his and hers

hawk8 · Guest

I bought a pair of Nikon AE 10x50 a couple of years ago to use for stargazing and wildlife viewing--they work great. It's amazing all the stars and Messier objects that I can see with them.

The only drawback is that they're too heavy for my wife (they weigh over 2 lbs.). I need something lighter. I see that the Celestron UpClose !0x50's come in around 1.75 lbs. Would these replicate the viewing performance that my Nikons provide or are there other models I should consider?

Jne_K · Site Admin Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 5403

Hi

Not going to give you the performance or the durability of of the Nikon AE, no. I'd suggest the 8x40 Nikon AE. You won't lose much, if anything, in terms of the astronomy - I use 7x, 8x and 10x models for astronomy quite a bit. For sure, the 8x40 AE will be a much nicer bino to handle than any 10x50.
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ET · Guest

This is the problem with 10x porros. They come in 10x50 usually. Not sure if most 10x40 porros are worth looking into.

If you want 10x and light weight, most of us end up with a 10x42 roof prism model.

Jne_K · Site Admin Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 5403

Hi

Good point, E.T. Very little out there in a 10x40 porro.

For astronomy, you won't miss the difference between a 10x50 and 8x40. The key is the second number if you want to keep size and weight down.
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hawk8 · Guest

Thanks. All good points.

I've also got a pair of Bushnell Ensign 7x50's but they don't seem to draw in as much light as the Nikon AE 10x50's. They are easy to handle however.

I've read and heard many suggestions for the 8x42's, so I'll research them a bit more but I'm not ready to give up on 10x50's just yet.

I e-mailed an acquaintance who belongs to an astronomy club and she said that they used Orion Scenix 10x50 roof prisms for their public presentations. That's a brand that OP does not sell and a model that, apparently, Orion no longer makes.

I've found a few 10x50 roof prisms here, including the Celestron Noble, the Bushnell Trophy, the Eagle Optics, Ranger and the Leupold Green Ring Olympic Wind River. I think all are under 30 oz.

Other than price, and a smaller field of view, are there any other tradeoffs between these roofs and some of the porros that have been mentioned? Also, among the roofs that I've found here so far, any opinions?

Jne_K · Site Admin Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 5403

Hi

Older models such as the Ensign will not have the benefit of up to date lens coatings, prisms and optical glass, so not surprised that they are not up to a current model, even a 10x50

All else equal, a porro will have better light transmission than a roof. Tha's why all serious astronomy binoculars are porros. If astronomy is your main use, stay with a porro. Roofs may be a better option for a bino that will be used primarily by day.

I'd still go back to my original suggestion of replacing the 10x50 with an 8x40. Image brightness will stay the same and you get a nicer handling bino with a wider FOV with the 8x40. You are really splitting hairs about what you will see in a 10x50 AE and an 8x40AE when it comes to astronomy
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