Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter

A Bad Apple!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
With all the good press about Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 Binoculars somebody’s got to get a bad set and that was me this time. I thought I had done my homework: Poro BAK4, Angular Field of View: 4.4°, Linear Field of View (@1000 yds): 230.41 ft (70.23 m), Exit Pupil: 4.7 mm (0.19 in), Eye Relief: 18 mm (0.71 in) and seemly great reviews. Therefore I will just deduct 2 stars rather than 4.

Mine were most definitely 1 star material though. The recent discounted price of $49.99 shipped made be decide to finally own a pair. Unfortunately for me, mine arrived with a severe collimation problem. My first light was a look at Jupiter, and no matter what I did I would see 2 Jupiters?? Took them out the next day and looked at the electric meter on a house down the street and 2 electric meters; my brain tried its best to compensate, but was just giving me severe eye strain. I got out my Fujinon 7×42 roof prism binoculars (which cost about 5x more) and everything looked perfect and super sharp in them. I then did the Google thing on binocular collimation

Mis-collimation is quite common. I found the Celestron 15×70 Skymaster is the same Chinese-manufactured binocular sold under the Bear, Barska, Galileo, and Oberwerk brands. If one searchs “binocular collimation” there are instructions all over the ‘net on how to adjust the binoculars yourself, but I find it unexceptable QC on Celestron’s part to deliver them this way. Also, the adjustment process entails removing some of the rubber molding and is very experimental hit or miss in many cases. Not something I was willing or desired to do.

I hope that isn’t why this batch was marked down. I encourage everyone to try theirs out, and make sure you have a good set. The Amazon return process would not let me exchange….simply a refund. Amazon makes returns very easy by the way with a paid UPS label printed right so the return is very easy.

Great Deal
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great Value, Bought from Amazon at a great price.These Binoculars are Awesome.

I viewed a water tank two miles away,that had faded writing on it that I never noticed when I drove by the tank. My only gripe would be that these are semi heavy (quality)and my hands shake lightly from the weight, which is a good thing.

I found that if I put my elbows on my chest, and put my wraists together, with my fingers pointing up, I can support these binoculars with minimal shaking.

I would recommend to a friend.

Simply Great binocs
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had these binoculars for about 1 year now and I still bring them basically anywhere I go. I started to get interested in Astronomy last summer and needed an optical instrument that would be easy to use and not very expensive. I went ahead and ordered SkyMaster and loved it from day 1. They are great for both Astronomy use and for day time observing. From looking at distant landscape, contrails of an overhead jet travelling at 35,000 feet or looking at Andromeda galaxy, these binocs bring everything much closer and much brighter than most people would expect. There is always a WOW factor when someone picks it up for the first time. All moving parts, including focuser are smooth and very well made. The only downside that I see is that these are relatively big and heavy binoculars. I would suggest buying a monopod, so your viewing sessions will be longer and more enjoyable. If you don’t have monopod or tripod, just find some kind of support for your arms or sit in the reclining chair. Overall, this is top level, highly recommended product.

Impressive
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I ordered this for a friend for Christmas and tested it out before wrapping it and it was amazing. Very easy to use and pretty light. My one suggestion would be to make sure to get a tripod. It comes with a tripod adapter and this is useful because it’s difficult to keep it steady. But definitely a great purchase.

affordable optics
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I wasn’t expecting too much from these optics because of the low price; but I was very pleasantly surprised that they were sharp, clear, and collimated! They are pretty large, but I found that I could hand-hold these binoculars steady enough to be useful. My wife and I looked at the winter moon the other night and we were both impressed with how much detail we could see. These optics are a great value for the price.

Celestron 15×70 binoculars
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
OK, but not as good as advertised. More blurred vision around the outer sides than expected.

Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 Binoculars w/Tripod Adapter
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
For this price, 1/10th of all others in this category, is great.

I purchased specifically for the Oregon coast and where I live on the high desert.

The night sky here is incredible, but spotting sky objects with these binoculars is incredible.

Used a similar pair in the Navy

You cannot go wrong with the price !!

