Celestron 71008 SkyMaster 25x70mm Porro Prism Binoculars with Multi-Coated Lens, BaK-4 Prism Glass and Carry Case, Black

No I didn't spell it wrongly. I am an occasional sky watcher not an avid star gazer. I carry a pair of binoculars in the car to stop and be nosy from time to time an do a few minutes of bird watching if something catches my eye. I asked for a decent (but not expensive) pair of bins for Xmas but was not trusting my wife enough to let her loose on Amazon. I am on the downhill side of life (along with my eyes), I have imbalanced sight and astigmatism in one eye. I researched many Celestron products and some users were critical of bad collimation. These 25x70s were pretty well reviewed and at a very reasonable price for such a high mag product. I noted that some people thought them heavy and were only usable on a tripod and others were critical of the plastic tripod mount. I already had a decent video tripod but made sure I asked for a steel bracket as part of the present.They turned out to be a great Xmas gift and I have used them several times in the last month. Easy to focus and to balance out my eye problems. Heavyish, yes but manageable for a few minutes. Looked at planes flying overhead.....the narrow field of view makes it difficult to pick things up quickly. I scanned across the con trails and then followed the trails to the airliner. Amazingly close and crystal clear (great if you are a plane spotter, which I'm not) but you need to to be hand holding to follow moving objects like this.Left them outside on a tripod for an hour on a cold clear night recently (so that they didn't condense up on coming from my warm house) and then looked at a few stars. As I mentioned earlier I am no astronomer so I was amazed to see a cluster of small stars around a pinkish bright star in the eastern sky. A quick Google search told me I was looking at Jupiter with its moons, surprisingly clear. Our local moon was almost too bright, it completely filled the field of view and was crystal clear. A real wow moment!Great product, fulfills all my requirements for casual close-up viewing. The carrying case is a bit flimsy but fine for the car. Not a set of binoculars to go walking with but would be great if you owned a submarine or battle cruiser.

Let me start by saying I did not have a clue about stargazing/astronomy until Christmas 2014 when I was bought a pair of 10x50 bins (tech term for binoculars, apparently) and a stargazing book to begin my foray into amateur astronomy. If, like me, you could stare at the night sky for hours and just bask in the wonder that is our solar system, then I could not recommend a better way to start it.Six months later and I’ve decided to upgrade to these 25x70 beasts. I was tempted to go for the 25x100 but didn’t want to make the mistake of trying to run before I could walk. I ordered them Friday afternoon and took delivery the following morning. I could barely contain my excitement in opening the box!The packaging itself is basic, but not too complicated. I had the binoculars, the carry bag (with strap), a wipe-cloth, neck strap, standard instructions and – the most important – a tripod mount. I haven’t bought a tripod yet but may well be making a purchase this week, as these bins aren’t exactly heavy but it’s difficult to maintain a steady focus on, say, the Moon (which by the way looks BEAUTIFUL through these).So far – and I’m only two days into using them – I’m very, very impressed. Thankfully it was a clear night last night and where I live (Wales, UK) I was able to see the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and its moons, and Saturn! Although the latter was a mere blemish in my lens, I could clearly make out its rings (the planet is almost an oval-shape) and I couldn’t believe my eyes.The build quality is superb. They feel heavy, but they’re not that heavy if you know what I mean. Of course, buying a tripod will both give you amazing images and give your arms a rest, but for now I’m happy using my garden table as a stabiliser for my elbows. The focus wheel is a little stiff, but being 31 I’ve had some good practice with my fingers over the years. The eye piece protector is a little flimsy, but to be honest I’ll hardly use it as it’ll spend more time out of its carry case than in it.Before I had my first pair of bins, I assumed that astronomy was for balding single men with grey beards and adenoids, looking up through telescopes the size of a Ford Galaxy (pardon the pun), but with a simple pair of binoculars you can gaze at the stars for hours and see way, way more than the naked eye. Orion’s Nebula is simply breathtaking.To sum up, if you’re looking to upgrade from a pair of 10x50s, these are the bins for you. If you’re just starting out, then I’d recommend these but no higher (or heavier) than these. Like I said, by starting small and working your way up gives you much more appreciation of what you can see. I can honestly see myself never buying a telescope and instead upgrading my bins every year or so. They are THAT good.10/10

