The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Big Binoculars: Oberwerk 22x100 and others

PeteQuad · April 22, 2007, 12:08 AM

I have Oberwerk binoculars from bigbinocular.com and they are excellent quality for the money. However, I don't think it makes sense to get 80-100mm binoculars for spotting at the range; the large aperture makes more sense for astronomical puposes (to see faint objects), and just annoyingly heavy for spotting purposes. What you want is something with high magnification and just decent enough optics to see the holes.

If a spotting scope is not good enough for you, you can go to a Schmidt- or Maksutov-Cassegrain, with a 3.5-5" aperture. Then you can buy whatever eyepiece you want and get whatever magnification suits your fancy. I have this little number here, that I use with a 45 degree mirror so that I can see right-side-up: http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...rd=starmax+127

But there are lower priced and smaller versions of the same from Orion, Meade or Celestron, and many others. Then, when it gets too dark to shoot, you can look at the stars

Of course, then you end up having to decide whether you are going to buy more telescopes or guns and things get complicated.

April 22, 2007, 12:08 AM	#11
PeteQuad Senior Member Join Date: March 9, 2007 Posts: 198	I have Oberwerk binoculars from bigbinocular.com and they are excellent quality for the money. However, I don't think it makes sense to get 80-100mm binoculars for spotting at the range; the large aperture makes more sense for astronomical puposes (to see faint objects), and just annoyingly heavy for spotting purposes. What you want is something with high magnification and just decent enough optics to see the holes. If a spotting scope is not good enough for you, you can go to a Schmidt- or Maksutov-Cassegrain, with a 3.5-5" aperture. Then you can buy whatever eyepiece you want and get whatever magnification suits your fancy. I have this little number here, that I use with a 45 degree mirror so that I can see right-side-up: http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...rd=starmax+127 But there are lower priced and smaller versions of the same from Orion, Meade or Celestron, and many others. Then, when it gets too dark to shoot, you can look at the stars Of course, then you end up having to decide whether you are going to buy more telescopes or guns and things get complicated.