Unfortunately, this deal has expired 23 December 2023.
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582°
Posted 17 December 2023
Celestron UpClose G2 10x50 Water Resistant Porro Prism binoculars (more options in description)
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ecuador
Joined in 2013
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2,224
About this deal
This deal is expired. Here are some options that might interest you:
A few days ago I posted a beginner buyer's guide on a telescope deal. I said there that for under £60, I would suggest a cheap pair of binoculars instead.
An example is the Celestron Upclose G2 10x50. The 10x magnification is probably the most you would be comfortable with holding without a tripod and the 50mm is a good aperture for astronomy. It is finally right now back to its pre-pandemic pricing, as I would not propose it at its usual £50. It has basic BK7 prisms and a true aperture that is less than the nominal 50, so can't compete with the next tier that comes down to £60-70. But at £34 it's a good deal for a beginner stargazer.
A better deal that is hard to get though is the 10x50 that Lidl stores carry now and then. You have to keep your eyes open for those. Also, their QA is a bit hit or miss and they get banged around probably in shipping, so a lot of them lose alignment. You will have to test them in store to see if the separate images from each eye merge together easily (aim at a far end of the store), or you end up feeling you are cross-eyed. If they look OK, get them. They are pretty similar to the Upclose G2, so basic quality, but are sold as low as £20.
But the best deal right now for me is the Bresser Hunter 8x40 for £25 on Amazon. I would post that deal instead, but Amazon themselves still have them at £42, it's the manufacturer that sells them at £25 and they don't have the minimum 300 reviews in the last 12 months. They do have 3192 lifetime reviews with 4.9, and they are the actual manufacturer, so you can do the math They are a bit better made than the G2 and their true apertures are pretty close, plus they are a bit easier to hold (lighter, a bit less magnification).
There are better binoculars, some Olympus, Nikons etc but they start getting into the telescope price territory so I won't go into them - plus I didn't see a great deal.
If you want to learn more about choosing binoculars for stargazing, things to look for and things to avoid (e.g. zoom binoculars, unknown brands), check out the slides I made for a presentation at my local astro club a few years ago. Note that when I mention prices, add a 30-50% inflation, as it was pre-pandemic.
About this item
Customer Reviews
Price History
An example is the Celestron Upclose G2 10x50. The 10x magnification is probably the most you would be comfortable with holding without a tripod and the 50mm is a good aperture for astronomy. It is finally right now back to its pre-pandemic pricing, as I would not propose it at its usual £50. It has basic BK7 prisms and a true aperture that is less than the nominal 50, so can't compete with the next tier that comes down to £60-70. But at £34 it's a good deal for a beginner stargazer.
A better deal that is hard to get though is the 10x50 that Lidl stores carry now and then. You have to keep your eyes open for those. Also, their QA is a bit hit or miss and they get banged around probably in shipping, so a lot of them lose alignment. You will have to test them in store to see if the separate images from each eye merge together easily (aim at a far end of the store), or you end up feeling you are cross-eyed. If they look OK, get them. They are pretty similar to the Upclose G2, so basic quality, but are sold as low as £20.
But the best deal right now for me is the Bresser Hunter 8x40 for £25 on Amazon. I would post that deal instead, but Amazon themselves still have them at £42, it's the manufacturer that sells them at £25 and they don't have the minimum 300 reviews in the last 12 months. They do have 3192 lifetime reviews with 4.9, and they are the actual manufacturer, so you can do the math They are a bit better made than the G2 and their true apertures are pretty close, plus they are a bit easier to hold (lighter, a bit less magnification).
There are better binoculars, some Olympus, Nikons etc but they start getting into the telescope price territory so I won't go into them - plus I didn't see a great deal.
If you want to learn more about choosing binoculars for stargazing, things to look for and things to avoid (e.g. zoom binoculars, unknown brands), check out the slides I made for a presentation at my local astro club a few years ago. Note that when I mention prices, add a 30-50% inflation, as it was pre-pandemic.
About this item
- High quality binoculars at an affordable / economical price
- Multi-coated optics increase light transmission resulting in brighter and sharper images with high contrast levels
- Stylish rubber covered aluminium body protects from rough handling
- Ergonomic thumb indents and finger ridges for extra non-slip comfort and ease of use
- Water resistant
- Soft carrying case
- Binocular straps
Customer Reviews
Price History
More details at Community Updates
Edited by ecuador, 19 December 2023
59 Comments
sorted byBresser Binoculars Hunter 16x50
amzn.eu/d/idCaMv8 (edited)
The brightness of the image for a pair of binoculars is proportional to the exit pupil, you calculate that by dividing aperture by magnification, so for the 10x50 is 50/10=5, for the 8x42 it is 5.25 which I'd say is optimal for people over 30 who can't take advantage of even larger exit pupils because their eyes don't dilate as much. The 16x50 have a 3.125mm exit pupil which is low for astronomy. It is OK for birdwatching, but you can't really hold 16x stable enough without a stand/tripod/something to hold them against.
I treated myself to a pair of Swarovski Optik for £1500 the other year and while you can tell the difference between the Olympus ones I am not sure they are worth £1450 more .
You mention some Nikon's being better, I'm currently looking at the Nikon P3 8x42 for £129
How would they compare to other brands/models in that sort of price bracket?
Will mainly be for birdwatching in the garden so minimum focus is fairly important, but also some stargazing. Cheers
Edit: Looked it up, Opticrons focus at 16.4 ft vs Nikon @ 9.8 ft. So you lose some there. (edited)
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Its primary use will be checking out wildlife on our walks but she also loves astronomy. Can you recommend a mobile phone mount & maybe a mount? Thanks!
Another informative astronomical post OP. Thanks!
Would Bresser 16x50 for £29 be better for handheld astronomy than 8x42? Primarily looking at planets and the moon. Please let me know what you think.
For minimum distance though, the Bresser can do 5m (the Celestron 7m) - so it's not like they are just for far away...
Budget options are Opticron Adventurer II WP, Nikon Prostaff P3. I would go with the 8x42 versions - but try a pair (doesn't have to be the exact brand/model) at a store to see if you are comfortable with them, some people prefer smaller sets - e.g. 8x32, sacrificing some brightness/clarity for less weight/size.
The low-mid-tier would add phase-coatinings to the roof prism, so something like the Celestron DX (or even better Celestron DX ED), or Pentax SD WP. I just looked at the Nikon at this range (Monarch M5), but it has a smaller field of view than what I expected, so I am not adding it to my list, although my list is definitely not intended to be exhaustive.
I am not very familiar with the "high end" Zeiss, Swarovski etc, so if you have a high budget you'll have to ask a bird enthousiast, we, astronomers, spend hundreds and thousands only on telescopes
Oh, and have a great trip! (edited)