I see these are in the UK stores today, next week for the Irish ones. Anybody got them yet, and are they any good? I've had good results from their previous Bressler (re-badged Meade, iirc) 10x50 sets.
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Looks like a great deal on paper at any rate. I had a pair of the Bressers as well and they're really not very far off the pin-sharpness I get with my Zeiss Jenas 10x50. Just remember that at full zoom, the exit pupil diameter will be only 2mm, so they won't be any use for astronomy at the higher magnifications. Aside from that, looks good!
Well 10x is regarded as the max magnification for comfort any sort of prolonged use. 30x is going to be a real bitch to hold on target especially considering the field of view
They are astonishingly cheap for 60mm objectives. I'd say upto 15x was hand holdable territory - anything above that and it is quite hard to hold them steady without leaning on something or using a tripod.
Binoculars are one of those things where ultimately you really do get what you pay for and it is not for nothing that keen birders and amateur astronomers tend to have exclusively certain models/brands.
But beware there is an 80:20 rule here and you can pay an astronomical amount for a what is ultimately a small (but possibly important) improvement in overall image quality and weatherproofing.
Like cameras binoculars need to feel well balanced in *your* hands. It doesn't matter if they have a 5* technical review somewhere online if they are not comfortable for you to hold and use they are no good.
Cross post added to uk.sci.astronomy since it will alert them to the deal and there is a good chance that someone there can answer this.
If you can live with a bit of false colour at the edge of the field then they may be worthwhile as a stocking filler.
For general purpose use high quality 10x25 or 10x30 binoculars are a lot easier to always have with you when out walking.
You'll need to open the boxes and try a few - the two I fiddled with yester day wouldn't give sharp focus on signs at the other end of the store, SWMBO wouldn't let me stay any longer to attempt any others, if you find a good pair the price is excellent - although my pocket sized 10x25s are a lot mor e "handy" and managable
Bloody awful is my experience. I bought a couple for the grandkids last Christmas and a spare for me to carry in the car. I was attracted by the specs (60mm and BK-7)
They are all misaligned so impossible to get a clear image. On my list of TUITs is to take one apart and see if I can twiddle the mirrors to improve the collimation. They are also quite heavy.
Not a patch on my 10x50 Bressler (bought elsewhere) with which I can make out most of the moons of Jupiter.
Yes: I got a pair similar to this from the Blessed Aldi a couple or so years ago: I find them almost impossible to focus properly [1] and completely impossible to "hold on target" [usually a bird, a long way away] as fred puts it. A disappointment, and one of those minority of Aldi purchases which was a waste of money.
Also: there's no fixture on mine for screwing toa tripod: something I'd have thought was essential for these.
Cheers John
[1] I'm shortsighted and always remove my glasses when using binocs: maybe I'm doing it wrong, but it feels better that way, and to adjust the binocs for my crap eyesight.
Close range adjustment from (m): 17
... not much use for observing insects and small birds etc at close/medium range.
Magnification: 10-30x ... unusable hand-held at any magnification above 10x.
Are you sure, you can usually unscrew the front of the pivot and attach a bino to tripod bracket. e.g
Thank you!! I'll have a look (when I can find 'em!)
John
I had an older version of these and found the resolving performance at max zoom was no better than at mid zoom. Cheapo binoculars have a variety of defects to look out for:
Different image magnifications in L and R sides Relative image rotation between L and R Focussing shifts around differently in L and R when zooming Colour fringing gets pretty bad at high zoom
Not saying these one are like this, just something to watch out for. You tend to get what you pay for.
rusty
Hellfire; I didn't know about that, and it turns out my Bressers have a pop-off cap concealing a tripod screw. Thanks for that info.
I also have several bits of bent ally bracket for adapting cameras/flashes/tripods, and one of them will fit.
I've decided to give the zooms a miss, as for my purposes the 10x50s I have will do and I really cba with returns and faffing around if I pick up a dud set.
I had a look at a pair in Lidl last weekend and they are certainly not at all bad for the price. At least the pair I sampled were sort of OK.
Some false colour towards the edge of field and any magnification above
15x was essentially empty (ie bigger and blurrier with no more detail). But there were no obvious headache inducing mismatches of magnification or image alignment on them. So not a bad buy for a first pair.I can well believe that some are more equal than others - there can be any margin for QC checking at that price point!
There was a little zoom spotting scope refractor there too - also not too shabby and suitable as a child's first telescope.
I bought a pair of these from Lidl and find them much better than the £45 pair I bought from Argos last year.
I should have added that they were rubberised and as such can probably tolerate the rough and tumble of routinely being kept in the car boot.
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