North Lincs Astro 14/10/2011

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Reviewer

The North Lincolnshire Astronomy society met up for an informal meeting at the Far ings nature reserve at Barton Upon on the 14th October 2011. At short notice only a few members arrived, but we had a great evening.

Equipment used was a pair of 20×90 Helios Quantum-4 and Visionary wetland binoculars. Scopes used were Skywatcher 6″ Dob and Skywatcher 6″ Newtion on an EQ-3. Various eye pieces were used, from standard skywatchers to a Vixen LVW 22mm and a good choice of superb Televue,s.

Bright targets were the Moon and Jupiter. The Moon was quite dazzling. We had some very steady skies, so the detail on Jupiter was outstanding.

Double stars seen were Cor Caroli, Mizar/Alcor and Alberio.

Deep space targets viewed were, M81, M82, M15, M27, M13, the Wild Duck cluster, the famous double cluster. and the Andromeda Galaxy. All of these were visible, despite the Moon glow and light pollution.

 

North Lincs Astro Website

 

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Digiscoping camera adapter.Price reductions

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Reviewer

Price reduction. Large digiscoping adapter. Was £39.99, now £29.99. This great value adapter fits over eye pieces with an outer width of 43-65mm. Perfect for many telescope eye pieces, including 2″ barrel size and many spotting scopes, such as Celestron Ultimas, Hawke Nature Trek, Hawke Endurance and Acuters.

Designed for use with compact digital cameras only. Not suitable for Bridge or SLR/DSLR cameras.

More details on the link below

Buy the Large camera adapter online here

 

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Where can I try Binoculars in Lincolnshire

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Reviewer

Like to try before you buy ?. If you live in North Lincolnshire or nearby in Surrounding counties you can come along to the Waters Edge Visitors centre at Barton Upon Humber each Sunday.

Here you will find a knowlegable local seller of binoculars that will help you chose which are suitable for you at the right price.

From complete beginner to advanced bird watchers, there’s something for everyone.

With views from the shop window , overlooking a nature reserve this has to be the perfect place to try before you buy

 

Click here to see whats in stock and for more information

 

 

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Hawke Premier 8×42 Binoculars Review

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Reviewer

 

The Hawke Premier 8×42 binoculars at first glance to not give any evidence why they have the incredibly low price of £64.95. They feel lightweight yet solid. Nothing feels lose. They look stylish, with twist eye cups and a slick roof prism design.

Optics are excellent for the price. In the centre of view there is a mere hint of false colour. Brightness, colours and contrast are very good for the money. But remember these are budget binoculars, so the sweet spot is very heavily centre weighted. There is a fall off in quality away from centre, with more CA, and bowing of straight lines, but by no means enough to put you off. These remain superb value for money.

The twist eye cups are not silky smooth like the more expensive Hawkes, but do the job. I found I got a full field of view with spectacles on.

Handling in excellent. A combination of weighing just 650 and a tough rubber body covering helps.

At around 3m close focus and a narrower field of view than many other Hawkes, you are losing out a little. But remember the price of just £64.95

You still get nitrogen waterproofing for your money. So no corner cutting there.

Summing up. These will not match the Nature Trek, Endurance and Frontier Hawke binoculars, but for £64.95 you will be hard pushed to get a better set for the money

Very highly recommended

Now discontinued

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North Lincolnshire Astronomy Society. Members equipment

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Reviewer

The North Lincs astro web site now has a page dedicated to members equipment.

This page shows some of the telescopes that may be on display and available to look through at each of the meetings.

This gives you a chance to try different scopes to help you decide which scope is for you.

Northern Optics will be in attendance at each meeting to help give advice

 

Click here to see the members telescopes page

North Lincs Astro main page

 

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How to set a Binocular Dioptre Adjustment (right eye setting)

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Reviewer

Setting a binocular dioptre (right eye setting) is very easy to do, and takes less than 10 seconds with practice.

So why do binoculars have a right eye dioptre wheel ?. Not every ones eyes are exactly the same. So one lens on the binoculars needs to be adjusted to compensate.

Firstly either close your right eye, or place the objective lens cover on the right side. Focus as normal on a mid distance objective around 30-50 metres away. Then repeat with the other eye by closing your left eye or covering the left hand side objective lens. But this time , instead of focusing as normal, use the right eye adjustment wheel. You will see this near the right side eyepiece.

Be sure when you are focusing with both methods above, you are focusing on the same object each time. Once you have done this, the binoculars should be set for you.

Note that some zoom binoculars will have the dioptre adjustment on the left hand side.

Once set, you should see small increments next to the dioptre wheel. This is so you can remember your mark, in case some else borrows the binoculars and moves it from your setting.

