Celestron – Skymaster 25X100 Astro Binoculars Astronomy With Deluxe Carrying Case Powerful Ultra Sharp Focus

I'd argue that this pair of binoculars is one of the best for beginner stargazing (and even viewing some bright DSOs); the views are breathtaking, the build quality is impeccable, and the overall experience in using these binoculars was positive. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get a pair with no noticeable collimation errors or any chromatic/comatic aberration, although with any pair of binoculars, especially heavy ones like the 25x100s, one may find glaring errors pretty often, and might be forced to get a replacement. Living in a bright suburban area (Bortle 6), the Andromeda & Triangulum galaxies could be made out as faint smudges, the Pleiades, Hyades, and Praesepe clusters simply explode into view with hundreds of stars being resolved, the core of the Orion Nebula could be made out (unfortunately more fainter details couldn't be made out hand-holding the binoculars), and Jupiter's moons are easily resolved. It is therefore important to mention the necessity of using a tripod. Hand holding this 4kg beast is almost impossible, and while the views might still be great, the full potential of the binoculars could only be harnessed through the use of a heavy-duty tripod (I'd recommend the Orion Paragon Plus XHD Tripod. Celestron's Heavy-Duty Altazimuth Tripod is too short to be used comfortably for conventional binocular use, and ESPECIALLY when looking towards the zenith). The integrated tripod adapter is particularly useful here, and feels much more sturdy than binoculars that use separate screw-on tripod adapters that may often suffer from defects. It definitely feels very strong and heavy-duty. Aside from astronomical viewing, this pair of binoculars particularly excels in terrestrial viewing. Watching the new year fireworks through this bad boy was a sight to behold. If focused correctly (which might be tedious due to the binoculars using an individual focusing mechanism, rather than centre focusing), individual firework particles could be made out from others among thousands. The resolution is noticeably better than other binoculars with smaller apertures (having tried a pair of 15x70s prior to purchasing this), and also performs well in high-distance bird watching (of course, using a tripod). The protective case is a different story. The padding inside is quite difficult to handle, and I find myself leaving the binoculars outside of their case, as it's too much of a hassle to get the binoculars in and out of the padded case. The lens covers (especially on the objectives) easily come off when pulling the binoculars out of the case, which could be a minor nuisance. All in all, this is an amazing choice for anyone who wants to get into astronomy, as they can appreciate the amazing sights of space as well as develop skills such as star-hopping and picking out fainter details. Always purchase a heavy-duty tripod with these if you want the best performance from these. Clear Skies.

Need to be used with a tripod, it's super heavy and powerful. Everything is visible from our penthouse! For hand usage recommend Nikon 25x50. Suitable for travel.

First of all you need a strong tripod (more than 6 kilos) since it is too heavy, now, we go to the functions: you can see the moon very clearly and some constellations, and distinguish planets, in addition I could see the moons of Jupiter, I recommend them

The strongest binoculars I ever tried.. Main problem is weight, impossible to hold by hands for more than 20-30 seconds.. also will require strong original tripods as they're heavy to be stable on normal ones..

Not as expected

Un peu lourd à mettre en station.Qualité irréprochable! Bien pour un positionnement statique.

Muito bom

Estos binoculares los compré para mi tio después de mucho leer reviews y comparativas. Son realmente grandes y pesados, olvídate de observar con ellos a pulso, a no ser que seas La Cosa o el Increible Hulk (cualquier otro superhéroe necesitaría trípode). En nuestro caso, mi tio se construyó un cómodo trípode basculante para observar desde cualquier posición y disfrutar de los binoculares y del cielo nocturno. Aquí tenéis una foto de como quedó (viva España y la cerveza xD): [...] Observar el cielo con unos prismáticos te da otra dimensión, mucho más espectacular de la que obtienes observando con un sólo ojo a través de un telescopio (y tengo un 200/1000 que no es cojo). Ideal para constelaciones, cúmulos, nebulosas... Para planetaria se queda corto como es de esperar, pero no es este su cometido. La calidad óptica es buena, tiene sus pequeños defectos, pero ¿habéis visto los precios de estos cacharros en la gama alta? Yo, desgraciadamente no tengo 10.000€ para gastarme en unos cristales mejor; y en alguna quedada he tenido oportunidad de probarlos y por la diferencia de precio, merece la pena si te sobra la pasta, si no, con estos estarás más que satisfecho. Viene con una funda tipo bolso para transportar. Algo menos de 270 euros en abril de 2012. Buen precio y con el servicio de Amazon.

