Celestron 71018 SkyMaster 20x80mm Porro Prism Binoculars with Multi-Coated Lens, BaK-4 Prism Glass and Carry Case, Black

Beautifully clear image offered by the large 80mm lens. They have a robust feel and seem to be well made and should last for many years with care. These are a great starter pair for sky watching, but if that is your main use for them you W|ILL need a Tripod. They are heavy but thats not the real problem, if you focus on anything that is on considerable magnification it is impossible to hold them still enough to get any sort or real idea of the target image, in addition as soon as you try and adjust the focus, you loose the target you are focussing on. I bought these as a powerful set for sky watching, birding, and general scenery when walking and holidaying. Though bulky they are worth carrying for the quality and depth of the image that is available. Easily backpackable. I live in a city and it is amazing the way on a CLEAR night they cut through the haze that is there (but not visible) and allows you so see a complete vista of stars that are not available to the naked eye. I wish I could have afforded the 25x100, but for that cost I will supplement it and buy myself a good telescope. These are fantastic powerful general purpose binoculars and can be used for sky watching WITH a tripod, dont believe reviews that say you dont need it. Great Value. Recommended. I wish they had provided a better padded carry bag.

I've been the owner of a pair of 10x50 Tento binoculars for years, so I decided to upgrade and treat myself. I looked very carefully at each Celestron Skymaster binoculars available to see what might suit my needs. After doing some research and checking each spec, I decided to opt for the 15x70 Skymaster and boy does it do what it say's on the tin. Excellent clarity, great field of view and surprisingly not as heavy as what some people would say. Granted, without a tripod (which I might purchase in the future), they can feel a little heavy after a while, but if you place your hands at the end of the binoculars by the objective lens, the weight kind of balances itself out nicely. Setting up and calibrating the Skymaster to your eye's is very simple. To be honest, unless you are a serious sky watcher, don't get anything bigger than this as your field of view will be seriously decrease and you will need a tripod. 15x magnification is what I would say is in the Goldilocks zone. My Skymasters arrived less than 24 hours after I ordered them with standard delivery and that was without Prime. There was a crescent moon the same night and boy was I blown away. I could see far more details than I ever could with my old pair of bino's. At this price, the build quality is awesome and feels way more expensive than it's price. Just a good bit of advice though which I found when I was doing my research, if you do buy a tripod, purchase a metal tripod holder for your bino's as the plastic one supplied is pretty much useless as your binoculars will bounce at the slightest touch, spoiling your view time, but a metal tripod holder will keep your binocular as steady as a rock.

I bought my 15x70's a couple of years ago as a back-up to my Telescopes for star-gazing! Sometimes the weather doesn't give much time to set-up a scope whereas the binoculars are ready to use at any time: only problem is the weight! After a few minutes the arm strain becomes unpleasant! Using a tripod and adapter does over-come this problem but defeats my original reason for buying them in the first place! However, I have found that lying in a deckchair, or leaning back against a wall, with elbows resting on chest I can support the binoculars for much longer periods without discomfort. While not ideal for viewing planets; Jupiter can be resolved with the 4 Gallilean moons, Saturn can be seen with its rings but little detail, the moon provides endless fascination but can leave you with "Snow-blindness" near to full-moon. Where these binoculars excell is in finding star clusters, the Pleiades look quite stunning! Nebulae and some of the larger galaxies are visible as smudges, some structure can be seen in some and a hint of colour in others. Where my binoculars have come into their own is on holiday: I frequently sleep outside in hot climates and can view many of the sights that are hidden from northern latitudes. They are great for day time use also; whether spying out distant ruins, whale or dolphin spotting, or even just watching those huge cruise liners in the distance. (Note: take as hand luggage on a plane to prevent moisture forming inside!) When unpacking the binoculars for the first time you will find a strange lump of plastic, described as a tripod mount: DISCARD THIS IMMEDIATELY: it's worse than useless! Camera tripods are generally too flimsy to take the weight of the 15x70's but with a good metal Adapter Visionary Heavy Duty Black Metal Binocular Tripod Adaptor - Standard 1/4" Tripod Fitting On Underside - Fits Most 'Traditional' Style Binoculars - Ideal For Very Large Bulky Binoculars and a good quality tripod ~ HALF PRICE ~ Tripod Universal Folding Good Quality Stand for Digital Camera Binoculars Telescope Spotting Scope SLR Camcorder Astronomy Stargazing & Photography Collapsable with Carry Bag 166cm Tall or 65" Inch High Pan Head Quick Release Fits all mak... they become quite manageable. The lenses are coated for night time use which allows excellent light transission to the eyepieces meaning that they work very well in low light conditions: the lack of lens-front reflection means that highly reflective surfaces (e.g. the sea) can dazzle. It might sound daft but the eye-cups allow the user to view through sunglasses during the brighter parts of the day! Excellent introdution to astronomy at a reasonable price, yet versatile enough to be used else-where. Lens quality is good and construction solid: I've now had 2 years of use in all conditions from -30c to +45C, sea level to 3,000 metres and it's never let me down; definitely money well spent! If you are looking to use this for astronomy I would suggest you add a Planisphere Philip's Planisphere (Latitude 51.5 North): for Use in Britain and Ireland, Northern Europe, Northern USA and Canada , a red LED torch OVL Dual Beam Astronomers Torch and a good reference book Astronomy Manual: The Practical Guide to the Night Sky or Binocular Astronomy (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series)

