Kinglux 2.5x42

[Rogan]

Having been quite intrigued by the Vixen 2.1x42 binocs but not wiling to shell out $275, I ordered these. Kinglux 2.5 x 42 Professional Constellation Binoculars-99.08 and Free Shipping| GearBest.com The reports over at Cloudy Nights have been quite positive. The FOV is supposed to be around 25 degrees which, for example, would contain all of Cygnus. Adding another magnitude or two/three of stars seems to me to be a attractive proposition for not only star hopping but for general sky surfing. I'm big into rich/wide field viewing so the things seem as if they would be right up my alley. Surfing the summer Milky Way immediately comes to mind. Add to that the ability to cut through LP. At a dark sky site they could be spectacular. Better yet, at 2.5x magnification hand shake is said to be imperceptible. The weight of my Canon IS 12x36 can be a bit fatiguing.

[j.gardavsky]

Hello Rogan,

I can't wait on your 1st light report,

JG

[Rogan]

V

Hello Rogan,

I can't wait on your 1st light report,

JG

Me as well! As they are coming from China it will be at least a couple of weeks. This type of optics aren't for everyone but they very much fit in with one of my favorite viewing modes, just looking at the sky. If I can pick up two or three magnitudes they will be well worth it. They will also be fun for evenings with friends sitting outside when a telescope or larger binouculrs are out of the question. I'm also got to be spending some time far from home later this year at some dark sky locations and they can be easily carried. I had so much fun last year surfing the summer Milky Way with an ST80 that these will be the perfect compliment.

[DeanD]

They look great, and a really good price! If they are like my Kasai 2.3x40's (see Kawai "Widebino 28") - and they look pretty much identical - you will be very happy, and they will certainly give you an extra magnitude or 2.

They are Galilean-type binos, so the FOV will be dependent on how close you can get your eyes to the exit lens. If you wear glasses while viewing you will have a reduced (but still very big!) FOV. I have some astigmatism, but I find they are OK without glasses, and I can get the full claimed 28-degree FOV. This, for example, takes in the whole of Leo. There is some distortion and false colour towards the edges, but that is the case for binos in general, and it doesn't effect the enjoyment of the view.
I still haven't had mine out for a decent view in really dark skies: this year when I have headed "out back" it has been cloudy pretty much the whole time- so they are obviously cloud magnets! However, the limited views I have managed to get have been great, and I think they will do exactly what you want to complement your ST80.

I look forward to hearing your first light experiences.

All the best,

Dean

[Rogan]

The Kinglux 2.5x42 wide fields arrived today. Ordered on 6/11 I can't complain about transit time from China. They were extremely well packed. The first thing I noted was the weight. For such a small instrument they are relatively heavy. Not an issue in use but notable. And, not surmising as these things are rock solid. The build quality appears to be outstanding. So far I have had a chance to test them out in daytime use. The image is sharp and bright. To get focus to the edges each eye has to be focused "individually". Of course the real test will be stellar viewing. So far it seems that it isn't a matter of focusing one eye then the other but more in terms of focusing them in concert with each other. I will have more to say after that after first light which hopefully be tonight. So far I am extremely impressed.

[Ozman13]

Yeah, I'm still real interested to hear how these perform. Looking forward to your report.

[Rogan]

Last night I had a limited first light, but, before I get to that, an issue arose. The focusing ring at the end of the right eyepiece became loose rotating freely but didn't come off. I suspect that some bonding failed as I could detect no internal threads. Fortunately with just a bit of pressure the ring engages the internals to enable focusing. The remaining problem was that the ring was still loose making an annoying clinking noise. As a stopgap I wrapped a rubber band under the ring which kept it taught (first photo) while still allowing focusing. This morning I hit the local Ace hardware and found an O-ring that would replace the rubber band. I had left the eyepieces in their focused position from the night before so I could choose an O-ring that would slip firmly into the gap acting as a sort of parfocal ring while still allowing for fine focusing. Another O-ring was applied to the other side although not necessary.

I certainly could have returned them but with such an easy fix I didn't think that it was necessary, and, I had no idea how long it would be before I received replacements. Next will be comments about the optics.
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[Rogan]

The first light was so lame that I won't be reporting on the optical quality until such time that I have been able to properly put this instrument through the paces. For now some more photos.
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[j.gardavsky]

Thanks Rogan for the pics.

The optics with the broadband multicoatings looks good.

Best,

JG

[Rogan]

Thanks Rogan for the pics.

The optics with the broadband multicoatings looks good.

Best,

JG

So far I'm very optimistic. The problem was that the one night that I used them clouds rolled in as the sun set. I was left with scraggly pokey holes with haze and a sky that wasn't entirely dark. By the time that it was dark I was socked in. With my limited sky I was able to determine(I'm pretty sure) that the FOV entirely contained Ursa Major. That's about all I can say for now.