Celestron 71008 SkyMaster 25x70mm Porro Prism Binoculars with Multi-Coated Lens, BaK-4 Prism Glass and Carry Case, Black

Product Information

This intelligent, all-in-one observatory and astroimaging system emerges as a catalyst, eliminating the complexities traditionally associated with telescopes and, in turn, metamorphosing your backyard into an inviting gateway to the Universe.

Steve says: "The SkyMaster 25x70s are a budget pair of binoculars representing amazing value for money, but there are some caveats to purchasing them. Each SkyMaster model features high quality BaK-4 prisms and multi-coated optics for enhanced contrast. It also is a single piece, without the flexible bridge found on many others, so other than the eyecups moving inside of it, it does not really accommodate the different Inter-Pupillary Distances that you may have the bin set at. The prisms used in all SkyMaster binoculars, as well as most high-quality binoculars, are made from BaK-4 crown glass.Porro prisms on the other hand do not need phase correction coatings and because you get total internal reflection of the light waves, you do not need to add highly reflective coatings to it's surfaces and so they perform as well as much more expensive roof prisms. I think better quality twist-up eyecups set at the correct amount of eye-relief would really help in this area. Celestron’s SkyMaster large aperture binoculars are a phenomenal value: high performance binoculars ideal for astronomical or terrestrial viewing, especially over long distances. The great thing is that they can of course also be mounted to a tripod, so when you have a fixed or slow moving target, like the moon, a distant ship or are an area far off in the distance the added stability of a tripod means that you can get the best result possible.

The 25x magnification of the SkyMaster 25x70s is not nearly as advantageous as it seems, and for the most part is a detriment to a fun and easy observing experience, rendering these binoculars far less of a good choice compared to the SkyMaster 15x70s or even lower magnification options, such as 12×70 binoculars. The colors look nice and natural, without any artificial tints, but are less vivid than on my benchmarks. On the whole and compared to the binocular, the case is a little disappointing and even though it is a low cost binocular, the fact that these are larger and heavier than most regular bins, I would have liked to have seen a lot more padding on the case to protect them more.

Adjustable Eye Cups] The rubber covered eyepiece can be twisted up and down for different people adjusting a proper eye relief. Andromeda was a joy to see in these binos, the largest I think I’ve ever seen it, even against the views from a C8 SCT I’d owned previously. These larger observation binoculars for are perfect for astronomy as well as long distance terrestrial use. I have also recently received a number of requests relating to these and other high powered bins and so I though that it was high time that I rectified the situation and tested a pair.