No I didn't spell it wrongly. I am an occasional sky watcher not an avid star gazer. I carry a pair of binoculars in the car to stop and be nosy from time to time an do a few minutes of bird watching if something catches my eye. I asked for a decent (but not expensive) pair of bins for Xmas but was not trusting my wife enough to let her loose on Amazon. I am on the downhill side of life (along with my eyes), I have imbalanced sight and astigmatism in one eye. I researched many Celestron products and some users were critical of bad collimation. These 25x70s were pretty well reviewed and at a very reasonable price for such a high mag product. I noted that some people thought them heavy and were only usable on a tripod and others were critical of the plastic tripod mount. I already had a decent video tripod but made sure I asked for a steel bracket as part of the present. They turned out to be a great Xmas gift and I have used them several times in the last month. Easy to focus and to balance out my eye problems. Heavyish, yes but manageable for a few minutes. Looked at planes flying overhead.....the narrow field of view makes it difficult to pick things up quickly. I scanned across the con trails and then followed the trails to the airliner. Amazingly close and crystal clear (great if you are a plane spotter, which I'm not) but you need to to be hand holding to follow moving objects like this. Left them outside on a tripod for an hour on a cold clear night recently (so that they didn't condense up on coming from my warm house) and then looked at a few stars. As I mentioned earlier I am no astronomer so I was amazed to see a cluster of small stars around a pinkish bright star in the eastern sky. A quick Google search told me I was looking at Jupiter with its moons, surprisingly clear. Our local moon was almost too bright, it completely filled the field of view and was crystal clear. A real wow moment! Great product, fulfills all my requirements for casual close-up viewing. The carrying case is a bit flimsy but fine for the car. Not a set of binoculars to go walking with but would be great if you owned a submarine or battle cruiser.

My Celestron Skymaster 20x80 binoculars were received a few weeks before Christmas, but as they were a Christmas present bought for me I didn't get any chance to test them out before they were all wrapped up ready for the big day! So now I've had chance and these are my findings after using them for about four or five hours solid. Firstly, I can confirm that mine were NOT out of collimation. I'd been reading all about collimation as a number of people on the net had reported this problem with various Celestron binoculars (and others) so I did absolutely loads of research on the net in case mine needed collimating. In a nutshell, collimation means that the prisms are slightly misaligned causing a sort of slight doubling of the image. Apparently, the manufacturers of Celestron binoculars in China don't have the best quality control system in place and it seems that unfortunately some of these models ship already out of collimation. If you don't know what to look out for chances are you'll just put up with it as it can be barely noticeable, but it can cause eye strain and headaches as your eyes try to 'correct' the image. So, I've been lucky with mine as they are certainly not out of collimation. The image through the 20x80s is great, nice and bright and I found they snapped to a good focus. Focusing on a dark vertical post against a bright sky background revealed a little color fringing, certainly not enough to be a problem, but this will be present in just about any binocular optics anyway unless you go very expensive. All movable mechanisms like the focus wheel and the dioptre (right eye piece) adjustment are nice and smooth with no sign of stiffness thoughout it's range. Finally I thought I'd mention the weight issue as a lot of people mention this. They are pretty heavy yes. unfortunately this is a trade off for the large 80mm objective lenses. If your only using them to grab and use for just a minute or two before putting them down again then you really shouldn't have too much of a problem, but then I'd have to wonder why you would go for something of this size and weight if you never plan to use a tripod. Mounting them on a tripod is without doubt where you will appreciate them most, especially as this is what this model is designed for with the built in tripod adapter. Had a good look at the stars during a brief break in the clouds and it was great. Now looking forward to clearer skies and getting away from all this light pollution. I hope this helps a little. I'm really pleased with mine and wouldn't change them.

