Customer Reviews

Celestron SkyMaster 25X100 ASTRO Binoculars with deluxe carrying case

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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).

I have been using these Binocs for about 6 months now and find them a genuine joy everytime I bring them out. On a recent autumn evening from a hotel balcony overlooking a golf course I was able to take in a marvelous variety of deep space objects. The sky was fairly dark- but by no means out in the country- and I saw the beauty of M4, M8, M20, M26, M16, M13,M31, M27,... and more. These are definitely Astro binoculars. They do need a tripod. You focus each eye individually. And there is some fade out in sharp focus as the eye reaches the outer edges of the field of view. This is not something I get worried about for $250. Maybe $1250. I have a Sunpack heavy duty photo tripod that goes for about $80 at Best Buy, and I use the Sunpak adapter to attach the Celestron. It is NOT the sturdiest set-up, but I found that I put the tripod into some very warped positions (one leg sometimes) and walk it around for better views. I can fit the entire Plaeides into the FOV and the view of the Orion Nebula shows nearly the entire swrd. Glorious!! And one more thing- because the eyepieces focus individually, you don't have to worry about collimation issues. I had ordered a Skymaster 15x70mm that were so out they gave me a headache to look through them. I did get another pair, however, and they were fine.
I don't know why Amazon has this listed within Toys- it's one heavy toy. Educational and fun, but not for a child. Just wanted to note that as a safety issue.

It is a good binocular for the money. I have a 4 inch telescope also, but this bino has wider angle and is easier to stargaze. When both eyepieces are set on a wider view, I am getting double vision. Maybe my eyes, or out of collimation. When eyepieces are closed where you only see one circle with both eyes, then there is no problem. However, the most important thing to know is that you must have a heavy duty tripod. If I had researched in advance that a heavy duty tripod is a real must for this bino, I wouldn't buy it. Because those tripods can cost more than the binocular. After researching and testing the tripods at the photo shops, I finally bought "Slik Pro 700 DX" tripod on the net for $140. It was indeed a good decision.

The Celestron Skymaster 25x100 binoculars are exceptional with two faults...These faults are not per say a problem with the binoculars...They were not packed very well...Being a precision optical instrument one would think that they would have been packed with utmost care...Due to the lack of the packageing I had to go through the trouble of sending them in and having them collimated...Another experience I did not like dealing with...Celestron was not very easy to deal with and I had to make some well placed threats to get any service...
My suggestion would be to please, please, if it is a precision instrument, pack it properly so as to avoid any damage to the optics during transit...
Thank you...
Jesse

A great value. These binoculars were great for terrestrial viewing as well as astronomical. The view was very clear, edge to edge. My only gripe is the individual eyepiece focus. With several people looking through these during the day, the focusing got to be a pain
Be very sure to have a stout tripod for these as they weigh a good 10 lbs.
These also carry Celestron's no fault warranty which is a great feature of these binoculars.

I finally got to test these the other evening under a dark, moonless sky on the Washington coast and was not disappointed. True, the mounting is not exactly adeqaute for the sheer size of these binoculars but they still work if you're careful and have a steady tripod. Some highlights from my viewing: M81 and M82 (both galaxies fit nicely in the f-o-v), M31 stretched across the entire f-o-v, Sagittarius was a treasure trove of deep-sky objects (especially the Lagoon and Trifid Nebula), and last but not least M13 - spectacular! I even barely glimpsed the distant galaxy NGC 6207 in the f-o-v using a fair amount of averted vision. I think this pushes the binoculars to their limit.
These bincoulars will also reveal detailed views of the moon, the satellites of Jupiter, the crescent of Venus, and even Saturn (just barely) in less than favorable sky conditions. Also, open star clusters(re: Perseus, M44, Pleiades) are visually stunning - much more so than what a high-powered telescope would reveal.

Overall, highly recommended for the price. If you want a bigger binocular with all the bells and whistles, be prepared to pay thousands of dollars.

