| stargazingnow.com by Greg Babcock Home Telescopes Binoculars Imaging Gallery Venues |
| Binocular Stargazing |
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. My Inventory |
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| Fujinon 16x70 | APM 20x80 | ||||||
| Model | Magnification | Aperture | Exit Pupil | Field of View | Weight | ||
| Fujinon 16x70 | 16x | 70mm | 4.4mm | 4.0 degr | 4.1 lbs | ||
| APM 20x80 | 20x | 80mm | 4.0mm | 3.3 degr | 5.5 lbs | ||
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In a night that humidity caused our small group of stargazers to
pack away our large telescopes, I decided to get out the 20x80s
and scan the skies. I logged approximately 30 objects in
20 minutes, hand holding the 5.5 pound monsters M81
& M82 were un-mistakeable. The stars were pin-point, crisp
and bright. I am reminded that spontaneouty adds to the
fun of observing. The newly acquired (used) Fujinon 16x70s are 1.4 pounds lighter, have a wider field and larger Exit Pupil than the 20x80s. They may be a more spontanous binocular. While they give up a little magnification and the detail their lighter weight allows them to be more hand held. |
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| Nikon 16x50 Auclon | |||||||
| The Whale Watcher | |||||||
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| Whale watching does not require a lot of light gathering power for day time viewing. It also, only, requires a lightweigh tripod. Exit Pupil = 3.5mm Field of View = 4.2 degrees | |||||||
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| Canon 10x42 Image Stabilizing (IS) Binoculars | |||||
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Acquired March 2014.
Normally, I wouldn't list Binoculars
as a Telescope, but these are often used for their "grab and go" qualities. No tripod or setup
is required to observe. The image stabilizing
features eliminates the jiggling motion and gives a "floating effect." These Binoculars have been fitted with filter adapters, that allow me to attach a UHC filter for observing objects like the North American Nebula and Veil Nebula. I only put the filter on one lens and let the high contrast, view balance with the natural view. |
These Binoculars provide a 6.5
degree field of view making objects easier to located. It has a
decent 4.2mm Exit Pupil and its compact size and relatively
light weight, makes it easier to hold. The 15x50 Canon IS were
an attractive consideration for their power, but the 10x42s size
weight, exit pupil and field of view won out.
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| The joy of Rich Field Telescopes (RFT) & Binoculars | ||||
| The Veil Nebula is 3 degrees in diameter. I consider it a standard for tarketing field of view with a Rich Field Dedicated set up. Image Courtsey of Peter Pekurar, maker of the Hobbit. 3 degrees = 6 Moon diameters. My Binoculars have fields up to 6.5 degrees. |
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