Hawke Frontier HDX 10×42 binoculars. Blog post October 2019

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Reviewer

The Hawke Frontier HDX 10×42 binoculars were the clear winner when a customer came to Northern Optics at one of our Optics Weekends at Barton Upon Humber. After finding 8x was not enough for distant wildlife targets, and a spotting scope not compact enough, the Hawke Frontier HDX 10×42 binoculars were a great compromise, and had no hesitation in purchasing.

Compared to two other 10×42 binoculars, the customer was impressed not only with the brighter and sharper view, (despite one of the others tested having ED glass), but also by the handling, quality case and lifetime warranty. The buyer also made the comment that many of our customers make, regarding the fact you really need to try before you buy. Our shop window overlooking a nature reserve lake makes it the perfect spot for testing optics.

The HDX range are pretty much the same as the Frontier EDX binoculars, but without ED glass. Weight, FOV and prisms etc are equal.

 

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Hibaldstow astronomy society. Meeting 30th October 2019

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Reviewer

Starting 7.15 on the 30th Oct 2019 at the Medodist Hall, East street Hibaldstow,  David Castledine of the Lincoln astronomical society will be giving a talk called meteor observing with a USB TV stick.

Entry for the Hibaldstow astronomy society meetings is £2 for members and £3 for guests. Weather permitting some observing will take place using the society telescopes

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Helios Mistral WP3 8×42 binoculars. Blog post October 2019

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Reviewer

The Helios Mistral WP3 8×42 were the binoculars of choice when a customer visited the Northern Optics, Optics weekend at Barton Upon Humber. With a budget of under £100 they needed a set for bird watching and every day use. After trying a few sets, it was the multi-coated optics and BaK-4 prisms that gave them the edge over the BK7 prism options at a slightly lower price. In the customers opinion they gave the sharper image. He was also impressed with the build quality and handling with such a low priced binocular.

From our point of view, the Mistral WP3 8×42 and 10×42 have stood the test of time, and are on par or better than many modern binoculars in the same price range. To help keep costs down, the case is standard nylon. But the strap is an impressive padded version.

For low light conditions, we recommend the 8×42, with the 10x option getting the edge on longer distance observations. There is some chromatic aberration and a soft cast to the view. But remember at the time of this blog post was £79.99

To see a short video on the similar Helios Mistral WP3 10×42 binoculars, see HERE or you can purchase from Northern Optics

 

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Helios Lightwing HR 8×32 binoculars. Blog post October 2019

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Reviewer

In what was one the the fastest decisions I have ever seen, a customer who came to the Optics weekend at Northern Optics , Barton Upon Humber looking for a set of good quality binoculars , without spending a large amount.

Keeping to budget, I let the customer look through a set of Helios Lightwing HR 8×32 binoculars. Before we could get a second ste out, he said “I,ll av em”. Guess that says it all, and gives an idea of how good they are. He could not believe how bright an image you could get from just 32mm objectives.

These are one of those binoculars that prove ED glass is not the only important factor to look out for with binoculars. High quality prisms and their coatings can out peform many similar priced ED versions with standard silver coated prisms. The only way you can see this for yourself is to try different binoculars out.

The Helios Lightwing HR come with a nice soft case, padded strap, lens covers and a 5 year warranty.

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Ostara Elinor 7×50 binoculars review

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Reviewer

7×50 binoculars are a great choice for low light observations, such as dusk and dawn objects , plus ideal for astronomy. The low magnification makes them easy to hand hold, despite weighing 950g. In this short video, I take a closer look at them.

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Helios Lightwing HR 8×32 binoculars review

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Reviewer

The Helios Lightwing HR 8×32 binoculars are a prime example of why in many cases, high quality dielectric prisms will out perform ED binoculars in the same price range with silver coated prisms. Although there is a little red and blue chromatic aberration, this is only visible in high contrast subjects. Brightness and contrast are as goos as they get in this price range.

Handling is very easy, with a compact body and smooth controls. Complete with soft case, padded neck strap and lens covers.

Available to purchase from Northern Optics

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Hawke Nature Trek 8×42 binoculars . Blog post September 2019

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Reviewer

A customer came to the Northern Optics public optics weekend at the Waters` edge visitor centre Barton looking for a set of lightweight binoculars for bird watching. 8x magnification was another major factor due to the wider field of view.

