APM X 150's : Anyone tried them ?

Started by Bruce Mills, 10/06/2009 01:21PM
Posted 10/06/2009 01:21PM Opening Post
Indeed, are they about at all ? 8O

The photo makes them appear to be a reality, though it seems to be awhile now since APM announced their availability from - June onwards - was it ? I forget. Any feedback ?

A lot cheaper than the big Fujinons but looking really well made and not a cheapskate production. But have heard or read nothing about them since they were declared to be in the offing.

I won't repeat this on the APM forum as it's right next door to this one.





Posted 11/02/2009 10:36PM #1
smile Hi Bruce,
I've had a pair for two months now. I ordered the complete package with the tripod and the eyepieces. I've had no issues with the binoculars. They arrived, nicely packaged, and well collumated. The fit and finish is good, no scratches, flaws. The coatings on the optics are evenly applied, and the tubes are fully baffled. Optically they perform well for achromats. There is false colour on bright objects, but not objectionally so. I havn't tried minus violet filters on the eyepieces, but that might help ease the color fringing. The supplied 34mm 70 deg. AFOV eyepieces give nice views with no vignetting and no distortions to the edges. I also tried 19mm Panoptics with the supplied 1 1/4 adaptors, no issues here. The tripod looks a bid rough in the finish, but is functional. It supports the binoculars, with little vibration, locks well, and the U fork is deep eneough to allow the binoculars to point to the xenith. The biggest negative is their heft. With the tripod legs extended it's a chore to lift onto the dovetail. I'd definitely not recommend them as a grab and go setup. They'd excell at wide field viewing in a nice dark sky site.
Martin Kates