went by, I kept spotting the space station, wishing I had the spare cash to purchase some decent binoculars. When the time eventually came for me to buy some, I did my research on hell of a lot of pairs & for what I wanted, the Celestron 25×70 skymasters hit the nail on the head.
As soon as these arrived (next day as I’m impatient) I cracked them open. They arrived well packed, a box within a box within a box which I suppose is quite fiddly but better they stay protected! They also come with a carry case, lens covers, a neck strap, cleaning cloth, instructions AND a tripod mount.
I was dumbfounded at the lunar views I was getting, but then after a minute or so came the shakes and arms hurting to due the weight of these bins and holding them up & steady for any length of time is quite difficult!
I called for my nephew to come & see what I was seeing just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming & there it was in full view, lovely crisp super up-close images of our moon, craters and all!
I wanted better quality, steadier images, so I went ahead and purchased a tripod (AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag)
I have left a review on the tripod I purchased so I wont go in to detail here, but the difference it made is fantastic.
The build quality of these bins is excellent, they feel very sturdy. One problem I read about the Celestron bins is that they tend to come out of collimation, but luckily enough mine didn’t (and neither did the 20×50’s I purchased separately)
If you are an amateur like me and wish to purchase something a little more than 10x magnification, I suggest these 25x with a tripod (and I can also vouch for the 20×50’s too!) All in all my decision on these binoculars paid off big time!
Go ahead and buy them you wont be disappointed!
Great bins for the money. I use mainly for astronomy and the extra wide objective lens bring in a lot of light. This coupled with a strong 15x magnification make the instrument very useful for stargazing. The views of the moon are very clear and sharp even at the edges. However they are large, quite heavy and are best used with a tri-pod to get the best views. Alternatively the user should be sat down or even lying down and allow the weight to be taken on off the arms which can soon tire. For the money, you would be hard pressed to get better. I also have a 20×80 pair, same make, and I can recommend these also.
However,
1. They are quite heavy, so a tripod is needed for a steady view
2. The provided tripod mount is rubbish, buy a metal one (for about a tenner)
3. The collimation was out when delivered (a common issue I believe), although this was fixed in a couple of minutes using the adjustment screws under the rubber grips (dead simple, adjusted with a small screwdriver while viewing a steady object until its the same height in both lenses)
Overall I’m happy, especially at this price, and would have given 5 stars if there was a decent mount (and strap maybe) and they were in alignment when delivered.
Received within 24 hours of ordering and after about 5 to 10 minutes of setting them up for the best focus, I can happily say I can see the moon with great detail. Luckily tonight is pretty much a clear sky. Very happy I purchased these. Will be waiting for an hour prior to dawn to see other planets with better visibility. Only negative, they are quite heavy, so if you do not have a tripod it would be best to invest in a sturdy one
You can make out some deep field features of the night sky like constellations and planets which aren’t visible to the naked eye (Pleiades and a couple of moons around Saturn spring to mind). Useful binoculars for when there is a full moon. Also, when the ISS goes overhead you can see it as a bright object but I just wish I could zoom in some more to see extra details.
Largest binoculars I have owned but far from cumbersome. Superb feel, so easy to set up the focus and THE most sharp images I have ever seen. Not used the tripod stand/fitting yet but because of the power these binoculars have, I understand why a tripod would be a good asset. I read the reviews – somewhat sceptically – but went ahead with the purchase.
Really glad I bought them. As well as stargazing etc, these are ideal for everyday use, although obviously, not pocket sized! Looking forward to a clear night and especially the Space Station as it next is in view.
Fabulous binoculars & highly recommended.
i originally bought the Celestron Skymaster 20-100×70. they were rubbish. totally unusable. 25x is the highest usable magnification for a 70mm lens in this price range. i returned them and this seller was great. no trouble at all. so i bought these, the 15×70. theyre perfect. very good product for the price. no theyre not the best binoculars in the world but they are the best value by far. you get infinitely more than you pay for. the 15x mag is the most you would want if you plan on using these hand held most of the time. anything more like the celestron skymaster 25×70 and you will probably need a tripod to get a stable image.
Six months later and I’ve decided to upgrade to these 25×70 beasts. I was tempted to go for the 25×100 but didn’t want to make the mistake of trying to run before I could walk. I ordered them Friday afternoon and took delivery the following morning. I could barely contain my excitement in opening the box!
The packaging itself is basic, but not too complicated. I had the binoculars, the carry bag (with strap), a wipe-cloth, neck strap, standard instructions and — the most important — a tripod mount. I haven’t bought a tripod yet but may well be making a purchase this week, as these bins aren’t exactly heavy but it’s difficult to maintain a steady focus on, say, the Moon (which by the way looks BEAUTIFUL through these).
So far — and I’m only two days into using them — I’m very, very impressed. Thankfully it was a clear night last night and where I live (Wales, UK) I was able to see the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and its moons, and Saturn! Although the latter was a mere blemish in my lens, I could clearly make out its rings (the planet is almost an oval-shape) and I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The build quality is superb. They feel heavy, but they’re not that heavy if you know what I mean. Of course, buying a tripod will both give you amazing images and give your arms a rest, but for now I’m happy using my garden table as a stabiliser for my elbows. The focus wheel is a little stiff, but being 31 I’ve had some good practice with my fingers over the years. The eye piece protector is a little flimsy, but to be honest I’ll hardly use it as it’ll spend more time out of its carry case than in it.
