Celestron SkyMaster 20x80 Binoculars & Heavy-Duty Altazimuth Tripod

This was my first pair of any kind of binoculars. After researching and combing reviews for 2 months in all sizes and configurations applicable to stargazing only, I purchased these knowing they might go right back...and three sessions with this thing was all I needed to get the refund process started.Why?BECAUSE THE VIEW IS GORGEOUS AND I WANT MORE LOLHonestly, I love these, but I knew that if binocular stargazing gave me a considerable experience to go with my Cassegrain, I would want more than 25X. Even at that power, these 100mm's made starscan sweeps that peppered your view with 10X more stars than you'll see naked eye viewing in remote locations. I'm positive that a smartphone holder and motor mount would have pulled up a few nebulas straight to my gallery, but it's already on its way back.I'm 6'4 with an IPD of around 68-70(?), quick pivot adjustment and I confirmed collimation was A+ out the box. That seemed to be the biggest complaint with these larger binoculars during my research, Celestron came through on that part. The nylon carry case is adequate and sensible, I see other brands with hard cases and as a 25+yr Pelican user, I honestly would get my own Pelican for something this big and valuable instead of trusting a no-name brand case to hold up. You need a parallelogram mount. I also lift and stay active regularly, I was able to hold these steady, but it was not as enjoyable as me mounting them and things being a lot smoother. Do not use a regular tripod unless it's something super heavy duty. I used a Bosch construction tripod meant for laser levels, it was overkill, but imagine this precious beauty smacking the ground. No lolAll all in all, Celestron delivered here, my thing is for the size, weight, and mount/tripod integrity investment, once I personally commit to that level, I'm okay with spending a bit more to get more power. If all you want to do is stargaze and not view nebulas or planetary rings in real time, these are perfect and priced with considerable value in mind for that purpose. If you want more than that, you can stick to telescopes the same price or a little cheaper that will give you a bit more power or you'll no doubt jump up to the $1K-2800-5K+ binocular offerings that allegedly give you the best of both formats, accept 1.25 eyepiece variations, filters, etc.I conclusion, you're not losing here, there is value and quality, you will get an eyeful of stars and lunar mountain ranges...but once you get hooked, you will want more.I would have kept these if I felt I would get at least 2yrs satisfaction without any immediate urge or ability to upgrade before then.

El peso

BACKGROUND:I am an amateur astronomer and Vice President of the local Astronomy club. I ownseveral pairs of large binoculars and have looked through many more. My needs werebeautiful images of deep sky objects at a price I could justify. The Celestron 25x100Skymaster Binoculars meet those needs.GENERAL COMMENTS:The binoculars arrived July 2004 and had a collimation error of about 1 degree (verybad collimation). Celestron support was contacted at the request of Amazon supportand confirmed what I already knew, factory repair was required. I lacked the skillsand equipment to collimate and refill with nitrogen. Amazon promptly picked up thebroken pair and delivered a new pair in just a few days. What a difference a few daysmade. The new pair was packaged inside a secondary box and arrived in pristinecondition. Daytime collimation was excellent. We tested the binoculars afterastronomy club on a distant lighted sign and found them to be essentially flat to theedge of the field of view with a minor vignetting at the edge. Everyone was impressedand several members wanted a pair. During the club meeting I suggested thateveryone who wanted a $500 pair of binoculars for $250 needed to go to Amazon andpurchase one before the price went up.I sky tested the binoculars a few nights later and they performed very well. I had onlyabout 20 minutes till the clouds took over. Due to the high humidity and generallypoor observing conditions we were unable to use the binoculars for an extended timeand get a really good test.A tripod is pretty much required for astronomical observing although you can lay onyour back and observe the zenith. You have to hold your breath and squeeze up tightto get a steady image. I was able to hand hold the binoculars during daylight andlook at distant trees, etc. It was very difficult to hold the binoculars with one hindwhile adjusting the focus with the other. Leaning the binoculars on a steady objectsuch as a fence would probably work. Note that not just any tripod will work (readbelow), so if you used these in the field you will be packing a lot of weight. Irecommend 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 havemade for astronomical equipment.CAVEATSI highly recommend purchasing these if:1. you can handle the weight (these puppies are heavy)2. you want to see bright images of distant objects3. 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 collimation5. 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 contributedto the collimation problem. You should be ready to send a pair back if they do notdeliver a good image.2. the "built in" 1/4-20 threaded adapter which attaches to the tripod head isundersized and has movement. There is a single screw which was not tight on bothpairs which when tightened would slow the play of the center shaft. There is a plasticsleeve between the adapter and the shaft which had play and this could not beremoved (again, same problem with both pairs). When the know was tightened to themax the binoculars were still not very snug. The result is that if there is anyunbalance in the weight on the tripod then the adapter is unable to hold the weight ofthe binoculars and the binoculars will swing to a more balanced position. I believe thatthe 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 whileproviding a counter balance. Otherwise, you will have to be extra careful. Also, thetightening know should be larger for people like me who do not have the strength ofsuperman.3. there is an old adage that the mount is half the price of the telescope. A mountwhich fully supports the binocular tubes at both ends would perform better than theinadequate mount provided. For those mechanically inclined, the solution is straightforward and inexpensive. It could take 10-15 hours of time (at least for me).

