Mauricio Alvarez said:
Hi all,
I'm looking into purchasing some binoculars for viewing the sky. Any recommendations?
In my experience, binoculars are a very personal item, similar to shoes, comfort is critical, binoculars that are perfect for me may be awkward and uncomfortable for you. So it is important to get some experience with different binoculars before making a decision, try as many as you can but even then preferences change. Most people own several pair.
There is quite a variety in binoculars. Price wise, very useable binoculars are available for under $100, very nice for $300 and one can spend $1500 or more for high end binoculars. It's good to have an idea of your budget before asking this question. There are binoculars at each price point that could be considered an excellent choice.
Size wise, it is also good to have an idea, what are you going to do with the binoculars? Are you planning hand holding them and using them to sweep the sky or are you going to mount them on a tripod. For a general purpose pair, something in the 8x42 to 10x40 range is a good choice, The can be comfortable to use for long periods, provide nice wide fields of view, 5 to 7 degrees TFoV and are useful for other pursuits like bird watching.
For tripod mounted binoculars, more aperture and magnification is desirable but how much is still the issue, as magnification is increased, the field of view diminishes. Bigger binoculars require larger, heavier tripods. And even with a solid mount, the vast majority of binoculars are straight-thru rather than angled so viewing towards the Zenith is awkward.
Finally, one can choose between Roof Prism and Porro Prism binoculars...
The Canon Image Stabilized Binoculars that John recommended are popular because that image stabilization really works. Sharp Optics are a wonderful thing but if you are unable to hold the binoculars steady, one cannot take advantage of those sharp optics. Since binoculars generally operate at larger than optimal exit pupils, increasing the magnification without increasing the aperture will show more if the image is steady... That's why the image stabilization really makes a difference, it's like having an invisible tripod.
I have several pairs of binoculars ranging from some Minolta 8x21's up to some Orion Mini-Giant 15-63's. But my favorites are the mid priced (~$300) Meade Montana 7x42's and Eagle Optics Platinum Ranger 10x42's. These both roof prism birding binoculars, they are water proof and nitrogen purged, they have ample eye relief, nice twist up eye cups and I find them very comfortable to use. For birding they both offer close focusing to under 10 feet. For me, these are a good choice, I use them along with a telescope, both just to enjoy the view and to help with star hopping. But I don't spend a whole night looking only through binoculars, more a couple of minutes here getting the sky figured out so I can find something in the scope and 5 or 10 minutes a few times a night just enjoying the view.
So, after all that... I suggest clarifying in your own mind exactly how you plan to use these binoculars, deciding on a budget and taking some time to try a variety of binoculars. If you do that, I am sure you will make an excellent choice.
Jon