I bought these primarily to look at the night sky. They arrived earlier than the estimated DOA. Well packaged. The product appears to be well made & sturdy. Good clear vision at x25. It's firm to hold. Although, if you are going to hold these for any length of time then get a tripod. Luckily, I already had a Hama Star 63 tripod from a previous purchase intended for my camera. I have a pair of binos at x12, but they have gone out of sync. The double vision was driving me nuts. Looking out of one eyepiece is not cool. And these days it just aint worth sending anything off to get fixed because the cost is sooo prohibitive. I would also like to point out that the binos came with a bracket to mount onto the tripod. No need to purchase the suggested bracket as advertised in Amazon! A tripod does help with the steadying up but it still shakes a bit. A hugely more robust tripod would be an improvement and a better designed stabilising attachment arrangement on binos of this size would help too instead of the single point attachment that you see on most every one of them. I've had these a month now & have enjoyed the 'closer ups'. For the first time in ages at last I got a totally clear night and a full moon. Have to say......it was awsome to see in detail the shadows of mountains & craters AND the lumpy profiles of mountain ridges at the periphery. Ok, we're not talking about astronomical observatory quality here, but as a complete novice looking for the next step up, it's money well spent.

These binoculors are second to none, i enjoy the wildlife while out with my dogs. The focus on these are so clear and are easy to use due to the travel case. The carrying case is handy while i am out. Im sure i will enjoy bird watching with these and the durability seems very good.

These binoculars are an amateur astronomer's dream. They will give you glorious views of star clusters and bright nebulas such as the one in Orion. You will be able to identify bright galaxies and comets - though don't expect the kind of definition that you would get with a large aperture telescope. These come into their own with star clusters like the Perseus Double Cluster, the Pleiades, and the Auriga clusters.Many people don't realize that binoculars can actually give you better views of open star clusters than high resolution photographs (and many telescopes) - even though they don't perform as well on objects like globular clusters and galaxies. That is because your eyes work together and can perceive 'depth' with them as well as subtle color differences in the twinkling stars.I was so impressed by these (and the 25x view for scanning the night sky) that I purchased the 100 mm Skymaster binoculars. Although the 100 mm offer higher resolution and are well worth the money, these are incredibly impressive and offer you most of the same views. They are also far lighter and so most people will use them more often.It goes without saying that, as other posters have pointed out, you 'need' a tripod with these. However, I must admit that when I want to scan the skies - and I have a limited amount of time - I will bring these out without the tripod. I find they work fine for spotting new objects in the night sky or glimpsing familiar objects (like the Pleides) - in this way. You just can't linger for ten minutes the way you can if you have a tripod.I would highly recommend these, in conjunction with a good planisphere or night-sky application, for amateurs who want to learn the night sky. They are a joy to use and will reveal to you wonders.

These are my first astronomy binoculars, I read some lengthy reviews elsewhere, so knew what to expect.The day they arrived, the previous few days of clear skies ended with total cloud cover and rain, but the following night I was able to take a look at Jupiter and see the four main moons, as clearly as hoped for. There was a near full moon and I was able to see the full disc of the moon filling my eyepiece, and some lovely views of craters especially along the terminator, then a look upwards to the stars, seeing hundreds of previously invisible stars.The view is just as good as expected, and although the binos are light, its almost impossible to hold them steady, especially for looking at planets, and a tripod is definitely necessary. I used the included binocular mount to attach them to my camera tripod, its a decent tripod, which I weighted down, but I still got wobble from the lightest of touch when aiming and focusing. I am now looking for a stronger/heavier tripod.The included case (no padding or zip), neck strap, and lens cloth are poor quality, presumably to keep the price down, I have replaced all with better stuff so I can look after the binos properly.The front lens caps are ok, but the rear lens cap isnt fit for purpose, its a single cap covering both lenses and does not stay in place, for now Im using the nasty neck strap that came with the binos, tied on to hold the rear lens cap in place, until I find a better lens cap(s).To sum up, the binoculars are excellent, the included extras are rubbish, but I think I got value for money.