These are fantastic binoculars, clear and bright with great colouring. Easy to use, no zoom. Very narrow field of view. The full moon half fills your vision! Not sure they’d be good for bird watching. They definitely need a tripod as quite heavy. I got a little Celestron phone adapter so I could take some photographs. I was really happy with them.

Considering discounted price and existing choice of similar binoculars, this one seems unquestionable. Good exit pupil, enjoyable field of view, not that heavy as you might be afraid of however tripod is highly recommended not only for its reasonable magnification but also for its extraordinary length (IMHO). There is practically nothing I could complain about. Its tripod mounting maybe could be better however it does work very well, it is strong enough and can't be easier to use. I find these binoculars overall well made and strong, they produce clear, sharp, high quality image. Chromatic aberration is barely noticeable when looking at the Moon, and I didn't see any when using them in daylight conditions. Living in London and looking at night sky opposite to central London I could count 50 stars in Pleiades cluster, see blurry core of M33, see the center of Orion nebula and I can't wait to go away from city to enjoy more better views. Certainly, such binoculars could be made with ED glass lenses and top price materials but if I was looking for a reasons to spend more money then I would rather make bino-telescope instead. They are perfect addition to my f/15 telescope. And hey.. It also feel good just to look at that beast when not in use. I am going to buy one more for my best friend as a present.

Let me start by saying I did not have a clue about stargazing/astronomy until Christmas 2014 when I was bought a pair of 10x50 bins (tech term for binoculars, apparently) and a stargazing book to begin my foray into amateur astronomy. If, like me, you could stare at the night sky for hours and just bask in the wonder that is our solar system, then I could not recommend a better way to start it. Six months later and I’ve decided to upgrade to these 25x70 beasts. I was tempted to go for the 25x100 but didn’t want to make the mistake of trying to run before I could walk. I ordered them Friday afternoon and took delivery the following morning. I could barely contain my excitement in opening the box! The packaging itself is basic, but not too complicated. I had the binoculars, the carry bag (with strap), a wipe-cloth, neck strap, standard instructions and – the most important – a tripod mount. I haven’t bought a tripod yet but may well be making a purchase this week, as these bins aren’t exactly heavy but it’s difficult to maintain a steady focus on, say, the Moon (which by the way looks BEAUTIFUL through these). So far – and I’m only two days into using them – I’m very, very impressed. Thankfully it was a clear night last night and where I live (Wales, UK) I was able to see the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and its moons, and Saturn! Although the latter was a mere blemish in my lens, I could clearly make out its rings (the planet is almost an oval-shape) and I couldn’t believe my eyes. The build quality is superb. They feel heavy, but they’re not that heavy if you know what I mean. Of course, buying a tripod will both give you amazing images and give your arms a rest, but for now I’m happy using my garden table as a stabiliser for my elbows. The focus wheel is a little stiff, but being 31 I’ve had some good practice with my fingers over the years. The eye piece protector is a little flimsy, but to be honest I’ll hardly use it as it’ll spend more time out of its carry case than in it. Before I had my first pair of bins, I assumed that astronomy was for balding single men with grey beards and adenoids, looking up through telescopes the size of a Ford Galaxy (pardon the pun), but with a simple pair of binoculars you can gaze at the stars for hours and see way, way more than the naked eye. Orion’s Nebula is simply breathtaking. To sum up, if you’re looking to upgrade from a pair of 10x50s, these are the bins for you. If you’re just starting out, then I’d recommend these but no higher (or heavier) than these. Like I said, by starting small and working your way up gives you much more appreciation of what you can see. I can honestly see myself never buying a telescope and instead upgrading my bins every year or so. They are THAT good. 10/10

