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

I've been the owner of a pair of 10x50 Tento binoculars for years, so I decided to upgrade and treat myself. I looked very carefully at each Celestron Skymaster binoculars available to see what might suit my needs. After doing some research and checking each spec, I decided to opt for the 15x70 Skymaster and boy does it do what it say's on the tin. Excellent clarity, great field of view and surprisingly not as heavy as what some people would say. Granted, without a tripod (which I might purchase in the future), they can feel a little heavy after a while, but if you place your hands at the end of the binoculars by the objective lens, the weight kind of balances itself out nicely. Setting up and calibrating the Skymaster to your eye's is very simple. To be honest, unless you are a serious sky watcher, don't get anything bigger than this as your field of view will be seriously decrease and you will need a tripod. 15x magnification is what I would say is in the Goldilocks zone. My Skymasters arrived less than 24 hours after I ordered them with standard delivery and that was without Prime. There was a crescent moon the same night and boy was I blown away. I could see far more details than I ever could with my old pair of bino's. At this price, the build quality is awesome and feels way more expensive than it's price. Just a good bit of advice though which I found when I was doing my research, if you do buy a tripod, purchase a metal tripod holder for your bino's as the plastic one supplied is pretty much useless as your binoculars will bounce at the slightest touch, spoiling your view time, but a metal tripod holder will keep your binocular as steady as a rock.

These are fantastic binoculars, clear and bright with great colouring. Easy to use, no zoom. Very narrow field of view. The full moon half fills your vision! Not sure they’d be good for bird watching. They definitely need a tripod as quite heavy. I got a little Celestron phone adapter so I could take some photographs. I was really happy with them.

I have been on the lookout for a pair of bins with relatively high magnification since buying a telescope a few years ago. I use these bins for both terrestrial and astronomical viewing, and overall find them very very good - Why you may ask did I buy these if I already have a telescope - The main reason is that the telescope can be a drag to get out and set up - taking about 15 mins to get the settings correct - these bins give me adequate magnification for most astronomical views - from lunar viewing and planetary spotting - Jupiter can be seen along with four of its moons - and when used with a tripod Saturn and its general shape with the rings can be just made out - you wont see any of the planets crystal clear like in pictures in books if you expect to see this you will be disappointed - Jupiter for example is a non discernible blob with four other very faint blobs beside it - but if your into astronomy you wont mind this. Terrestrial viewing however is another thing entirely - excellent, clear views over seas, mountains, and bird watching you will be amazed with how much clarity the images appear - this is due to the 70mm lenses and their light gathering ability - excellent. The weight issue mentioned in a few other reviews is not a major issue in my case but when my partner uses them after a couple of minutes she has to put them down - so the inclusion of a tripod adapter is a necessary one - but I would recommend purchasing a metal one for about £10 as in any slight breeze the bins sway a little and that defeats the object of using them on a tripod. In conclusion as I use these bins for mainly astronomical viewing in retrospect I should have purchased the more expensive 25x70mm ones as there is only about £20 different in the price - but I was put off these after reading the reviews of them being too heavy - so my advice would be if your the average 40 something male (which I am) and are looking for primarily astronomical binoculars then I'd suggest the more expensive ones but if weight bearing on your arms is an issue then these are the ones for you - honestly a very very good quality product at a reasonable price - if your in the market for a new pair of binoculars - go buy these you won't be disappointed.

Beautifully clear image offered by the large 80mm lens. They have a robust feel and seem to be well made and should last for many years with care. These are a great starter pair for sky watching, but if that is your main use for them you W|ILL need a Tripod. They are heavy but thats not the real problem, if you focus on anything that is on considerable magnification it is impossible to hold them still enough to get any sort or real idea of the target image, in addition as soon as you try and adjust the focus, you loose the target you are focussing on. I bought these as a powerful set for sky watching, birding, and general scenery when walking and holidaying. Though bulky they are worth carrying for the quality and depth of the image that is available. Easily backpackable. I live in a city and it is amazing the way on a CLEAR night they cut through the haze that is there (but not visible) and allows you so see a complete vista of stars that are not available to the naked eye. I wish I could have afforded the 25x100, but for that cost I will supplement it and buy myself a good telescope. These are fantastic powerful general purpose binoculars and can be used for sky watching WITH a tripod, dont believe reviews that say you dont need it. Great Value. Recommended. I wish they had provided a better padded carry bag.

