15×70 Ultra
$489.95
15×70 Ultra
$489.95
In stock.
Finest Quality 15×70 Binocular
The 15×70 Ultra has performance that exceeds even the finest Japanese brands, for about half the price. Incredible sharpness across almost the the entire field. Very rugged construction with precise individual focusers. Of course these are fully broadband multi-coated, waterproof, and nitrogen charged. It was recently improved with longer eye relief and soft neoprene-rubber eyecups. Includes our exclusive Oberwerk Heavy-Duty aluminum-frame case. Also includes the Oberwerk Heavy-Duty L Adapter and neck strap.
Click here to read a review of the Oberwerk 15×70 Ultra on SPACE.COM.
Lying back in a lawn chair with properly balanced 15x70s floating in front of you, soaking in starlight is, well, heavenly.
Recommended mounts
The Oberwerk 15×70 Ultra can be used as a handheld binocular, but for extended star gazing we recommend a mount.
Oberwerk 2000 Monopod
Oberwerk 3000 Tall Tripod
Additional information
| Weight | 15 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 18 × 14 × 10 in |
| FOV | 4.4° |
| Eye Relief | 14.0mm (usable) |
| Exit Pupil | 4.6mm |
| IPD Range | 57-75mm |
| Minimum Focus | 10m |
| Product Weight | 5.5 lbs. |
| Product Dimensions | L=11, W=8.5, H=4 in. |
Patrick Johnson –
I’ve owned a pair of Oberwerk Ultra 15×70’s for several years now and am still amazed each and every time I look through them. These binoculars are fantastic for lunar observing and deep penetration of the wonders of the Milky Way! I mount mine on a Bogen 475B with 501HDV head which is really an ultimate binocular setup. They’re very sharp on the moon, revealing tons of craters and mountain ranges. Sweeping the deepsky with this setup is simply fantastic. I had the choice between the 15×70 Ultra’s and the less expesnive standard 20×80’s and have absolutely no regrets going the with slightly smaller but optically better 15×70’s.
Mark Fay –
I have been a backyard astronomer for decades and used to own a pair of Celestron 20X80’s (long before the less expensive Skymasters came along) as well as a pair of 10X50 Celestron Ultima’s, as a companion to my scopes. I spent a great deal of time researching my latest binocular decision and am beyond satisfied with my choice in the Oberwerk Ultra Series15X70’s.
The level of quality and craftsmanship of these binocs is superb, the views are crisp very close to the edges, and the background is beautifully dark, creating a sharp contrast. I wanted to have the best field of view I could get without wasting the wash-over of additional light from an over-sized exit pupil, and found the perfect combination with the Ultra 15X70’s.
One of the things that you don’t hear enough about in binocular discussions is that as you get older (I’d like to say I’m a fit 52) your night sky adapted pupil simply doesn’t enlarge the way it did when you were younger. If you select a binocular with an exit pupil much larger than your own, you are simply wasting the Image. (You literally can’t see the full view without constantly shifting your eyes about… No fun!) The 4.6mm exit pupil is perfect for people of my age group, or older. (Otherwise I might have considered purchasing the 10.5X model for the wider field of view.)
These are hand-holdable for a short time, but you really do need a solid tripod to get the most out of them. After talking with Kevin, the owner of Oberwerk, I purchased the Oberwerk 3000 combo model tripod with the heavy duty L adapter, and couldn’t be happier with the balance of solidness, minimal weight, and convenience to just run outside on a whim and set them up.
I cannot give a heartier thumbs up for these binocs as well as the combination with this tripod. You won’t be disappointed if you are looking for convenience, quality, and stunning medium-power binocular views. If you’re younger you might consider the 10.5X model, but for us older (and supposedly wiser gents) the 15X just makes more sense.
Lastly, if this helps you sort through the options, Kevin also told me the the 15X70 Ultras are optically superior to the 20X80 deluxe III’s. That nailed it for me.
Please feel free to correspond with any questions…
Mark Fay
Shawnee, KS
[email protected]
Alex Maresh –
Got my 15 x 70 Ultras on Friday. WOW, I can see so much better with two telescopes mounted together. Kevin, good job on making sure they are in alignment. I got these for wildlife viewing, and was concerned about focus depth of field- and you were correct that it would not be an issue. I can see into the trees and shadows, as before with my 12 X 50’s I could not do that long distance. Great product.