Wont say much just few words...GO FOR IT..(ASTRO.... TERISTRIAL) bino king. Just make sure its colimated

BACKGROUND: I am an amateur astronomer and Vice President of the local Astronomy club. I own several pairs of large binoculars and have looked through many more. My needs were beautiful images of deep sky objects at a price I could justify. The Celestron 25x100 Skymaster Binoculars meet those needs. GENERAL COMMENTS: The binoculars arrived July 2004 and had a collimation error of about 1 degree (very bad collimation). Celestron support was contacted at the request of Amazon support and confirmed what I already knew, factory repair was required. I lacked the skills and equipment to collimate and refill with nitrogen. Amazon promptly picked up the broken pair and delivered a new pair in just a few days. What a difference a few days made. The new pair was packaged inside a secondary box and arrived in pristine condition. Daytime collimation was excellent. We tested the binoculars after astronomy club on a distant lighted sign and found them to be essentially flat to the edge of the field of view with a minor vignetting at the edge. Everyone was impressed and several members wanted a pair. During the club meeting I suggested that everyone who wanted a $500 pair of binoculars for $250 needed to go to Amazon and purchase one before the price went up. I sky tested the binoculars a few nights later and they performed very well. I had only about 20 minutes till the clouds took over. Due to the high humidity and generally poor observing conditions we were unable to use the binoculars for an extended time and get a really good test. A tripod is pretty much required for astronomical observing although you can lay on your back and observe the zenith. You have to hold your breath and squeeze up tight to get a steady image. I was able to hand hold the binoculars during daylight and look at distant trees, etc. It was very difficult to hold the binoculars with one hind while adjusting the focus with the other. Leaning the binoculars on a steady object such as a fence would probably work. Note that not just any tripod will work (read below), so if you used these in the field you will be packing a lot of weight. I recommend that they be used pretty close to home or car. CONCLUSION: But, based on what I have already seen, this is the best buy for the money I have made for astronomical equipment. CAVEATS I highly recommend purchasing these if: 1. you can handle the weight (these puppies are heavy) 2. you want to see bright images of distant objects 3. you can deal with lack of center focus (not good for moving objects) 4. you are very careful not to jar them out of collimation (big binoculars are easily knocked out of collimation 5. you want excellence, and also a bargain (better binoculars are available for an order of magnitude more money. 6. you have a sturdy tripod (I have a Bogen which cost over $100 25 years ago and it seems barely adequate). IRRITANTS: 1. First pair arrived in only the product box and I suspect that may have contributed to the collimation problem. You should be ready to send a pair back if they do not deliver a good image. 2. the "built in" 1/4-20 threaded adapter which attaches to the tripod head is undersized and has movement. There is a single screw which was not tight on both pairs which when tightened would slow the play of the center shaft. There is a plastic sleeve between the adapter and the shaft which had play and this could not be removed (again, same problem with both pairs). When the know was tightened to the max the binoculars were still not very snug. The result is that if there is any unbalance in the weight on the tripod then the adapter is unable to hold the weight of the binoculars and the binoculars will swing to a more balanced position. I believe that the solution to this problem is to build one of the "binocular holders" seen in "Sky & Telescope" or "Astronomy" magazines which will hold the binoculars steady while providing a counter balance. Otherwise, you will have to be extra careful. Also, the tightening know should be larger for people like me who do not have the strength of superman. 3. there is an old adage that the mount is half the price of the telescope. A mount which fully supports the binocular tubes at both ends would perform better than the inadequate mount provided. For those mechanically inclined, the solution is straight forward and inexpensive. It could take 10-15 hours of time (at least for me).