Excellent binoculars, with features that enhance their value for astronomical viewing
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This posting begins with a discussion of some core information about binoculars for astronomical viewing that may help potential purchasers make a more informed purchase decision.

If you have other viewing objectives than astronomical objects, or are already familiar with binocular specifications, you may want to stop here or just read the latter part of this review before going on to other postings; otherwise, read-on.

There are two models often used in astronomy, roof prisms or Porro prisms binoculars. Roof prisms are more modern and have a straight through appearance, i.e., the binocular cylinders form straight tubes. Porro prism binoculars (named after Ignazio Porro) have a tell-tale right angle bend. These usually are manufactured with two prism on each side of the binoculars, i.e., double Porro prisms. Although considerably larger in size, because of their improved optical qualities Porro prism binoculars, such as the model reviewed here, are usually preferred over roof prism binoculars for astronomical viewing.

Another important aspect of binoculars is the size of their exit pupil. Pupils can open, dilate, to a maximum size of slightly over 7mm. However, as one gets older the size of this window into the eye reduces. Over the age of thirty most folks experience a reduction in their dark adapted pupil size of approximately 1mm every 20 years. Ideally a binoculars’ exit pupil should be somewhat smaller than the entry pupil of the observer’s eye. The size of a binoculars’ exit pupil is found by dividing aperture by magnification. For example, common 7 x 50 binoculars (7 power by 50mm) have an exit pupil of approximately 7.14mm. In practice, this exit pupil size is larger than many folks dark-adapted pupil size, particularly when some extraneous light is also present. In most viewing environments such as in or near a city such extraneous “light pollution” is almost always present. In addition, the periphery of the eye’s lens exhibits some inherent optical degradation. Thus, an exit pupil size around 5mm may be preferred, although some experiments suggests an exit pupil even less than 4mm may be most appropriate. These 15 x 70mm binoculars have an exit pupil of approximately 4.7mm.

Possibly the most important consideration when choosing binoculars is their light gathering ability. Binoculars are essentially “light buckets”. As noted the human eye at its widest has about a 7mm entry window. A 70mm objective lenses, as here, has over 50 times the light gathering area of the human eye. Another factor affecting the light transmitted through binoculars are the materials used in their lenses and prisms, and their lens coatings. The least expensive binoculars have uncoated lenses or single coated lenses, or may even use plastic lenses. Multi-coated binocular lenses, and BaK-4 barium crown glass prisms, as in these Celestrons, are typically more expensive but improve light transmission resulting in sharper and brighter images.

The best eye relief, i.e., the eyes’ distance behind the exit pupil to see the full exit image is probably between 15mm and 20mm. These binoculars provide 18mm and additionally come with rubber eye-cups. Thus, I’ve been able to use these both with and without glasses. I use lightly tinted sunglasses when viewing the moon to see more detail. In that case I leave the eyecups down. When viewing without glasses I leave the eye-cups up.

In use, I’ve found these binoculars’ images sharp and with adequate contrast to enjoy star clusters such as the Hyades and Pleiades, along with the moon and planetary observations. Its primary negatives are its size and weight. This pair is large, although slightly smaller at 11 x 9 inches than the 12 x 10 inches described in the listing.

Owing both to their size and weight, as well as their relatively high magnification they are not comfortable to use hand-held for any but the shortest period of time. For many the best binoculars are ones that can be strung over the neck and easily hand-held. These are not definitely such a pair. Because of their magnification, the slightest shake moves the astronomical object out of the field of view. Fortunately, they come with a tripod adapter. However, for many the need to use a tripod runs counter to the desire to have a “portable” pair of hand-held binoculars. For these observer’s a smaller 50mm pair of binoculars is probably more appropriate.

However, even recognizing these binoculars cannot be hand-held for any extended period, they are probably one of the best choices for astronomical observers who need relative portability compared to a probably more cumbersome and expensive telescope. Perhaps surprisingly, they are also quite a useful adjunct even when using a telescope.

In summary, these binoculars allow for considerable additional exploration of astronomical objects compared to the naked eye. However, a tripod or, support for the arms, is required for extended observations. Highly recommended.