Greg Stanley –
Binos arrived Saturday afternoon. Everything (packaging, etc.) was just fine. The views are terrific. Thanks for collimation specs. You guys are terrific. Going to spend lots of summer nights looking “up” through these babies.
Again, many thanks.
Greg Stanley
Warner Robbins, GA
Mike Banks (verified owner) –
I recently purchased a pair of Oberwerk 15×70 Ultras. I am up there in years, new to binocular astronomy, and have a strong eyeglasses prescription, so I had a lot of questions about selecting large binoculars with the proper characteristics and features. I have to say that Kevin Busarow patiently answered all my questions and concerns in a prompt and helpful manner, including after the binoculars arrived and I began using them. The binoculars themselves are very well made, provide crisp, sharp views, and I’m looking forward to using them under summer skies in the next few months. I also purchased an Oberwerk 5000 series tripod and head, which is a great piece of equipment and allows comfortable viewing at higher elevation angles. Overall, I’m very happy with my Overwerk purchases and I’m grateful to Kevin for his patience and support.
Richard A Casper (verified owner) –
Just got these 15×70 Friday. First thing is the case- they are in very nice not no cheap cloth bag, then the binocular- wow it feels nice very well built, and needle sharp. You would think this binocular would be in the eight hundred to a thousand dollar range, it is hand holdable for a short time, then a tripod is a must. I wear glasses but i always take them off when looking through binoculars and spotting scopes, so that’s not a problem. Now i just have to wait for the weather to change- someday the sun will come out then i can use them. I think this is a good company, the prices are good, you will not be disappointed with the products.
Joe –
I’ve had a pair of 15×70’s since 2012 and enjoy them very much.
One thing to note is that the closest distance they can focus at is around 30 feet (as shown in the specs).
The soft rubber surrounding the eyepieces dried up and cracked after a couple of years. That’s perfectly fine with me, since I prefer it out of the way.
A tripod or other support is essential. I use a camera tripod, which is less than optimal for astronomy but gets the job done.
Would definitely purchase again!
Dewald Fourie –
The Ultras I ordered from you FINALLY arrived today! I was a little concerned since our local post office service is pathetic and corrupt to say the least… I just want to thank you for the great packaging without which it might not have arrived in one piece! Halfway around the world and the binoculars are everything I was hoping for.
I am so impressed by the looks of these binos. Picking them up immediately gives you a sense of fantastic build quality. I’m the kind of person who always looks for imperfections and honestly, I can’t find any! Perfect finish across the entire instrument.
The fact that these are 100% collimated compared to other offers available online makes it worth the money and the long wait!
The included lens cleaning pen is a bonus – thanks for this!
Many thanks and best regards.
Michael Millsap –
The order arrived quickly and i have used them for looking at the full Moon and during the daytime to look at the channel area where I live on my boat. They are very well made and the clarity is exceptional for the price.
Looking forward to a lot more viewing!
Michael Benz (verified owner) –
I finally had a chance to really test the new 15×70 ULTRA’s, daytime long range and night time while stabilized. Super impressed with the whole experience! I am now an enthusiastic proponent of OBERWERK and the people working there.
We ordered the 10×50 Ultra for my son and daughter in law, now living in Colorado, a great place for using those! I had been looking to move up to 70mm aperture and could not resist adding the 15×70 ULTRAs to our inventory.
Linda W helped me correct my order(s), Thank You@! and Kevin may have done the collimation himself on the binoculars. The hard case they arrived in was a major protector and more than expected. Clearly designed to help these last a life time(s).
The binoculars are beautifully made and impressive. The prisms are massive and so worth the weight. Images are bright, perfectly aligned, corona free, and with a deeply mesmerizing depth and clarity. My pro Photographer friend with a well trained and super critical eye was blown away by the daylight view. “Transformative, Amazing” – and he’s’ a tough guy to excite about optics!
Now I understand why OBERWERK puts so much emphasis on and investment in proper collimation.
Buying from a company in my home state of Ohio was an added joy for us. My biggest concern is that now I’m looking at their line up of really big astronomy binoculars!
Thank You!
