Celestron 15x70 SkyMaster Weather Resistant Porro Prism Binocular

2022-04-28T09:57:49

These astronomical binoculars arrived safe and sound, on-time, from Adorama. External packaging was perfect. The item was very well protected internally by Celestron with sturdy foam inserts. The biggest deal for me was that they have the zoom function. This allows for a 1.9 degree FOV at 18x, useful for finding objects, before zooming in to see more detail. For instance, at 18X, the Double Cluster fits nicely in the FOV. Also, about 3/4 of the Andromeda galaxy, Zooming to 40X will get you detail of the moon's terrain (though not as good as a small telescope.) Nice views of the larger bright planets are to be had, as well. With these binoculars you'll get "the majesty effect" from looking at the Milky Way, The 7 Sisters, and other open clusters. The 80mm objectives seem to me to be a sweet spot for light gathering. At 18X, the exit pupil is a generous 4.5mm, good enough for even older eyes. At 40X the exit pupil is 2mm, which will still put a nice image on the retina at decent brightness. Some amateur astronomers use 80mm telescopes as finders, or guidescopes. Good light buckets! You MUST have a sturdy tripod for these. One picture below shows them mounted on an Alt-Az telescope tripod, which is very adequate. It even has slow motion controls. Another picture shows them mounted on a simple camera tripod. I was just trying out different mounting options and this one is a definite NO NO!. But there are more adequate camera tripods out there that will hold 10-15 pounds, given today's heavy cameras, lenses, battery packs etc. I'm still looking at those. I want one tall enough, and stable enough to handle these without wobble. I'm also testing out an ARCA type camera plate that will fit my Celestron AVX telescope mount. Once aligned, the mount should help me find almost any object worth looking at with binoculars. The biggest drawback for me is the limited altitude I'm able to achieve. Looking straight up is pretty impossible with these mounted on any tripod. YMMV, but my neck and back can only take so much. Overall, I'm happy with the price point for Zoom binoculars with a solid build and fine optical specs.

Marvin H.

2021-11-10T19:04:03

The Celestron 15-35x70 Skymaster zoom binoculars are exactly what the product description says the are. Very nice heavy duty binoculars. The strap is very comfortable around your neck. But a tripod is needed to hold them steady. Even at the lowest zoom they are difficult to hold still. On a tripod they offer a great view

MICHAEL G.

2021-09-22T08:36:57

These perform exactly like they are advertised. Plenty of light gathering without being unwieldy. Mounted on my camera tripod and gave great views of moon, Saturn and Jupiter. Even caught hard to see (from my location) star clusters. Looking forward to using them as spotting scope on the shooting range.

THOMAS R.

2021-05-11T09:13:14

Can see far good

Nicholas B.

2021-04-13T10:41:08

Very clear optics

LAWRENCE D.

2021-03-30T09:50:08

Great site and great product. I bought these to use on my future vacation to Alaska.

TED S.

2021-02-20T23:59:43

It’s good product that really helps me see things in the sky, especially the moon. I wow every time I see the moon. These holes and the moon orbiting, it’s just wow !!! On the other hand, the picture is very shaky. It shakes and it doesn’t matter how steady your arms and your hands are. You don’t wanna see anything like that. It’s safe to say that it’s useless without a tripod so I bought a $40 tripod on Amazon. The tripod is not ideal at all so I’m thinking about getting another one. I’m giving this binoculars a 4 star because without a tripod it is useless. I also understand that high powered binoculars does shake and does need a tripod.

GARY C.

2021-02-11T12:12:19

It is good for viewing far away objects

JERRY K.

2021-02-09T17:36:42

Amazing and easy for an old guy to figure out. It needs a tripod tho - kinda heavy after awhile.

JACK C.

2021-01-08T08:24:46

Love these binoculars! Even though it was back ordered it was still a quick process. Thanks!!

SHERRY L.

2020-12-22T08:46:51

It's nice to have so much more magnification than you standard 10x50 binoculars and for practically the same money.

STEVE R.

2020-12-18T11:24:29

My husband (and guests) have enjoyed using them to look at freighters on the lake. Great detail.

Gloria B.

2020-11-20T09:22:07

I purchased these binoculars mainly for astronomy, and trying them out, the images of the bright planets were sharp enough to see the rings of Saturn and moons of Jupiter. The only thing I did not like was the 2.2 degree field of view. As I researched that issue, I found out that all zoom binoculars do have a field of view like that...but for viewing some things, a zoom is nice.