Me encanta Celestron! Cómo podrán ver, tengo algunos artículos 25*100, 25*70 y 20*80 La referencia a este comentario es en base a los binoculares 25*100 es un artículo ya profesional no es para principiantes es muy pesado para maniobra por lo que se necesita de un buen tripié Tiene mucho más profundidad que los otros binoculares que tengo, y mucha más definición... El precio estaba bastante accesible y la compra a meses sin intereses fue lo que terminó a animarme Los recomiendo mucho si les gusta la astronomia

Upgraded my SkyMaster 15x70 binos to the 20x80 model. This review concerns astronomical use, especially as it relates to casual observation. I just returned from two evenings with it under the dark skies of WV's Monongahela National Forest 1) Field of view offers wide angle eye candy. 3.7 degrees with the feeling of expansiveness--even at 20x. I could place Orion's belt in one view; Orion's sword in another; The entire Pleiades (M45) in one glimpse; much of Kemble's Cascade; nearly all sections of the Veil Nebula complex; The Lagoon (M8) and Trifid Nebulae in one field; Can almost place M7 with M6 in Scorpius in the same field, also the Coathanger asterism fits nicely into the field of view. 2) Spectacular views offered of M7 near the Scorpion's tail, The Swan nebula (M17), Dumbbell Nebula (M27), a billowing Orion Nebula (M42), Pleiades (M45), Andromeda Galaxy (M31) with companion galaxies...can seem to infer some stars on the outskirts of globular clusters M13 (Hercules) and M22 (Sagittarius). Veil Nebula is breathtaking under dark sky (t5he western side resembles a fuzzy fish hook). Can see North American Nebula near Deneb at top of Cygnus. I returned to several of these again and again--so rewarding were the views. I set it up a week ago for a backyard star party and the Pleiades was really impressive for viewers as was the Perseus Double Cluster and Albireo double star. The Orion nebula is also magnificent. 3) Generous Eye Relief is best utilized by folding the eyecups back 4) Used a 30 year old aluminum camera tripod that is sturdy enough to hold the 20x80 with ease. How I found it effective was to sit in a wooden kitchen table chair with the tripod legs fully extended and tripod close in with bino eye cups folded back. My tripod has a shaft that can rise about 10 inches more so I used that incrementally as viewing angle was increased--not unlike a barber's chair raising or lowering. Ample eye relief coupled with the folded back eye cups and raised tripod slant the bino was attached to meant I could view objects 45 degrees up from the horizontal. Objects near vertical I could manage limited viewing by actually leaning back with binos and tripod legs laying across me. That's how I viewed the Veil Nebula. Be mindful of the weight before trying this!! It was OK for me but may not be for you. Test that carefully. The 20x80 mount is more robust than the attachment I used with the same tripod with the 15x70's. 5) Clarity of image was NOT sharp all the way to the edge. However, for the comparatively low price of the 20x80 I really can't complain about this as I'd pay much more for that level of optics. 6) I have an 11" SCT telescope. The 20x80 is a nice, satisfying casual alternative to setting up my larger scope and I had so much fun with it one evening I never bothered to set up my SCT. 7) These binos are HEAVY so a sturdy tripod is recommended. The 20x80 is significantly heavier than my 15x70 set. I can use each hand held on their own for limited viewing by gripping the large ends with each hand. 8) The moon is not excessively bright as it tends to be telescopically so you need not be overly concerned about temporary "blindness" from viewing the moon then switching to other stellar objects. Eye recovery is but momentary. 9) Did finally view Jupiter. The line up of the moons is more as one sees telescopically rather than with traditional binocular views. Be advised that surface brightness is so great one will likely NOT be able to the bands on Jupiter. Mars and Jupiter are definitely bright discs. haven't yet had a good look at Saturn as its currently near the sun in the sky.

