!THIS IS A LEGACY ARTICLE! CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT BEST BUYS!
ScopeViews’ Best Buys
Here
are our current best buys, sifted from many recent reviews, some ongoing.
Things have changed quite a bit this year as new models have come along and
some old favourites (like Nikon’s 12x50 SE binoculars) have gone out of
production.
Best Buy High-Power Astronomy Binoculars
Zeiss
Conquest 15x56 HD
These
big Zeiss binoculars are not the very best in their class – that accolade would
go to Swarovski’s 15x56 SLC HD. But the Conquest HDs are almost as good whilst
substantially cheaper. Zeiss throw in a quality tripod adapter as well. Amongst
the big-eye, high power bino’s we’ve seen, these hit
the sweet spot for performance and
value.
They
give a very wide, sharp and detailed view and are of very high optical quality.
A bit too much field-edge false colour lets them down during the day, but at
night you won’t notice it. They have a wider (apparent) and flatter field than
their 10x56 sibling.
So
if you want a big-aperture, high-power hand-held binocular for hunting down
DSOs, these are the best value out there, especially since they’re made in
Germany and have the promise of long-term Zeiss support.
Best
Buy General Purpose Astronomy Binoculars
Swarovski 10x50 EL
Given
that 10x50 is perhaps the ideal format for a general purpose astronomy
binocular, it’s a shame there are so few premium examples to choose from.
Neither Zeiss nor Nikon make a premium 10x50 at the time of writing. That’s not
a problem though, because Swarovski make a 10x50 version of their Swarovision EL line and if you are prepared to spend the
cash it is a superb do-everything binocular.
The
EL 10x50 shares its basic qualities with other members of the EL range. It
gives a wonderfully wide, flat, bright and aberration-free view. It’s not a big
or heavy binocular for a 10x50 either. So if you choose to buy it you get the
best of both worlds – a view like the best birding binoculars, but the
night-sky reach of something larger. The only price you’ll pay (literally –
they are much the same cost as the 10x42 EL) is a couple of hundred grams extra
weight.
The
10x50 EL is anything but cheap, but we can justify its best buy status because
it does everything so well it you could save you money by being your only
binoculars.
If you want to treat yourself to just
one pair of fine binoculars for birding and astronomy, make it a pair of Swarovski
10x50 ELs.
Best
Buy Travel Binoculars
Zeiss Victory 8x32 FL
If
you want a pair of ‘proper’ binoculars for that special trip (or maybe lots of
special trips) it’s going to have to be small and light or you’ll end up
tossing it out of the case to make room for more underwear.
So
which is the smallest and lightest proper binocular that gives a really great
view? The answer, in our view, is easy – the Zeiss 8x32 FL.
The
Victory 8x32 is an old model now. It’s the last of the Victory FL range still
on sale and there’s a reason: it’s still an unbeatable package. The 8x32 FL is
tiny but it gives a wide, bright, sharp view, has an excellent focuser and is
very rugged.
You’ll
appreciate the composite body of the tiny FLs because it’ll keep your hands
warmer on the deck of that ice-breaker you’re taking beyond Svalbard. And its
super-bright optics will let you find the Magellanic
Clouds and Eta-Carinae on that big trip down under.
Competition? Not really. Yes, the Swarovski EL 8x32
gives just as good a view, but it’s significantly larger; heavier too. The
Leica Ultravid 8x32 HD is just as compact and
slightly lighter, but it has too little eye relief and a lower level of optical
performance. The Swarovski 8x30 Companion is even lighter, but the view just
can’t cut it –narrower and dimmer and not HD. The Kowa 8x33’s focuser was too
stiff and it’s view not as sparkling.
The
only downside is that the deals you could once get on the 8x32 FLs seem to have
all dried up. Perhaps everyone has cottoned on to the fact it’s in a class of
its own.
Best
Buy Travel ‘Scope for Eclipses
Takahashi FS-60Q
Lunar
eclipse through Takahashi FS-60Q.