First thing first, delivery service, packaging was great.This is my first binoculars ever. So I can't say if this piece is completely out of collimation (will give updates once I check).Pros:1. Well built.2. Fully multicoated optics.3. Value for money.4. Best for beginners in Astronomy.Cons:1. Quality of the bag provided is not good. (substitute would be a DSLR camera backpack and it will do the job).2. Collimation could be a problem. (Almost all heavy binos have this error). You can fix it yourself or could ask for a replacement.In detail:-1). You cannot get this quality at this price. Compare with ORION 20X80 --- which is around ₹ 25k.2). If you cannot decide about getting 20X80 or other smaller binos then I would say 20X80 would be better. It has a larger objective of 80mm which increases your limiting magnitude to approx +7(with naked eyes your limiting magnitude is around +1). That's a huge difference. You will be able to see most of the messier objects and other DSOs apart from Moon, planets, and Orion nebula.3). It is literally a pair of two small telescopes😉. A telescope equivalent to these binoculars will be above ₹ 30k (trust me), So this is a great deal.Some important points:1). You can adjust the interpupillary distance. (As any other binoculars have)2). You can adjust the dioptre setting (for individual focus adjustment for eyes) by rotating the right eye piece. (please Google for more information)3). Centre focus wheel is given. ( For focusing at different distances)(All above three adjustments could be stiff in the starting)Suggestion for Tripod:1). A fluid head tripod is a must (for smooth and precise maneuvering of binoculars).2). Tripod must be heavy (to keep binoculars steady/ 20X magnification is too much).3). A branded tripod is not required.4). I will suggest getting a tripod from a photo store. (If it's in your budget then Manfrotto fluid head tripod will be the best)An Update:1). Saturn's ring is visible. It will need a nice focus and patience.2). The object should be at the center of the field of view to avoid chromatic abrasion.3). Four of Jupiter's moon are visible. You can not make out the Great Red spot.4). After watching planets for an hour, I found my binoculars are perfectly collimated.5). Bright objects (-2 magnitude or higher) will give chromatic abrasion.6). You will be able to see stars as dim as +8 magnitude in a light-polluted sky.7). Andromeda galaxy will cover your entire field of view on a very dark night.8). Many DSOs around the Sagittarius constellation are visible from these binoculars.9). The field of view is around 2.6° and not 3.7° as mentioned.10). The moon looks breathtakingly beautiful. It will appear three dimensional with these giant binoculars. You can make out Apollo missions' landing sites to a precision of few kilometers.11). Orion Nebula will be visible bright and crisp. Your field of view will be contain just the Orion sword.12). If you are willing to do astrophotography using these binoculars then you will need a smartphone adapter for binoculars (just search for it and you will find it on amazon) and a photo staking software - DeepSkyStacker which will stack together hundreds of shots of a DSO and after few hours of processing, you will get a bright and detailed astrophotograph.13). Neptune and Uranus are visible just like a dot but you can make out their color.Best at this price!!Clear skies!!