I received these well-packaged binoculars in record time from Amazon. In time for the March 3 lunar eclipse in fact, which was "first light" for them.

Upon unpacking them I noticed that the internal part of the binoculars (as viewed from the objective end) was less black than I'd hoped and believe necessary for good performance. I could clearly see threading that seems to extend all the way down to the eyepiece end. Areas within the threading are almost shiny, metallic black - other parts are grayish. Rather than suppressing internal reflections, this lack of consistency promotes it.

I have a sturdy tripod that I use for large-format photography that I knew would be more than enough support, however the tripod attach point on the binoculars is itself affixed to a round bar running the length of the binos. No matter how tightly I torqued down on the bolt to secure the tripod attach point to the round bar, there was still rotation of the binos about the bar as I made such simple adjustments to the binos as focus adjustments, etc. This renders the size and sturdiness of any tripod (necessary for binos of this size and magnification) as meaningless since the bino's mount is inherently flexible and "untightenable" due to its design.

I could not disagree more with another reviewer who says "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 paid $219 for these binos and that is about what they are worth *if* you are willing to tolerate substandard optical performance due to internal reflections and a tripod attach point that is not (and will not be) sturdy without substantial mechanical modification.

I am returning these binos to Amazon for a refund and will purchase a better pair from them soon and will consider it money well-spent.

The other comments on the mounting screw having a lot of play are very true. Tighten all you want, duct tape might work better. The magnification is strong enough that, after 6 months, I found a tripod to be mandatory. The Celestron recommended tripod added to my frustration. I never thought that something as basic as going to a point in the sky and having a steady view would be such a chore. The biggest gripe I have with these binocs is the chromatic aberration. With daytime use this isn't noticeable but a few stars or a planet against a dark sky and it is a significant problem. I expected some aberration at the edges, after all these aren't $3,000 binocs, but what I found was I had it dead center. Recently I had a great view of Jupiter with 3 moons visible. I was hoping to spend several minutes taking in the sight and seeing if I can make out features on the planet. Instead it was a collection of roundish rainbows that had me back in the house after a few seconds.

These binoculars are impressive looking but they lack the finesse of smaller units.
The weight is more than the small single mounting post (or most camera tripods for that matter) can handle.
When you try to focus the eyepieces, the binoculars shake wildly - there is just no way to hold them steady.
The inter-pupillary adjustment is EXTREMELY hard to change but it probably has to be that way due to the extreme weight.

In the daylight, these binoculars offered less to see than a good pair of 10 x 50's. The field of view is sort of an annoying tunnel vision - about like looking through two sections of pipe. With the Focus adjustment mounted on the individual eyepieces, focusing is difficult at best.

The night sky did offer up some interesting galaxies and the image quality was pretty good -but you can forget about using the tripod - you will likely be lying on your back - hand holding these HEAVY binoculars looking straight up.

Are these binoculars worth the money? Optically - probably yes. Function - probably not.
I returned mine and will be looking for an actual telescope with a right-angle eyepiece..... Why?
Think about this: When your binoculars are pointed upward at the sky at a 45 degree angle - your head has to be tilted back at the same angle.
A telescope with a right-angle eyepiece will offer much more comfortable viewing.

I read the reviews here and learned a lot. Thanks. So far so good. These are heavy as warned. You need to brace yourself against something to hold still and, or support the heavy base on something like a post or rock. I don't care though. I can see so much more now and I can identify so much more. I'm having a ball. I use the no-fog cloths on the lenses (sold separately). I do think this helps cut down the moisture on the lenses at the coast and the frequent cleaning of the lenses keeps the picture sharper. I hold the binoculars up and I can see birds where there was nothing with the naked eye. I don't try to chase the birds, I just hold the binoculars steady and the birds fly through the viewing field. The light shines off the ocean waves at sunset and I still don't have a problem with glare. I have to say, this is a blast so far! I feel like I'm right out there flying with the birds, free. It's an amazing 3D feeling! It immediatley relieves my stress from the face pace at work. I come home a new person.