Monthly Archives: September 2011

Viewing Jupiter through Helios Quantum-4 20×90 Binoculars

25/9/2011.  Got a chance to view Jupiter with my Helios Quantum-4 20×90 binoculars. Considering the Planet was low down and covered by hazy clouds, I got superb views of the Galilean satellites. The disc was a clear circle, with just … Continue reading

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Barr and Stroud Sierra 8×42 Binoculars Review

After testing Barr and Stroud Sierra 8×32 and 10×50 binoculars, I was looking forwards to trying out the mid sized 8×42. First thing that was brought to my attention was the twist eye cups. The eye relief is long, but I … Continue reading

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Celestron Piggy Back Mount for Nexstar 5SE, 6SE, 8SE telescopes

The Celestron piggy back mount is the ultimate accessory for wide field astro photography. This mount allows you to attach your camera, with its lens, to the top of the telescope. Its unique design also allows you to fit your NexStar … Continue reading

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New product. Visionary Fieldtracker Emerald ED Binoculars

  Released in 2011, the Visonary Fieldtracker Emerald ED binoculars are at the high end of the range, yet within the budget of many. Features ED glass, BaK-4 phase corrected prisms, fully multi coated optics and nitrogen waterproof. Housed in a … Continue reading

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New Visionary Wetland 32mm Binoculars

New for 2011. Visionary have added 8×32, 10×32 and 12×32 binoculars to the Wetland range. As with others in the range, you get nitrogen waterproofing, BaK-4 prisms, multi coated optics and twist eye cups. The 8x and 10x will make great … Continue reading

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How to check binocular optics. The Lamp Post test

Whenever I field test binoculars, I do the lamppost check.  Believe it or not, such a simple thing like a lamp post can reveal a lot about the optical quality of binoculars. First test is to centre the lamp post … Continue reading

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North Lincolnshire Astronomy Society

New for 2011, the North Lincs Astro group meets at the Far Ings nature reserve at Barton Upon Humber on the first Monday of every month from 7pm till late. This is a friendly group that will make any new … Continue reading

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Celestron Ultima spotting scope Vs Hawke Optics Nature Trek spotting scope

For this comparison I used the Celestron Ultima 80/45 and a Hawke Optics Nature Trek 80/45. Both were non ED models. First of all lets start with the optics. They both use the same 80mm objective and 20-60x eyepiece. So … Continue reading

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Celestron Eyepiece and Filter set . 1.25″ Updated version

The Celestron 1.25″ eyepiece and filter set has been upgraded in 2011 with an improved choice of eyepieces and a new colourful display box. The old box was plain white. Yet the RRP has been reduced by £40 ! See the … Continue reading

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Celestron Skymaster 15×70 Vs Visionary HD 15×70 binoculars

In Optical quality the  Visionary HD 15×70 binoculars have the edge over the Skymasters. Build quality is also better on the HDs So where else are the differences. Well for starters the Visionary is twice the price, but does have a … Continue reading

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