15×70 Skymaster
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Very Nice binoculars! I Have seen Orion’s Nebula,Jupiter’s moons and many Star Clusters! These Binoculars are Great to test Seeing conditions before hauling out A Telescope. I would recommend a tripod if you plan on viewing for more than a couple minutes. For the Price, these are tough to Beat! I Am Very Happy with Purchase and would buy again!

LOW QUALITY BINOCULAR
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I RECEIVED THE 15X70′S, AND RIGHT AWAY NOTICED THEY FELT VERY LIGHT( PLASTIC BODY?), COMPARED TO MY OLDER 11X80 UNITRON BINOS. ANYWAY AFTER TAKING THEM OUT SIDE TO TEST THE OPTICS, I NOTICED SHADOWS OF DIRT/DUST SPECKS IN THE IMAGES. BACK INSIDE, UNDER A LAMP,I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE DUST, DIRT, AND EVEN HAIRS, THAT WERE INSIDE OF THE LENS, BOTH EYEPIECES, AND BOTH OBJECTIVES! THERE IS EVEN SOME SMALL SMUDGE MARKS ON THE INSIDE OF THE OBJECTIVES.

ALSO THE PLASTIC TRIPOD ADAPTER TO MOUNT THE BINOS ON A TRIPOD IS USELESS. IT VIBRATES LIKE IT WAS MADE OF RUBBER, AT THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH. PURCHASERS SHOULD BUY A METAL ADAPTER.

I HAVE BOUGHT MANY CELESTRON PRODUCTS IN THE PAST, INCUDING C6, AND C8 TELESCOPES, AND USED TO BE HAPPY WITH THE QUALITY… NOT SO SURE NOW.

I CAN’T BELIEVE CELESTRON QUALITY CONTROL HAS LET SOMETHING LIKE THESE PASS.

ANYWAY, IN ALL FAIRNESS, THEY WERE ONLY $50.00, AND HAVE FAIRLY SHARP, BRIGHT, WIDE, FIELDS OF VIEW. IF YOU CAN LOOK OVER THE DUST SHADOWS.

Mine were collimated
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought these while Amazon had them in stock, awesome value for the price. Being prudent I first looked at the negative reviews. Almost all the negative reviews from someone who knew a little about binoculars were from receiving bins out of collimation, and one or 2 with just bad luck in manufacturing defects. It is important to read the reviews and not just take the stars. The few other negative reviews not about collimation were either for the wrong product or just clueless. So I figured for the price if they were off I’d adjust them myself, but got lucky, they were spot on.

There is some blurring in the outer field of view. That is the difference between a $50 pair and a $400 pair. I’ll keep the $350 and deal with it.

Terrestrial viewing is awesome, pulls things right in. Night time terrestrial viewing these really shine. I about jumped scanning a field and finding a deer illuminated only by a streetlamp 1/4 mile away. Only had a chance to view Jupiter through a hole in the clouds. Sharp and bright with good contrast.

My only complaint is the minimum interpupillary distance is just barely passable for my eyes. Keep this in mind if considering for children, they may not be able to use these.

Easy Astronomy on a budget!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
These are great! If you want to look into astronomy but don’t want to spend a ton of money, this is a great buy! Easy to use, not at all heavy really, sharp clear optics and great value. I use these more than my 8″ Reflector now. So much easier to grab and go outside. I am very happy with this purchase!

Bang for the buck!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Pros:

- BAK4 prism provides crisp and clear images

- tripod adaptable

- huge objectives

- does what is it supposed to do

- water-resistant

Cons:

- Heavy, but this isn’t one of the binoculars you’d bring to a stadium or for hiking

- Needs tripod for image stability; comes with tripod adapter, so this issue is null

- Neck strap is pretty much non-usable since the weight of binoculars actually put pressure on the back of your neck. You would use a tripod most of the time, so this is also null

- Crappy carrying bag with strap, but nonetheless a bag

The relative:

- If you get this make sure you have a sturdy tripod

Note- I was able to make out the shape of Jupiter and see several of its moon with no difficulty.