Firstly let me tell you a little about why I purchased these bins. A few month ago, I was browsing the NASA website for one reason or another when I stumbled upon the 'spot the station' page. I found myself staring at the sky looking at the ISS (international space station) when it was due to fly over the U.K. During this period all I could see was a very bright light travelling at some speed above me, then that got me thinking about what I might be able to see through a pair of bins, deeper in to space is what I wanted, planetary views, lunar views, messier objects, whatever.. I wanted a closer look!As weeks went by, I kept spotting the space station, wishing I had the spare cash to purchase some decent binoculars. When the time eventually came for me to buy some, I did my research on hell of a lot of pairs & for what I wanted, the Celestron 25x70 skymasters hit the nail on the head.As soon as these arrived (next day as I'm impatient) I cracked them open. They arrived well packed, a box within a box within a box which I suppose is quite fiddly but better they stay protected! They also come with a carry case, lens covers, a neck strap, cleaning cloth, instructions AND a tripod mount.I was dumbfounded at the lunar views I was getting, but then after a minute or so came the shakes and arms hurting to due the weight of these bins and holding them up & steady for any length of time is quite difficult!I called for my nephew to come & see what I was seeing just to make sure I wasn't dreaming & there it was in full view, lovely crisp super up-close images of our moon, craters and all!I wanted better quality, steadier images, so I went ahead and purchased a tripod (AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag)I have left a review on the tripod I purchased so I wont go in to detail here, but the difference it made is fantastic.The build quality of these bins is excellent, they feel very sturdy. One problem I read about the Celestron bins is that they tend to come out of collimation, but luckily enough mine didn't (and neither did the 20x50's I purchased separately)If you are an amateur like me and wish to purchase something a little more than 10x magnification, I suggest these 25x with a tripod (and I can also vouch for the 20x50's too!) All in all my decision on these binoculars paid off big time!Go ahead and buy them you wont be disappointed!

A good item for the star gazing beginner.They certainly look the part, feel a good quality item and are quite powerfull.Remember they are an impressive 25 x magnification!However after two years of occasional use, both folding rubber eye pieces has now completly split and perished.They are a little bulky , so you may find that a suitable heavy duty tripod will cost the same again.Also and most important, these binoculas are for really gazing at distant stars that you would otherwise be unable to see with the naked eye, and they do this job very well.This is due to the very wide angle of the lens,( bigger field of view ) which you dont get using a telescope, and so making it so much easier to locate stars and planets around the night sky without having to faff about !!They are not particularly brilliant at fine detailing on anything distant during the day, the quality of the lens is just not up to the job ,and the focusing fine tune rotaion wheel, is rather poor quality.All said and done, for the price this is a descent item for the star gazing beginner- but nothing more.Update 7.05.2015 - Binocula focusing wheel now useless, Viewing lenses moving all over the place and despite central screw being tight, so now unable to focus without double vision.Just thrown them in the bin.

I bought this for around ₹8,000 with card offers, the best ₹8K I’ve spent so far.This binocular is excellent for sky and stargazing. If your budget is around ₹10,000 and you’re looking for a powerful astronomy binocular, go for this without a second thought. The lens quality is very good, and the overall build feels solid and well-engineered.What I was able to see through this binocular:- Full Moon – The Moon does not fully occupy the lens; it covers roughly 60–70% of the field of view, which gives great perspective and clarity.- Jupiter and its 4 moons – Clearly visible on a good night.- A few star clusters – Bright and beautiful.- Orion’s Belt – You cannot see all three stars at once; they can only be viewed separately, which gives a good idea of the high zoom level.Important Note:This binocular is heavy, so a strong and sturdy tripod is mandatory (don’t go for cheap ones). If you want to capture photos through the binoculars, a phone mount is also recommended.I still remember the night I pointed this binocular at the sky and saw a star cluster for the first time, it was truly magical.If you are a space enthusiast, this is an absolute must-buy.Highly recommended!

Muito Bom Produto!!!!

Very nice gadget, just as described on site

Gezegenlere bakıyorum Jüpiter’in uyduları gözüküyor ama nokta gibi teleskop performansı beklemeyin gayet güzel ürün. Aya bakmak daha nasip olmadı. Tavsiye ediyorum ama tiripodsuz kesinlikle almayın çok titriyor. Telefonla dürbünden fotoğraf çekmek oldukça zor.Ürün çok güzel paketlenmiş ayrıca teşekkür ediyorum.

Bra kraftfull och billig kikare !