Before I had my first pair of bins, I assumed that astronomy was for balding single men with grey beards and adenoids, looking up through telescopes the size of a Ford Galaxy (pardon the pun), but with a simple pair of binoculars you can gaze at the stars for hours and see way, way more than the naked eye. Orion’s Nebula is simply breathtaking.
To sum up, if you’re looking to upgrade from a pair of 10x50s, these are the bins for you. If you’re just starting out, then I’d recommend these but no higher (or heavier) than these. Like I said, by starting small and working your way up gives you much more appreciation of what you can see. I can honestly see myself never buying a telescope and instead upgrading my bins every year or so. They are THAT good.
10/10
These binoculars were bought for stargazing and birding watching use and are great for both. A little on the heavy side for general use but I am used to them now and very pleased with them. I usually prop them up on whatever is available but they can be supported on a camera tripod. I do not generally bother carrying one around with me. I have a smaller pair of 10×50 for general use but always take my Skymasters with me too, as there is a marked difference when looking at the night sky and over longer distances when birding. Perhaps if I had to be a little critical, the eye rubber could be just a little softer but I believe it is getting so with use.
I am new to astronomy and decided to go for binoculars before I consider a telescope. These binoculars are very, very solid and are clearly of great quality. The magnification is good for the moon and is just enough to separate the planets from the stars (obviously the magnification can’t compete with a telescope). The light gathering is excellent, you can point them at a seemingly “starless” area of sky and be blown away by how much is revealed.
I bought these with a Hama Star 63 tripod and would recommend doing this. The tripod makes observing much more enjoyable. The binoculars come with a tripod mount which is ok, but I opted to buy a more solid one separately.
As an absolute novice I easily found the Andromeda galaxy, Orion nebula, Saturn, Jupiter and its moons, and this was on an evening with a 99% full moon and only breaks in the clouds! Roll on the end of the month and darker skies!!
I think they are a great starting point just to familiarise myself with the night sky, a Telescope will be purchaced in the near future!
They turned out to be a great Xmas gift and I have used them several times in the last month. Easy to focus and to balance out my eye problems. Heavyish, yes but manageable for a few minutes. Looked at planes flying overhead…..the narrow field of view makes it difficult to pick things up quickly. I scanned across the con trails and then followed the trails to the airliner. Amazingly close and crystal clear (great if you are a plane spotter, which I’m not) but you need to to be hand holding to follow moving objects like this.
Left them outside on a tripod for an hour on a cold clear night recently (so that they didn’t condense up on coming from my warm house) and then looked at a few stars. As I mentioned earlier I am no astronomer so I was amazed to see a cluster of small stars around a pinkish bright star in the eastern sky. A quick Google search told me I was looking at Jupiter with its moons, surprisingly clear. Our local moon was almost too bright, it completely filled the field of view and was crystal clear. A real wow moment!
Great product, fulfills all my requirements for casual close-up viewing. The carrying case is a bit flimsy but fine for the car. Not a set of binoculars to go walking with but would be great if you owned a submarine or battle cruiser.
The celestron 15×70 skymaster are a cheap way of getting a good large aperture binoculars. Built quality is better than i expected.
I had the luck of getting a faily decent pair, but quality might vary a little bit
The included tripod adapter is very bad, don’t use it (it’s all plastic and bumps a lot with binoculars of this weight).
At this size binoculars are quite heavy, so make sure you get a tripod/monopod and tripod adapter.
I use them primarly for stargazing and found that they perform properly and the viewing experience is good enough.
Pros:
-Price
-Quality better than expect at this price range (but it might vary a little)
Cons:
-Included tripod adapter not proper for this binoculars
Firstly, I can confirm that mine were NOT out of collimation. I’d been reading all about collimation as a number of people on the net had reported this problem with various Celestron binoculars (and others) so I did absolutely loads of research on the net in case mine needed collimating. In a nutshell, collimation means that the prisms are slightly misaligned causing a sort of slight doubling of the image. Apparently, the manufacturers of Celestron binoculars in China don’t have the best quality control system in place and it seems that unfortunately some of these models ship already out of collimation. If you don’t know what to look out for chances are you’ll just put up with it as it can be barely noticeable, but it can cause eye strain and headaches as your eyes try to ‘correct’ the image. So, I’ve been lucky with mine as they are certainly not out of collimation. The image through the 20x80s is great, nice and bright and I found they snapped to a good focus. Focusing on a dark vertical post against a bright sky background revealed a little color fringing, certainly not enough to be a problem, but this will be present in just about any binocular optics anyway unless you go very expensive. All movable mechanisms like the focus wheel and the dioptre (right eye piece) adjustment are nice and smooth with no sign of stiffness thoughout it’s range.
