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Date: 30 Sep 2006 11:02:14
From: brucegooglegroups
Subject: wide angle binoculars
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Is a wide angle important in astronomy binoculars? I am thinking of
buying a 10X50 wide angle Orion Ultraview or a higher priced Orion
10X50 without a wide angle. The difference in field is 6.5 degrees
compared to the higher quality binoculars with a field of 5.3 degrees.
Bruce
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Date: 30 Sep 2006 18:20:22
From: brucegooglegroups
Subject: Re: wide angle binoculars
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Hi Alan,
I do wear glasses. I wear progressive lenses, but I am not sure if I
have an astigmatism, but I know that the correction for my left eye is
much greater than my right.
I find that the view in my telescope is much clearer without glasses. I
also have good distance vision, but I need the glasses for mid distance
and reading. My Ophlamologist remarked to me about my pupils being
asymmetric(?) or one pupil being bigger than the other. I am not
sure... But this may one of the reasons why I am sensitive to the view
in binoculars.
BTW, I am also thinking about taking up birding. I live near a bird
sanctuary, and I walk near it often. I started this spring to learn the
calls of different birds. But I need a lot more practice.
I appreciate your feedback.
Bruce
Alan French wrote:
> "brucegooglegroups" <brucegooglegroups@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1159645978.332216.44870@c28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> > Hi Alan,
> > Thanks for your response. There seems to be a general consensus in
> > articles and books I have read that price is a factor.
> >
> > I had posted earlier that I had bought a pair of Scenix 7X50 that
> > weren't good and I returned them. So I think I may look for higher
> > optic quality.
>
> Bruce,
>
> Stars are tough on binoculars. When birding, I center birds to get good
> views, and the edges are more aids in finding the target, so optical quality
> at the very edge is not a big issue. For astronomy, we are often trying to
> view large star clouds and such, and poor images on the brighter stars at
> the edge of the field can be annoying. Unfortunately, there is usually a
> price to pay for better detail at the edge.
>
> Do you wear glasses? If you do, do they correct for astigmatism? The eye's
> astigmatism is very harmful to good images, and anyone with astigmatism
> should wear corrective lenses when using binoculars. If you wear glasses,
> you need a binocular with enough eye relief to allow you to see the entire
> field.
>
> Clear skies, Alan
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Date: 30 Sep 2006 12:52:58
From: brucegooglegroups
Subject: Re: wide angle binoculars
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Hi Alan,
Thanks for your response. There seems to be a general consensus in
articles and books I have read that price is a factor.
I had posted earlier that I had bought a pair of Scenix 7X50 that
weren't good and I returned them. So I think I may look for higher
optic quality.
Bruce
Alan French wrote:
> "brucegooglegroups" <brucegooglegroups@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1159639334.429553.247940@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> > Is a wide angle important in astronomy binoculars? I am thinking of
> > buying a 10X50 wide angle Orion Ultraview or a higher priced Orion
> > 10X50 without a wide angle. The difference in field is 6.5 degrees
> > compared to the higher quality binoculars with a field of 5.3 degrees.
>
> Bruce,
>
> One of the strengths of binoculars is the ability to provide wide fields of
> view that are simply not available in telescopes. One problem with
> binoculars is that the image quality falls off, often significantly, as you
> approach the edge of the field. This shows up rather harshly on bright
> stars. Without actually trying the two binoculars, it is difficult to say
> how good the star images near the field edge would compare. In general,
> better images near the field edge require more sophisticated eyepieces,
> which cost more money, so price might a rough guide to how well they will
> perform. I suspect you would be happier with the higher quality binocular,
> but it might be nice if you could turn up some folks who have actually used
> these.
>
> Clear skies, Alan
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Date: 30 Sep 2006 20:11:07
From: Alan French
Subject: Re: wide angle binoculars
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"brucegooglegroups" <brucegooglegroups@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:1159645978.332216.44870@c28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Hi Alan,
> Thanks for your response. There seems to be a general consensus in
> articles and books I have read that price is a factor.
>
> I had posted earlier that I had bought a pair of Scenix 7X50 that
> weren't good and I returned them. So I think I may look for higher
> optic quality.
Bruce,
Stars are tough on binoculars. When birding, I center birds to get good
views, and the edges are more aids in finding the target, so optical quality
at the very edge is not a big issue. For astronomy, we are often trying to
view large star clouds and such, and poor images on the brighter stars at
the edge of the field can be annoying. Unfortunately, there is usually a
price to pay for better detail at the edge.
Do you wear glasses? If you do, do they correct for astigmatism? The eye's
astigmatism is very harmful to good images, and anyone with astigmatism
should wear corrective lenses when using binoculars. If you wear glasses,
you need a binocular with enough eye relief to allow you to see the entire
field.
Clear skies, Alan
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Date: 30 Sep 2006 19:21:36
From: Alan French
Subject: Re: wide angle binoculars
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"brucegooglegroups" <brucegooglegroups@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:1159639334.429553.247940@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> Is a wide angle important in astronomy binoculars? I am thinking of
> buying a 10X50 wide angle Orion Ultraview or a higher priced Orion
> 10X50 without a wide angle. The difference in field is 6.5 degrees
> compared to the higher quality binoculars with a field of 5.3 degrees.
Bruce,
One of the strengths of binoculars is the ability to provide wide fields of
view that are simply not available in telescopes. One problem with
binoculars is that the image quality falls off, often significantly, as you
approach the edge of the field. This shows up rather harshly on bright
stars. Without actually trying the two binoculars, it is difficult to say
how good the star images near the field edge would compare. In general,
better images near the field edge require more sophisticated eyepieces,
which cost more money, so price might a rough guide to how well they will
perform. I suspect you would be happier with the higher quality binocular,
but it might be nice if you could turn up some folks who have actually used
these.
Clear skies, Alan
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