I bought this for around ₹8,000 with card offers, the best ₹8K I’ve spent so far. This binocular is excellent for sky and stargazing. If your budget is around ₹10,000 and you’re looking for a powerful astronomy binocular, go for this without a second thought. The lens quality is very good, and the overall build feels solid and well-engineered. What I was able to see through this binocular: - Full Moon – The Moon does not fully occupy the lens; it covers roughly 60–70% of the field of view, which gives great perspective and clarity. - Jupiter and its 4 moons – Clearly visible on a good night. - A few star clusters – Bright and beautiful. - Orion’s Belt – You cannot see all three stars at once; they can only be viewed separately, which gives a good idea of the high zoom level. Important Note: This binocular is heavy, so a strong and sturdy tripod is mandatory (don’t go for cheap ones). If you want to capture photos through the binoculars, a phone mount is also recommended. I still remember the night I pointed this binocular at the sky and saw a star cluster for the first time, it was truly magical. If you are a space enthusiast, this is an absolute must-buy. Highly recommended!

Si ya tienes un telescopio y buscas una herramienta que te permita tener mayor campo y la flexibilidad de poder tener una sesión de observación in promptu, vas a amar estos binoculares. Bien empaquetados y protegidos llegaron a mi puerta en solo 16 horas. Excelente colimación, buen funcionamiento mecánico (ningún detalle), buena óptica (el recubrimiento casi no refleja luz) y accesorios decentes (la bolsa y el adaptador funcionan; el strap para colgarlos parece broma). Representan un excelente valor dado el precio durante la más reciente promoción (de hecho más barato que en USA). Al recibirlos, en los primeros 10 minutos de prueba pude observar las Pleyades, las Hyades, El cúmulo doble en Perseo y para mi sorpresa M31, con una extensión ligeramente mayor que en mi pequeño reflector de 4.5". Todo desde mi jardín en medio de la ciudad. El enfoque es preciso, el relieve ocular suficiente y cómodo, la aberración cromática es prácticamente inexistente con la posición ocular adecuada y dentro del 85-90% del campo de visión. A pesar de que no tengo mucho interés por la observación lunar, estos binoculares me están haciendo cambiar de opinión con su efecto casi tridimensional. Son pesados y grandes. Para una sesión de observación casual puedes sostenerlos en tus manos unos pocos minutos. Si quieres estudiar los objetos en turno, necesitas un buen soporte. O bien un tripié fotográfico de buena calidad, sólido y que puedas subir hasta la altura de tus ojos, o un monopié para observar sentado. En mi caso lo he solucionado con una excelente base de micrófono para estudio y un adaptador bastante robusto que carga 3 kg. Muy recomendables. Si los ves a buen precio no lo pienses, no te vas a arrepentir.

For what ever reason I was delivered a used product with scratches, burred misaligned screws and missing parts! Contacted seller but no response( was saturday..responded on monday, the day replacement was already on the way). Return was swift and replacement arrived 2 days later. It was proper new one this time! These 25x100s are very sturdy good quality binos. Mine were in perfect focus as far as I can tell and collimated properly. The tripod attachment has a smaller screw size (1/4" instead of 3/8"). Screw has to be tightened very tight, afraid of damaging aluminum threads. I bought a ballhead boasting 31lbs capacity for the binos. It was supposed to have enuf capacity to hold the binos even tilted as it weighs roughly 9lbs. Yeah..really didn't. Wobbly and shake. Setup had a telescope tripod so definitely not lacking there. Ended up going all in with Oberwerk tripod. Perfect choice for the binos. With that setup I can easily look all over with steady view. I'm impressed with image quality and light gathering ability. There's a little bit of chromatic aberration visible looking at moon (clear green hue on light side). Stars (what ever visible from backyeard) look beautiful crisp light spots, chromatic aberration not noticeable. Why point out the tripod in review? These are totally useless by hand. I'm a big guy and can't hold these steady at all, magnification (*25) and weight make it literally impossible to enjoy the view. Sturdy support just is mandatory expense! You cannot avoid it. And preferably with adjustable center column, viewing towards zenith (if standing) requires at least eye level height (6"6' in my case). Else you'll just strain your neck or back ;) Along with binos comes a convenient carry case. Feels robust and good quality to me. Also there is no focus ring on this beast. If you need to focus, you focus each eye separately. Inconvenient if you have several viewers but awesome as you can ditch eyeglasses and still get perfect focus.