Gary Plummer (verified owner) –
So I finally received my 15×70 Ultra’s after an epic 2 month and 2 week trip from the USA to Australia! I believe I can thank Trump for this and what he’s done to USPS! 2 months of the time was escaping the USA 🙂
Politics aside they have been well worth the wait! I have had my Mariner 8×40’s for a little over 5 years, love them madly! And these 15×70 Ultra’s have shown me just how good a binocular can be. I am in my early 60’s and took up astro-photography around the time I bought my 8×40 Mariners.
The Ultra’s are mostly for warm nights in the chair with a tripod while I am imaging either in my garden in a high Bortle 3 to low Bortle 4 sky or when I travel to a nearby farmhouse cottage where I bask in a Bortle 1 sky! So far I have only used the 15×70 Ultra during daylight but have been gobsmacked by the resulting views! Across the bay from our local boat ramp I can view in detail and with no aberrations to around 70% from center of the field of view, the pool of grounded aircraft at our nearby airfield 25 Km away. I am looking forward in anticipation for my first astronomy views at the next new Moon imaging session. The Aluminum padded case is fantastic as a shock proof travel case for them too!
In a non technical summary, I am immensely impressed with my new Oberwerk 15X70 Ultra Bin’s and highly recommend them without reservation to anyone wanting a quality binocular! Thank you Kevin, I shall no doubt be adding to my Oberwerk collection in the future!
Warm regards
Gary Plummer
Australia
Dani Stracuzza (verified owner) –
They are well built and give wide bright views but only the central part of the field maintains its sharpness. At about half the radius the sharpness falls off and is quite blurry toward the edge so you get a vignetting effect as the star field blurs. The field of view has a noticeable amount of curvature as well which adds to the effect. They have a wide field of view so I guess this is expected? Also chromatic aberration is very noticeable. They are ok in optical quality but I don’t understand how these get such good reviews. They are a bit better optically than an inexpensive pair of Barska marine binoculars I have . The build quality and case are very nice.
Beatriz Mendiondo (verified owner) –
Following the recommendations in these reviews I bought my first pair of binoculars. The day they arrived it was a full moon and was astonished of the definition of the surface of the Moon. I kept switching from naked eyes to the binoculars. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made.
Thank you to Kevin as well for answering all my questions prior my purchase.
Aaron Lewis (verified owner) –
Overall build quality, fit and finish very good. Robust metal case. I like the independently focused eyepieces. Performing well with a parallelogram mount, and I’m enjoyed the FOV. One star off for some detectable chromatic abberation on bright objects (namely the moon). Not a deal breaker, by any means, these are very good binoculars, I am satisfied with my purchase.
Phil Barker (verified owner) –
Ordered these as I wanted quality binoculars at a good price that can be used with or without a tripod. I would say they are a bit of a challenge being handheld although in a good chair looking up at night not so bad.
The fit and finish is excellent. The adjustment for the eyepieces to get focus are well designed and easy to use. The views in daytime are very good. There is some minor CA visible but not a problem. Really sharp in the centre of the field. Slight drop off near the edges not so bad in daytime.
For astronomy they are very good out to around 55 degrees of the 65 degree field in the eyepieces pretty good for the money. CA is there but not an issue at night and only on the brightest objects. The eye relief in the binoculars is excellent and with rubber eye caps rolled forward I can use my glasses if I choose to.
Very good contrast field illumination and baffling is excellent. For the money these are a great buy not at the highest end but very good for Astronomy and daytime viewing at a great price.
Love the case that in included the fact they were perfectly lined up by Kevin before shipping. Definitely a step up form cheaper brands. Could be slightly improved with better edge performance and colour correction but would expect to pay a lot more for this.
Fit and finish 4 1/2 stars
Optics daytime 4 stars
Optics for Astronomy 4 stars
Sharpness and Contrast 4 stars
Very happy with these and will be keeping them long term.
Garrett Booth (verified owner) –
I recently purchased your 15×70 Ultra binoculars and I have to say, I am unimpressed. I have compared them side by side with comparably sized and smaller optics in similar price range as well as higher priced ones these are said to be able to compete with. I have yet to find one that doesn’t outperform this one. The others are clearer, with far less haze and chromatic aberration than the Ultras.