Comments on: What manufacturer would you recommend if I would like to buy binoculars?

By: Braylen Lillywhite

Braylen Lillywhite — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:33:26 +0000

Bushnell used to make a very good pair.

A telescope would be better. Edmunds had this nice close out equitorial refractor for $115 that was decent. Most astronomy snobs might say otherwise, but it was decent for the price.

By: Brice Rogerson

Brice Rogerson — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:40:45 +0000

Zeiss is by far the best. They also make very accurate scopes and medical measuring equipment. They are expensive but worth every penny if quality is what your looking for.

By: Meghan Power

Meghan Power — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:21:13 +0000

In that price range, no good manufactures to recommend. I DO recommend a telescope, as you might want to look at the moon and near planets as well, and a tripod makes it much easier, as your hands won’t shake. Try Wal-Mart. I saw a not too bad one there the other day for about $225.00, and a reflector one, not a long tube with lenses. It looked like a bargain. You won’t find too many used ones out there, but you might get lucky.

By: Amiyah Kendrick

Amiyah Kendrick — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:20:08 +0000

I will disagree with some of the answers so far. Binoculars are a great tool for astronomy, especially for a beginner. Binoculars have a wide field of view, which makes it easier to learn your way around the sky. In terms of cost, you can collect a lot of light with binoculars less than $100. Celestron makes good astronomy binoculars. For $80, you can get a pair of 15×70s — 15X magnification, and a 70mm aperture (bigger aperture = more light collection). For comparison, beginner telescopes are often 50-60mm aperture. With your binocs, you can observe stars, planets, and even see fuzzy deep sky objects like nebulae and galaxies.

In the beginner tier, you get more bang for your buck with binocs. If you find yourself getting very serious about astronomy, you can invest in a better telescope down the line.

By: Malachi Kerr

Malachi Kerr — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:48:40 +0000

It doesn’t really matter what manufacturer you use (as long as you don’t buy ones that are made in China or something). Whichever binoculars you take, make sure YOU find them comfortable. Try to make them as complex as possible, but not too heavy, otherwise you won’t get a focused view. If you do decide to get the heavy ones, make sure you have a tripod for support

By: Ronin Sunderland

Ronin Sunderland — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:43:37 +0000

Zeiss is a universally good maker of optical equipment, but they tend to be pretty darn expensive.

Bausch & Lomb are US makers of optics, and a little cheaper.

In general, though you get what you pay for.

Incidentally, binoculars are NOT a good way to look at stars–although they have good magnification, what you really want is the ability to _intensify_ light, not make it look big. After all, if you magnify a star, it still looks like a point of light. Magnify it too much and it will get dimmer.

On the other hand, even the cheapest telescope will magnify light enough that you can see stars you normally couldn’t. The only thing that is really convenient is to get one with a tracking motor so the object stays in your field of view.

By: Nevaeh Appleton

Nevaeh Appleton — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:04:35 +0000

Check E-bay, somebody must be selling their old telescope that has been collecting dust in the attic.
Binoculars are for looking at earthbound things, telescopes for the heavens.