My Celestron Skymaster 20x80 binoculars were received a few weeks before Christmas, but as they were a Christmas present bought for me I didn't get any chance to test them out before they were all wrapped up ready for the big day! So now I've had chance and these are my findings after using them for about four or five hours solid. Firstly, I can confirm that mine were NOT out of collimation. I'd been reading all about collimation as a number of people on the net had reported this problem with various Celestron binoculars (and others) so I did absolutely loads of research on the net in case mine needed collimating. In a nutshell, collimation means that the prisms are slightly misaligned causing a sort of slight doubling of the image. Apparently, the manufacturers of Celestron binoculars in China don't have the best quality control system in place and it seems that unfortunately some of these models ship already out of collimation. If you don't know what to look out for chances are you'll just put up with it as it can be barely noticeable, but it can cause eye strain and headaches as your eyes try to 'correct' the image. So, I've been lucky with mine as they are certainly not out of collimation. The image through the 20x80s is great, nice and bright and I found they snapped to a good focus. Focusing on a dark vertical post against a bright sky background revealed a little color fringing, certainly not enough to be a problem, but this will be present in just about any binocular optics anyway unless you go very expensive. All movable mechanisms like the focus wheel and the dioptre (right eye piece) adjustment are nice and smooth with no sign of stiffness thoughout it's range. Finally I thought I'd mention the weight issue as a lot of people mention this. They are pretty heavy yes. unfortunately this is a trade off for the large 80mm objective lenses. If your only using them to grab and use for just a minute or two before putting them down again then you really shouldn't have too much of a problem, but then I'd have to wonder why you would go for something of this size and weight if you never plan to use a tripod. Mounting them on a tripod is without doubt where you will appreciate them most, especially as this is what this model is designed for with the built in tripod adapter. Had a good look at the stars during a brief break in the clouds and it was great. Now looking forward to clearer skies and getting away from all this light pollution. I hope this helps a little. I'm really pleased with mine and wouldn't change them.

superb binoculars... great for bird watching etc. large set of binoculars. i find them easy to hold but small hands maybe difficult. good price and quality

Just to start off, these are superb. I bought them for star/planet gazing. Bro, while Jupiter is visible from my backyard in North London, I looked up with these and saw the wonderful sight of Jupiter and three of its satellites. Unseen with my naked eye, but clear as anything with these. Seeing all the details of the Moon, like so many craters, clear as anything. I now need to invest in a better tripod than the one I have. When holding them, I'm not very stable, but I found that using the tripod accessory (see pic) as a holding apparatus keeps me more stable, making it easier to focus. Black friday deal helped me to be able to afford but worth full price if you ask me. Sturdy high quality. Really chuffed with these.

OK, if it is just a review for the product itself then it is a 4/5 star overall. The product feels weighty and comes nicely packaged with additional carry case, yes basic, but good to have to start off with. You do have to play around a fair bit with the focus especially on 'right eye' to gain a clear vision - I found it better to view just a few cm away from the lens rather that trying to push your eyes against the rims. Day time viewing is great, lots of natural light allowed in so that you can really focus in on one object - I tried it on trees in the distance (30 metres) and could see insects flying about and detail of leaves. I purchased these for night time viewing. I had seen some images on Google of planets stated having been viewed by the 20-80 binoculars, most of the time these will not be accurate (hence I did my best to showcase Jupiter in the photo). You can see planets yes, but will not see details ie red spot on Jupiter or rings of Saturn). Viewing planets from a fairly urban area (Colchester, UK) I could see Jupiter and 5 of its moons relatively clearly, though no features of Jupiter - Saturn also seen, though a disc shaped planet over any rings being shown. Mars was just a bright reddish beam in the lens. You will appreciate a tirpod with these binoculars, yes they are a little weighty and you will not enjoy them as much if you have to hold them all the time. I had a spare sturdy tripod and it makes a big difference not only for helping with weight issue, but also shaky hands etc - You will not be able to view what the lens shows you without a tripod I say - Invest in one otherwise you will not enjoy these binoculars! So the price of £115? It is OK, it is a good starting point for any body wishing to upgrade from the old pair of probably hand me downs from Grandad binoculars... They look the part, they give a good view of day time items and night sky pleasures. I would reckon more so this pair should be costing just under £100 though they are popular so with demand comes a slightly higher above average price. No here is my BUT! So delivered in no normal Amazon parcel and just as the Celestron binocular box so this box was very tatty and it was also open with no seal (I am surprised the item gets sent this way). Inside the item was complete though I know it was a second user item - I can just see the marks and slight chips of paint on the metal frame work - The bag, lens protectors etc were all new, though they are easy to replace. I am debating to send these back as I paid £115 for a new pair, not second hand which I could have done on Ebay and saved myself around £30-£50. Shame, otherwise a 4/5 star rating. As a Prime member and having never had an issue with any of the many items I have purchased from Amazon, I will seek advise... I would rather keep them and enjoy them than re-sending back and waiting for a new pair, but it is the principle!