I am pleasantly surprised! Field of view: The contrast is perfect, the edge is clear, I did not notice any chromatic aberrations. Distorted, trailing stars like comets in the last 10% this is normal OK. The focuser is a little hard or does not grip well with my fingers, but this is subjective. I definitely do not regret making this choice and upgrading from Nikon 10x50. I recommend it with both hands :) Linda - thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me with the order. Cloudless evenings to everyone!
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sting eyepieces allow for quick eye relief adjustment and the focus dial is ergonomic and well-made. Clear and sharp images. Just wide enough for my interpupillary distance - so watch that if you're on the wide side. I've been watching birds and the ability to focus at short distances is also very useful.(10x42 Sport ED)
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nd these work fine for me in terms of the exit pupil and eye relief. I highly recommend them. And you cannot beat the price.
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Sky Watcher AZ GTi goto mount for the refractor but sometimes I honestly prefer using the Oberwerk tripod for learning the night sky on my own and the simplicity of non-electronic stargazing. I would highly recommend upgrading to the Smallrig DH-10 if you ever plan on going bigger than 80mm. I wish I did that myself. The 5000 head that it comes with has been perfect for my 80mm but I'll have to upgrade it if I ever get a larger refractor.
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all, I can say that I was very happy overall with the BT-120XL. The telescope is mounted on an iOptron HAZ31, attached via an iOptron mini-pier to an old 2” iOptron heavy duty tripod. I have a ZWO guide camera plus an ASI678 camera and an ASIAir+ attached to the Picatinny rail of the BT, which I use to plate solve and then choose objects for go-to performance. The whole setup worked flawlessly. I would select a target, the mount would slew to it, take an image, plate solve and make any necessary corrections, and the object would be centered. I started out using the Oberwerk 14mm 70º eyepieces that come with the telescope, and the first object was Jupiter. At 48X the view was spectacular. I could see the two cloud bands, as well as the three visible moons. It was sharp and contrasty. I was very impressed by the OB eyepieces. They were much better than I had expected/feared - definitely not a cheap & cheerful throwaway set shipped for free with the binoculars. Next I tried my Astro Tech 10mm UWA’s. At first I was not happy, as I had difficulty for the first time merging the images from each eyepiece. I tried rotating the eyepieces but this did not fix the problem. A bit frustrated, I moved on to my TV 7mm Naglers. The views through them were simply fantastic! Crisp, sharp, and high contrast. Just lovely. I then moved on to M81 and M82, using the OB 14 mms. I was quite pleased to get them both in the field of view and again, quite clear. Of course, they weren’t detailed, but they were definitely better than just “faint smudges”. Did I mention that I really like those OB 14mm’s? I tried, and found M51 and M101, but the views were a bit compromised by the fact that I didn’t have a clear view towards the NorthEast, with some tree branches in the way. I went back to Jupiter and simply basked in its glory! And yes, I really like the OB 14mm’s. From there it was Cluster time. M37 was beautiful, if a little dim, in the 14mm’s. I moved to the 7mm Naglers and it was a revelation, as the extra magnification really helped. What a beautiful sight that cluster is. I decided to give the Astro Tech’s another chance and this time I had absolutely none of the merging difficulties that i had earlier when viewing Jupiter. The view was clear and sharp, and my opinion of them was transformed. I moved on to the Beehive, Starfish, and Pinwheel clusters and in each case the experience with M37 was repeated. I started with the OB 14mm’s, moved to the AT 10’s and then on to the TV Nagler 7’s. All of them were just beautiful. Finally I went to M67. It didn’t matter which of the eyepiece sets I used, i was struck by the 3D nature of the view. It was as if the cluster was just hanging there in the sky, and i felt as if i could just reach out and touch it. It was that tangible! Compared to the views through my friend’s 8” SCT, what i gave up in magnification I more than gained in “crispness/sharpness” and the 3D effect of using both eyes. I spent quite a while just feasting my eyes on that beautiful cluster. After packing up and while driving home i had the opportunity to reflect on the evening and the equipment. The BT-120XL-SD rocks. I am really so very happy with it. Yes, it is big, but that’s a feature, not a flaw. It is not light, but I can manage it. It is beautiful. The finish is absolutely flawless. The binocular effect, binocular summation, or whatever you want to call it is, in my opinion, real, or appears to be, which to me is the same practical thing. I am really happy that I gave the AT 10mm’s a second chance, as they worked flawlessly the second time around and on all the clusters. I have no idea why i had such difficulty on first use with Jupiter. The 7mm Nagler’s were outstanding. And, did I mention that I really liked the OB 14mm’s? Finally, I think that the binoculars can easily handle more magnification than the 96X than I get with the 7mm Nagler. I’m going to have to consider a set of 4-5mm eyepieces. I did not look through my 24mm ES 68º tonight, so I’ll have to see if I really need that wide a field (28X) All in all, a great evening with a great Binocular Telescope. The Oberwerk BT-120XL-SD has made me fall in love with visual astronomy again!.
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he 6.5x32 explorers.keep up the good work.the
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nt out in the backyard planning to look at a few things , but when I looked up through the XL100i was blown away I've never seen so many stars. With naked eyes maybe a hundred, with the binos thousands and thousands. I can't wait to get to a dark sky site. Well worth every penny, great product
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Many people who are considering astronomy often are overwhelmed by the magnification factor only to become disappointed in that they were expecting more from the higher magnification, that the stars and planets still appear very small. This is why it's a great idea to consider a binocular over a telescope initially-the cost factor. With the 20x80 Explore, you can scan across the Milky Way and observe Messier objects, nebulae, star clusters and distant galaxies. Besides, the brain likes two sources of input, your eyes, since the binocular has two eyepieces. The Moon when observed with the 20x80 Explore is very detailed. There is some fringing on the limb, or curved outer edge of the Moon, but I was able to eliminate the fringing by simply shifting my eyes around while viewing through the binocular eyepieces. Crater and mountain detail as well as contrast is excellent. Fringing can occur even with very high-priced optics. It's not uncommon. Hand-holding a 20x80 binocular is difficult enough if not impossible. To maximize the benefits of this binocular I'd recommend the Oberwerk model 4000/5000 tripod and head combination. This binocular/tripod combination is great for astronomy outreach programs. By having one focusing knob, it makes it easier for people new to astronomy to focus the binocular rather than having to focus each eyepiece independently that's found on more optically advanced binoculars. (Oberwerk carries these, too). The 20x magnification is wonderful for scanning the Milky Way looking for deep sky objects. So, if you're interested in getting started in astronomy for deep space or you'd like a binocular with more than average magnification for terrestrial observation, Oberwerk is the best place to start. Just remember a sturdy tripod and head will be required. This binocular can't be beat for the price point! I own 6 Oberwerk binoculars and they've outperformed several European and Japanese high dollar models with respect to optics. If you have any issues, their customer service is second to none, they're the best!
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omer service. I recently had a tripod issue and contacted the owner (Kevin) who patiently provided a work around solution that helped me get back to observing the wildlife and avoided the need for me to purchase a new tripod. I wish I could give this business 10 stars. If you are in the market for amazing binoculars you are in the right place if you are reading this.
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the excellent price. This tripod is clearly designed with binocular astronomy in mind, unlike a tripod from a big name in astronomy — which seems designed to *look like* an astronomy tripod, but which is useless for that purpose. Thanks for this outstanding, high-value item, Oberwerk!
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