The
FS-60Q is a tiny portable quadruplet refractor. It consists of the FS-60CB (an
F6 fluorite doublet) with a special doublet 1.7x extender called the ‘Q Module’
threaded into the OTA. It sounds weird, but the result is superb small apochromat with a very well corrected and flat field
covering a 44mm image circle. The extender also removes most residual
aberrations, so the FS-60Q works at very high magnifications and image scales
for its size.
All
that makes the FS-60Q a super-sharp 600mm telephoto lens for fantastic photos
of the Moon that belie its small size; it works brilliantly as a visual
instrument too. It packs up into a tiny carry-on bag and will fit on the
smallest mount. So it’s ideal for travelling to eclipses – both Solar and
Lunar.
Questar
The
reason this category has two best buys is that the FS-60Q is just a telescope,
whilst Questar is a complete package in a way nothing
else is: a tiny carry on case that contains ‘scope, finder, mount, drive, star
and Moon maps, eyepiece, barlow lens and a
white-light solar filter. No it’s not cheap, but nothing else comes close to
its functionality as a travel scope. That case contains everything you need
(except maybe for a camera adapter).
Optically,
Questar is a long-focus Maksutov,
so it’s not nearly as flexible as the FS-60Q for imaging, though perfect for
eclipses.
Best Buy 3” Refractor
Takahashi
FC-76
The FC-76 replaced Takahashi’s superb-but-big FS-78.
The FC-76 comes in two versions. The FC-76DS weighs about 3kg and has a sliding
dew-shield for maximum compactness. The FC-76DC has a fixed dew-shield and so
is longer, but only weighs a paltry 1.8 Kg.
But if you want the carry-on portability of the DS
with the light weight of the DC, you can have it – it’s called the FC-76
objective unit. The FC-76 objective unit is simply the front end of an FC-76DC.
It screws onto an existing FS-60C in place of the objective to create an
FC-76DC that splits in half.
In the split-tube form, the FC-76DC is one of the
lightest and most portable 3” refractors. But like the FS-78, the FC-76 is
super sharp and takes magnification much better than most F6 3” apo’s.
You don’t have an FS-60C? No problem. You can create
a complete split-tube FC-76 from the objective unit. Here’s how:
·
Buy the FC-76 objective unit – Takahashi part TFK07650
·
Buy the tube assembly to convert an FS-60C into an
FS-60CB – Takahashi part TSK06211
·
Buy a 2” Feathertouch
focuser – Starlight Instruments part FTF2025BCR
·
Buy the adapter for the focuser – Starlight
Instruments part A20-302
·
Just thread it all together!
(usual disclaimer – I take
no responsibility for this working out! Please check the part numbers with
Takahashi/Starlight Instruments before you order!)
Best
Buy 4” Refractor
Takahashi TSA-102
The
TSA-102 is one of the most perfect small telescopes. Its objective lens is of
the very best, ultra-sharp and with no false colour. Build quality is typical
Takahashi – simple but beautiful. One of the UK’s leading imagers who is also a
Tak’ dealer uses a TSA-102. You figure it out. It
isn’t even expensive.
You
can get a Feather-touch focuser version for little extra. In that version, the
focuser threads off to be replaced with an optional blanking plate, thus
reducing the 25” tube to about 22” for carry-on portability.
The
TSA-102 is equally perfect for deep-sky imaging or high-magnification views of
the Moon and planets. The only downside is that the triplet makes it a fair bit
heavier and bulkier than say an FC-100DS.
Best
Buy Budget Refractor
Sky-Watcher Evostar
100ED
This
is easy. The Sky-Watcher 100ED Pro has excellent optics with minimal CA and a
smooth dual-speed focuser. It is a proper 4” APO, so shows a lot more than
smaller APOs. Yet it’s available for a very modest price, much less than the
120ED. It’s light-weight too, so you can mount it on an EQ5. And you can get a
cheap reducer for imaging.