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North Lincs Astronomy Society 3/10/2011

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Reviewer

Had an good evening at the North Lincs Astro club on 3rd Oct 2011. The weather kept us inside for most of the evening. High winds rather than clouds was the problem.

Around 13 turned up, and we had a good chat about the latest astro news. The Northern Optics stall of astro bits got some interest. A couple of people got some bargains, including a traded in pair of Ostara Elinors and an A-grade Celestron Ultima 80 spotter.

Observing tricks and techniques were exchanged bewteen seasoned astronomers and complete novices, who are always welcome.

Raffle prizes were an astro book donated by the club, and a Baader cleaning fluid/cloth provided by Northern Optics

 

North Lincs Astro website

 

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Hawke Optics Premier 10×42 Binoculars Review

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Reviewer

 

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Hawke Optics Premier 42mm binoculars. Nitrogen waterproof , roof prism 10×42 binoculars for just £69.95 ?..Surely they would be poor quality ?..Believe me, you will be knocked back with how good they are for the money.

OK, these are not going to compete with the £100+ binoculars, but by no means are far behind. Optics are quoted as fully coated. T0 me, they seemed as good as many multi-coated optics. So don’t let that stat put you off.

First thing out the box, you will notice how light they are. Only 650g. They feel very well put together and solid. The Premiers do not feel cheap. Twist cups have very small increments when you twist them out, and could hold their position half way with ease.

So what about the view you get. Quoted as just 84m @ 1000m you may think the field of view will appear narrow and user unfriendly. I found much to my relief this does not seem apparent. It seems wider than the specs quote.

One minor set back is the close focus. I found it around 3.5m on testing. Hopefully the 8×42 version will show closer focus.

There is no internal reflection evident. This helps keeps the colours clear and contrast high. Chromatic aberration is evident, but much less than I was fearing. In fact there is less false colour than many binoculars costing more than twice the price.

Handling is superb. The rubber covering gives you confidence. The focus wheel is large , and silky smooth with no tight or loose points throughout the range.

Supplied with a standard soft case and strap. Warranty is 10 years

Priced at just £69.95 at launch, the Hawke Optics Premier 10×42 is sure to be a winner.

Very highly recommended.

**Update on the link below. It now takes you to the Vantage model which has preceded the discontinued Premier range

Buy the Hawke Premier 10×42 binoculars online here

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Observing Techniques . Cooling down time

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Reviewer

If starting out in astronomy , you may have heard of cooling down times . So what does this mean, and what are the benefits.

When you first take a telescope outside in to the cool night time air, the scope will remain warm for a while. The warm air off the scope will rise , and cause turbulent air currents. As a result it seem as if you are looking through rippling water. This can make the image very unsteady, and will increase with higher power magnifications.

A way to help reduce this is to let your scope cool down (cooling down time). By having your telescope the same temperature as outside, there will be less warm air rising, and so help reduce the turbulence and make the image more steady.

Cooling down times can vary from one scope to another. For example an enclosed SCT telescope will take longer to cool down when compared to a similar sized open tube reflector for example.

To help combat this issue many scopes come with, or can be fitted with cooling fans. 

You will find that once your scope is cooled down, the cold winter evenings will give you the better views compared to the warm Summer evenings

The cooling down technique is not just for astronomical telescopes. Exactly the same applies to binoculars and spotting scopes.

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Opticron Discovery WP PC 10×50 Binoculars Review

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Reviewer

Straight out the box, the Opticron Discovery WP PC 10×50 binoculars look impressive. The Discovery series are one of the most stylish binoculars available.  Similar to the 42mm models, but come with drop down 50mm lens covers. I prefer this to the detachable covers that easily fall off the 8×42 and 10×42.

The 50mm lenses give as you expect a very bright image. Colours of leaves and flowers was impressive to say the least. Well up with many 42-3mm ED binoculars. A very flat field gives excellent edge of field sharpness. A little bowing of straight lines on the edge, and noticeable chromatic aberration (even in the centre of view) are minor flaws that will not distract you from how exceptional the image is.

Very wide eyepieces and long eye relief make for very comfortable viewing. In fact the eye relief is so long that I found my self getting the full view with glasses on, even without holding the glasses tight up to the eye pieces.

Despite the weight, I found them easy to hold for long periods. Handling is very good , with a smooth and large focus wheel. There was however a lot of turning needed to change from close focus to infinity. With them being 10x, you will find that almost constant focusing is needed to keep moving object sharp.

Although not as good as the Discovery 8×42 and 8×32 for close up work, I found seeing detail in plants just 2 metres away outstanding. They are the best 10×50 binoculars for close focus work I have ever used.

At just £179 (2011 price) these represent superb value for money. Very highly recommended. 

 

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