After some thought, the two options were the Hawke Nature-Trek 8×32 and 8×42 binoculars. At first, the lightweight 8×32 got the nod ahead of the 42mm option due to the weight. But after a few more minutes , they decided that despite being a little heavier, the Hawke Nature trek 8×42 gave the brighter and wider view. These two reasons were why they opted for the 8×42. Compared to the more expensive Endurance, the nature trek range come with a standard soft case as opposed to the Endurance hard case. But the life time warranty remains equal across the Hawke range.

All nature trek binoculars are very user friendly, and available to purchase from Northern Optics

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North Lincs astro meeting 2nd September 2019

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Reviewer

The North Lincolnshire astronomy society was treated to an excellent talk by Chris Roche on Galaxy classification for the September 2019 meeting at the Far Ings visitor centre at Barton. The talk on Galaxy classification came over very clear, with some practical demonstrations and stunning images . We all left, having a much better knowledge on the composition and classification of these beautiful objects.

It was good to see more new faces at the society, and seem to have settled in very well. Thank you as always to Glenys and Malcolm for the Teas, and the Lincolnshire wildlife trust for the use of the venue.

After the talk, we had a chance to discus ideas for future meetings.

For more information on the society , visit the North Lincs astro society website

Image ESA/Hubble

 

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Hawke Endurance ED 20-60×85 spotting scope. Blog post August 2019

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Reviewer

A customer with a Hawke binoculars brochure in hand came to the Northern Optics Optics weekend at the Waters` edge visitor centre, Barton Upon Humber looking for a good quality spotting scope.

He had two in mind. The hawke Endurance 85mm or Nature Trek 80mm. Without even checking the 20-60×80 Nature-Trek, the customer was so impressed with the Endurance ED 20-60x85mm spotting scope, it was a quick decision. The quality of the image was the main reason for the purchase, but was also happy with the build quality, handling and strong stay-on-case.

With the spotting scope sorted, my customers first requirement was a monpod for use on travels. But when he tried the Fotomate VT-6006 tripod , that gave stability with a lightweight frame, it made the perfect choice to team up with the spotting scope. The Fotomate VT-6006 has a payload capacity of 6kg, yet only weighs 2.45kg. This tripod comes with a very good carry case. All in all this is a perfect low cost, great quality tripod for visual and photographic use

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Beta Delphinus double star challenge

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Reviewer

Had a most enjoyable evening looking at double stars in Delphinus. After the delightful and easy double star gamma Del, there are some lesser known double stars in this small constellation that are very rewarding. On this occasion Beta Delphinus , which threw up a couple of nice surprises.

A little history first. According to the Bedford catalogue 1834 this is a most delicate (triple) star of mags 4, 12 and 15. But neither Sir William or Struve saw this as a triple. So as with many early observations, with lesser instruments to that of today, there were many conflicting observation reports,  positioning , separations and magnitudes. But nevertheless a very interesting book.

So on to modern times. We now know this to be a double star of mags 4 and 11, with a separation of 42 arc seconds. So using the 12″ Dobsonian with the Vixen NLW 22mm eyepiece (68x) I centred the object. Despite the wide range of brightness, the wide gap made this an easy double star to split, due to the dimmer star being out the range of the primary. Maybe not a WOW factor double, but very rewarding to see.

But the main and most unexpected reward was the wider view. I could also see the slightly fainter Zeta Delphinus in the same FOV. But my eyes were drawn to a lovely triangle of 8th mag stars in the centre of view, which seemed to have a blue / green tint to them. Looking further into this, I found the top two in the triangle (upside down view through the scope) were in fact another double. The stars are HIP 10700a and HIP 10698b with near equal mags of 8.30 and 8.25. This is a nice wide gap and easy for any telescope. The 3rd star in the small group was HIP 101694, mag 8.65.  So after trying for one double star, I got another one free of charge in the same view. There were also a number of other stars around 10-11th mag to the North of the field, which nearly looked like a mini Delphinus 

Go out and try this lovely grouping of stars for yourself on a clear night. A good scope of 3″ or larger will be needed to see the fainter companion of Beta Delphinus

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