DAN S.

2020-10-30T08:34:40

Much nicer quality than expected for the price.

TERREL F.

2019-02-11T19:59:49

I had some reservations about zoom binoculars but gave it a try.The right optical tube will no come into sharp focus, markedly limiting image quality. ADORAMA made return easy, a real plus.I own several other Celestron telescopes and binoculars that are excellent.Do not recommend the 18-40×76 binoculars due to optical problems (right optical tube will no come to adequate focus).Do not recommend zoom binoculars for astronomy.

Robert A.

2018-11-20T16:31:36

Excellent binoculars at this price point. Optical performance is quite good with sharp resolution near to the edges of the optical field.Collimation is problem in Celestron lower prices binoculars but is adequate in this purchase. Images are quite sharp and at 25 × and FOV is adequate for astromony. This binocular will be is splendid for terrestrial viewing, and adequate for astromony. You really can't do better in this price range. My other binoculars include Nikon, Fujinon and Cannon, way higher priced, so I am happy with this purchase and Adorama. They rapidly responded to my problem with a defective tripod adaptor supplied by Celestron.Recommendation... Splendid.

Robert A.

2018-09-12T16:47:21

These are really nice, had no problem adjusting focus of lens, great upgrade from my old 12x50, tripod works great for star gazing & animal watching, not really for lugging on hikes. Price was competitive, did receive emails to log back in and finish buying after I had already checked out. I finally did go back in and ended up ordering again by mistake, hassle to get order cancelled, but vendor did confirm double order was canceled. Other than that, all ended up good, really enjoy the binoculars.

Gary D.

2018-08-26T08:55:34

Exactly as described and great for day or astronomical use

David I.

2017-02-09T09:30:06

Lucky Doggthink his new binoculars are great

ken l.

2017-01-30T03:06:54

Very dissapointed in these binoculars i've had them for awhile to give them a chance to see if i'd like them and i don't the field of vision is small i thought with as big as the lenses are it would be better. Also when you use the zoom it gets even smaller i wish i never would have bought them

charles s.

2017-01-15T16:02:13

Great product! Loved the close up of the moon!

Michelle M.

2017-01-13T11:22:30

These binoculars, while a bit on the heavy side, are excellent for viewing wildlife from a distance.

Brian S.

2016-08-15T13:47:48

Set up is easy. Night time objects appear bright and clear. A tripod is highly recommended since the binoculars are heavy.

SARA J.

2016-02-16T08:05:17

Normally would not consider a 15x70 bino for hand held use, but the 48oz weight makes it possible. It takes a bit of practice and my arms need a break after a minute or so, but I enjoy the closer views of Jupiter's moons and Orion nebula. I first ordered same line of bino in a 12x60 that had collimation issue, but Adorama made the return and refund painless. So, I ended up getting the 15x70 instead and glad I did.

Kevin H.

2016-01-17T08:19:37

Works great with a tripod

John O.

2014-07-16T21:00:00

Great close up

EDDIE W.

2014-04-16T21:00:00

These binoculars are well made, the barrels seem the be aluminum with s rubber coating,the frame is also metal. The collimation was good on the set I received and the lenses seem to be clear and made from glass no visiable marks or bad spots in the lenses. The focus bridge between the eye pieces is also made from aluminum and not plastic like on some. The only dislike I have with these is the eye cups are useless, if you flip them down they are useable but they are too large and dont fit my face right, my nose seems to be in the way. The focus is good with just a little play. For a 25 power set they are clear and I have no problem useing them hand held for terresterial viewing.

John

2014-03-24T21:00:00

My primary use is astronomy, but also enjoy bird watching. The negative reviews about poor collimation, etc., are probably accurate for those PARTICULAR units and they should be returned. Hey folks, ANYBODY can have a bad production run and these poorly performing units are probably a result of a bad run. Mine work great and a fellow retired health care professional who has a similar pair also loves his. I use a tripod for stability and would strongly recommend this procedure. I am totally impressed with my pair.

Tom R.

2013-09-09T21:00:00

used it for nature and animal sight seeing, as well as stars and planets gazing. Very impressed with this product able to see what you looking for and it is a good starter interstellar binocular.

CLARENCE C.

2013-06-10T21:00:00

you sent my binocular without the tripod adapter I am disabled with limited use of my right hand. The only way for me to use the binocular was with the tripod that i own and the adapter you were to supply. Said right in the add tripod adapter included.

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