Great value for money binoculars. I would suggest a tripod with these as they have a high magnification so excellent for stargazing. I used my phone to take these two pictures through them. You can just about make out the nebula and get a good clear view of the moon. You can also see the Andromeda galaxy with these which is incredible to see, you have to know where to look and what your looking for. There are plenty of stargazing apps to help you.

I bought these as I’ve been wanting to start astronomy, but I live in a second floor flat in a complex and as I’m a beginner I thought binoculars would be best.For the price they’re really excellent. Sturdy, well made, and have really opened up the night sky for me. Already I’ve seen the moon in various stages (super moon included), Venus, and been able to spot various constellations and clusters. I’m looking forward to Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn to make their appearance so I can spot them.The quality is really great, although be realistic about expectations. One reviewer wrote that you can spot gas on Venus: you can’t, but you can clearly see her phases. They’re perfect for seeing the moon in incredible detail, and that’s worth the cost in itself.They’re very big and need a sturdy tripod and tripod mount, but still expect some wobble. The bag it comes with is fairly useless so if you’re taking these somewhere you’ll need something with a big of padding.

I was looking for some binoculars to complement my Nexstar 130SLT telescope. I hoped for an improvement over some old Vivitar bins I bought on ebay years ago for about thirty quid, so imagine my disappointment when these were worse. First things first - I'm fairly sure they had already been returned by a customer - it's the little tell-tale clues of packaging etc. that made me suspect this. I wouldn't have necessarily minded had the image been good, but on first use it was clear they were out of collimation and with excessive chromatic aberration which was apparent even in daylight. Worse still, they gathered less light than my 50mm Vivitars which have the added layer of a zoom mechanism. So, with disappointment, back they went to Amazon.I have to say I wasn't that impressed with the build quality in the hands, either, with obvious glue overspill in places. The tripod mount was the only strong aspect. I've been very happy with my Celestron telescope and its accessories so this was unfortunate. I would be interested to try the Skymaster Pro and see if that's better, but don't feel like taking the chance again, at least not from Amazon.The positive reviews I see here may well mean I was one of the unlucky ones. These are big, heavy and delicate instruments, and the packaging may not completely protect them from the shipping process. I feel like the next time I am tempted by big binoculars, I will try to buy in person and see through them first.One final note for newcomers - the 20x80s really are heavy - you will need a strong and tall tripod for astronomy use - and make sure the clamp is sturdy enough - you do not want these falling back into your eyes when you are observing close to the zenith. I honestly wonder now if at 20x80 field of view, with the weight etc., a telescope might not be the better option, and perhaps 15x70, or some good quality zoom bins, might not be more useful alongside a scope.

Guys, this is a honest review. I bought it for 13500 INR combined price on 12th of july 2020 along with digitek 880 pro tripod, in conjunction they work fabulous. I have used it for a month and a half till now, since I had early experience with star charts , star gazing apps and nautical astronomy from my college, it became easier for me to do binocular astronomy with these huge ones! Trust me, I belong to Hyderabad rated class 9 on bortle scale and I have seen upto 10 dso's which obviously looked faint due to light pollution at my place. We can easily make out Jupiter and its four moons. No offense but Jupiter looks just like a bright dot. Saturn's disk can just be identified under keen focus. Sunset visuals and the moon looks breathtaking awesome! I was also able to see Neptune as a red faint dot. I have also used them for bird watching (eagles) and terrestrial spying too. These activities are always fun with them. Every experience through celestron skymaster 20by80 will widen your eyes open. It is not so big as 25by100 and also not so small, being perfect for an amateur astronomer, tripod is compulsory(as they weigh 2.1kg)! A photography tripod works best. Handle them with care and they may serve you many years and I can't wait to get to a dark night sky and visualize milky way through this binoculars. Get a mobile adapter and adjust your camera settings to capture amazing images of celestial objects. As far as I know, this is the best binocular you will get at a cheaper price of best quality. Happy stargazing and clear skies!