Binoculars

[MartynVRS]

Hope this is in the right section. The old man is coming up to his 60th birthday and I wanted to get him a decent set of binoculars. He's got a cheap 6x25 pair but I want something that's good for looking at the moon and stars and is better quality. Budget is up to £160 or so. I've been told up to 12x is about the maximum you can hold. Is there anything I need to look out for?

[nellyleelephant]

Specifically for the moon and stars?

[MartynVRS]

That mainly and things like the ISS and satellites but still need to be fine in the day time.

[nellyleelephant]

If it's mainly for astronomy, you'll want to go for the largest aperture he can hold whilst still giving a steady image.

I wouldn't go above 12x as the image will become very jumpy if not on a tripod. I use 15x70's and 100x20's but they are always attached to a tripod.

Maybe have a good poke around here http://stargazerslounge.com/forum/133-discussions-... ?

[MartynVRS]

Thanks that's exactly what I need. I'm thinking 12x50 should be perfect. As you say any more than that and I'll need a tripod. Any brands to look at? Seen an Olympus one on Amazon that looks good.

[nellyleelephant]

Have a poke around on their site, but this lot http://www.strathspey.co.uk/ seem to get good reviews.

Have a look at their 10x50 marine bins.