What size binoculars to buy for a beginner?

[Joe Lalumia]

I would SECOND the 15x70 Celestron. The best price on the internet, and the quality is excellent for the low cost.

Celestron SkyMaster 71009 - Binoculars 15 x 70

[FlyingComet]

15x70 celestron is excellent but you will need a good tripod to hold it steady !

[Joe Lalumia]

Otherwise there is an excellent post above listing many binocular choices by field of view---and I can recommend the Orion Scenic 10 x 50mm as a good buy.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Orion-Scenix-10x50-Wide-Angle-Binocular/dp/B0000XMR8K]Amazon.com: Orion Scenix 10x50 Wide-Angle Binocular: Camera &…[/ame]

[mufc4ever]

most people say 10 x 50

[Kat12]

Totally a n00b to binocs. Just gotta point that out. I'm going to ask for a pair for my birthday/Christmas, but am still sorta wading in all my options. I'll be having binocs only, at least at this point, so I need something that will serve me well.

So it sounds like 10x50s might be the way to go? (FWIW, I'm a smallish woman, so I imagine that would be even more important for me, yes?) The 15x70 SkyMasters would be too much? (I'm also hoping my binocs can be used for general daytime stuff as well, and I don't want to need a tripod all the time.)

I live in Metro Detroit, so light pollution coming out my ears, of course. Hopefully upon occasion I'll be able to get to some darker spots as well.

Eye relief is also important--I'm blind as a bat, so the glasses remain firmly on my face and I need binocs that can accomodate that! Is this something I can guess at online, or will I need to actually go to a camera shop or whatever and try out different pairs? (I'd rather buy online than IRL as it'll be probably be cheaper and the selection will be bigger, but I'll do what I gotta do to get a pair I actually like and can use. And I'd feel sorta scrungy going to a camera shop, taking up someone's time with a lot of questions, and then not buying there!)

The Celestrons sound nice, but as someone else said--why are the UpClose model so cheap? Are they as nice as other brands of 10x50s that cost around $100? Or should I go with the Oberwerks or Orions? It just seems strange to me that the price difference should be so large. (What's the difference between the UpClose and the Nature [sorry, can't post links, but it's the Celestron 71321 Nature] which is also 10x50 but costs more?) I've heard nice things about the Oberwerks too. The 10-50 Wide Angle Waterproof that goes for $119.36 on Amazon, or the 11x56 that go for $99.95 on Amazon, perhaps (both of these are on page 1 of my search results if I search for "oberwerk binoculars"--the first pair is four from the top and the second pair is three from the bottom)? Or the Orion Scenix? Which of all these pairs would YOU buy if you had one shot at getting it right and couldn't keep buying new pairs to try out?

Lets see if I can just post the URLs...

Celestron Nature: amazon.com/Celestron-Nature-10x50-Porro-Binoculars/dp/B003AM87R8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1285208832&sr =1-1

First pair of Oberwerks: amazon.com/Oberwerk-Wide-angle-Waterproof-BinocularOberwerk-Binocular/dp/B002T8C3LU/ref=sr_1_4?s=STORE&ie=UTF8&qid=1285208528&sr=8-4

Second pair of Oberwerks: amazon.com/Oberwerk-11x56mm-Binoculars/dp/B0010YY93O/ref=sr_1_14?s=STORE&ie=UTF8&qid=1285208528&sr=8-14

I feel like the more I read, the more I'm lost...(hence why I'm doing a bit more asking and a bit less searching! Not trying to be rude and ask what's been asked a zillion times, just that...otherwise I'll be in a jungle of options) (Carlos, thanks for that post on the AFOV. It helped narrow down the field--uh, pun unintended. Were the Oberwerks not on there becuase the AFOV isn't so hot, or are they just not on there because they're not on there? I can't find the AFOV on Amazon.)

Thanks everybody! Sorry to be a PiTA.

[Kat12]

After more reading, I like the sound of the Oberwerks EXCEPT the FOV (finally found info on it online), which is smaller than those Carlos listed as the best. 6 degrees as compared to 7 like the Scenix and UpClose seems a pretty big difference to me. So perhaps it's down to either the UpClose or the Scenix. Still wanting to hear about the UpClose and why so cheap. Also would like to know about the eye relief on those--how is it for glasses wearers? I found some reviews that said they're good, but then the specs say the eye relief is only 11mm, which I thought I had read was not great for glasses (I believe the Oberwerks were at 18mm. I admit I don't fully understand how the measurements work out for eye relief, but it sounds like bigger numbers are better). Even if I didn't get the UpClose for myself, I thought of getting them for my mom, who currently has a pair of Bushnells she's not 100% happy with, but her glasses are even thicker than mine...

So, still stuck...

[billvernon]

I'm very new to this & so I have many of the same questions as Kat12 posed & I was really looking forward to the answers but....she didn't get any (sob). So, I'd appreciate hearing from Kat12 about how she made out so maybe I can follow in her footsteps or from anyone else who'd like to offer some advice.
Also I have a big pair of 20x50 binoculars which I'd like to use with a tripod. Do I need a special kind of tripod or how do I mount the bino on a regular tripod? Any advice, places to purchase, websites, etc will be appreciated. Thanks. Bill

[epeddy1]

I can speak for my 15x70mm Celestron Sky master binos, and I love them! I take them everywhere I go on vacations. Mine needed a minor adjustment to the collimation after the shipping, but that was easy even for a newb like me, and should be expected for the low price.

[invision]

another vote for the 15x70 skymasters, i use them a lot, almost as much as my telescope and they never fail to wow me with how much sky and objects it can show.

[sada]

Binos are a great 10x50 wood be my advises.for looking at stars they beat scopes hands down.