Finally I thought I’d mention the weight issue as a lot of people mention this. They are pretty heavy yes. unfortunately this is a trade off for the large 80mm objective lenses. If your only using them to grab and use for just a minute or two before putting them down again then you really shouldn’t have too much of a problem, but then I’d have to wonder why you would go for something of this size and weight if you never plan to use a tripod. Mounting them on a tripod is without doubt where you will appreciate them most, especially as this is what this model is designed for with the built in tripod adapter. Had a good look at the stars during a brief break in the clouds and it was great. Now looking forward to clearer skies and getting away from all this light pollution. I hope this helps a little. I’m really pleased with mine and wouldn’t change them.
Really pleased with these binos, they provide long eye relief (I read somewhere 18mm) which surprised me, given that they have powerful 15x magnification. I guess it’s helped by the large 70mm objective lens.
The image is very good, no doubt down to the BAK-4 porro prisms and multi-coated lens. They focus well, and keep focus (left and right) when moving from distant to near objects (and back again).
I am pleasantly surprised how easy they are too handle, despite their size, they can be kept as steady as a pair of 10 x 50s that I tested (but returned due to poor eye relief). I suspect that this is mainly because one tends to hold them by the narrow part of the barrels, as opposed to the main body (prism chamber). Adopting this method means that the weight of those long barrels is better distributed and less likely to wobble. However one must be very careful not to bump those long barrels, else the optics might be significantly effected.
A plastic mount is supplied to attach to a tripod, but I bought a more substantial Opticron L mount to use with a monopod or tripod when I want to some support. A more relaxed and comfortable viewing position, which causes less neck strain is to lay on a reclining garden chair.
The binos are excellent for the night sky, far better than the 10 x 50 Olympus binos that I tried out. I would highly recommend their use, especially as they enable you to quickly navigate the night sky in a way that is not viable using a cumbersome telescope. Having said that, I will occasionally haul out my telescope to look at some objects in more detail. I think these binos offer the best value for money and ease of use, say compared to the 20 x 80mm binos by Celestron; those are twice the cost, look rather cumbersome, and probably difficult to keep steady (although more sturdy due to its central strengthening bar).
The package would benefit from a few inexpensive improvements: 1. More substantial neck strap, 2. More substantial case, 3. Better lens caps on the large objective lens. The lens caps seem to be soft [silicone?] rubber which can press upon the objective lens and they exude a horrible oily substance that is truely aweful to remove from the lens. The single ‘cyclops’ lens hood that fits over the eye piece fits if the eye cups are folded down (for spectacle wearers), otherwise it is too loose a fit.
To get the best use of the binos for the night sky, purchase the Planishere by Philip’s, also available on Amazon.
Terrestrial viewing however is another thing entirely – excellent, clear views over seas, mountains, and bird watching you will be amazed with how much clarity the images appear – this is due to the 70mm lenses and their light gathering ability – excellent.
The weight issue mentioned in a few other reviews is not a major issue in my case but when my partner uses them after a couple of minutes she has to put them down – so the inclusion of a tripod adapter is a necessary one – but I would recommend purchasing a metal one for about 10 as in any slight breeze the bins sway a little and that defeats the object of using them on a tripod.
In conclusion as I use these bins for mainly astronomical viewing in retrospect I should have purchased the more expensive 25x70mm ones as there is only about 20 different in the price – but I was put off these after reading the reviews of them being too heavy – so my advice would be if your the average 40 something male (which I am) and are looking for primarily astronomical binoculars then I’d suggest the more expensive ones but if weight bearing on your arms is an issue then these are the ones for you – honestly a very very good quality product at a reasonable price – if your in the market for a new pair of binoculars – go buy these you won’t be disappointed.
Very robust, good quality and well designed, they look good too. I think the price is very good too. Crisp, clear image and no problems with collimation as reported by a few reviews. Easy to perform the initial set-up and the tripod adapter works really well.
Not as heavy as I was expecting, although I brought a monopod in the end which gives me the perfect mix of stability and manouverability with less weight.
What have I seen so far: Lots of clouds (I live in London), The Full Moon with such clear detail of craters and blemishes and all and Jupiter and 4 of its Moons (amazing to see sometinh so far away as almost pea-sized).
They do not focus very near, so maybe not so good for birders, unless you are watching cliff birds!
I hope these last longer then the 15x70s!
The construction seems very solid, rubber armour all over with plenty of grippy surfaces to get hold of. The fabric bag they come with isn’t up to much, would have preferred a hard case, but I suppose it would be serviceable for carrying them and protecting them from some light rain. Probably better off attaching a proper wide camera strap than the thin one that comes with these.
I repeat what others have said – these are too heavy to hold up by hand without some sort of support, either rest your elbows on something or (preferably) use a tripod or pole.
One word of caution for anyone buying binoculars for the first time – get some expert advice in a camera shop that has a good selection of binoculars, or try a friend’s pair. Make sure that you have the eyes for binoculars, as some people (myself included) simply cannot look through them without seeing two images due to irregular eye sight; I wear glasses, and although they are weak it is enough to make binocular viewing impossible for me.
I will be returning my pair for this reason only, using the excellent Amazon returns facility, and purchasing a monocular instead.