Binocular choice for rocketry?

We mostly fly low-lower high power (A-H) usually in the altitude range of a few hundred to a couple of 1000 feet. However, we also attend a high power event or two a year where high power is the usual at altitudes in the several 100 - 1000's of feet. With those numbers in mind, what are your preferences for numbers in binoculars to use in rocketry observation as far as magnification, field of view, aperature size? In other words, 7 x 35, 8 x 42, 10 x 50, 16 x 52 etc.

I have a pair of WW2 vintage Bausch&Lomb 7x50's. They are nearly impossible to follow a rocket with. I agree with the 6x30's, they're on my list to get.

gdjsky01 said:

Wide field of view. Aperture is not an issue as you are using them in daylight. Magnification restricts the field of view. 7x35 IMO is therefore the right choice. Or even 6 x 30s.

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Good advice. FWIW, I fly mostly smallish (2-4 inch diameter) high power (typical flights to 4000-8000 feet) and I've been pretty happy with Nikon Prostaff ATB 10x25s which are small and rugged. Magnification and FOV is a tradeoff, of course, but the extra mag does help to see what's happening at apogee a bit better.

I have a pair of lightweight Nikon "Travelite II" binocs in the 10x25 that Jeff G counsels against. Yes, they have a narrow field of view but I bought them at a time when I was tracking AMA Free Flight Models at great distances. For that purpose, they worked extremely well.

More recently I started taking them to rocket launches and have found the light weight of these compact binocs allow me to carry them in their soft case on my belt with no problems. The trick to spotting a small object aloft is to look over binocs to place the object and then switch over to the eyepieces. Difficult to describe visualize with actually trying it but once you learn the technique, it's quite simple. Had I my druthers, I'd rather use 7 power binocs but these are what I have.

These are NOT my astro binocs. Those are heavy Stellarvue 12x60's that are best used with a tripod. Free handed only for very short intervals as they get heavy and shaky very quickly.

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Nikon Travelite II 10x25 binoculars

I have a pair of Canon image stabilized binoculars that are 10X30. I have only used them a very small amount for rocketry (they worked well), but have used them far more for wildlife viewing (they are fantastic). Push a button on them and the slight shake most of us have in our hands "magically" disappears and you can follow something easily. I think they would work very well for rocketry.

Canon IS binocs are the Holy Grail of binoculars.

Well played, sir.

o1d_dude said:

Canon IS binocs are the Holy Grail of binoculars.

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That explains all the knights wandering around my neighborhood holding coconuts.

Yep. I have a pair of ancient 15x45IS. But optically they are superb. IF you can afford the best, I'd highly recommend the Canon 10x30IS. They are also superb astronomical binos. I am not sure how rugged they are or how they fare (fair?) in dusty environments. I use mine solely for astronomy.

I've done a little research and low power is actually pretty rare in the compact 25mm binocular marketplace. Many are 8x and 10x. Also a big thing I forgot!!! :bangpan: Do you where eyeglasses!??? If so you want something with long eye relief! At least 15mm or more. Eye relief for lack of a better more technical explanation is how far out of the back of the binoculars does the image come. Looks like Pentax makes some nice compacts.

Something like this with a 15mm eye relief and 6.2 degree FOV?
Pentax-62608-8x25-Waterproof-Binocular
- Jeff


PS: You can easily convert Feet at 1000 Yards to Angular FOV by dividing the feet by 52.5. Wide fields of view IMO are 6 degrees and up. So 315' and up.
.

Optical coatings can't hurt: they reduce flare (like on camera lenses), which aids visibility ESPECIALLY when pointing up, in the general vicinity of the sun.

CarVac said:

Optical coatings can't hurt: they reduce flare (like on camera lenses), which aids visibility ESPECIALLY when pointing up, in the general vicinity of the sun.

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I don't dispute that at all. Almost all binos are coated on at least one surface. I am simply saying that you should not fall for any dubious claims of superiority in the color of coatings etc. Indeed there is only one way a coating is observable, some percentage of some wavelength(s) of light, are not going IN to the binoculars but getting reflected off.

All I can say is the usual disclaimer. Don't point any optical aid within 20 degrees of the Sun. :no: :bangpan: :rant: You have to mindful of where the Sun is at all times. It takes just a second or two to do some damage.

- Jeff

gdjsky01 said:

Also a big thing I forgot!!! :bangpan: Do you where eyeglasses!??? If so you want something with long eye relief! At least 15mm or more. Eye relief for lack of a better more technical explanation is how far out of the back of the binoculars does the image come.

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Good point and I overlooked it in my post.

The reason I chose the Travelites was because I DO wear glasses and the Travelites have rubber eye cups that roll down to allow me to get the eye relief I need when wearing my glasses. This feature works very well for me.

View attachment 84509View attachment 84510
Highly processed images reveal dust I couldn't otherwise see!

If you want the best look at Ziess, Swarovski, Leupold, Leica, Pentax, Canon, Nikon or Steiner. I spent many years selling fine sporting optics to hunters, bird watchers and others needing absolutely the best optics available. The two things that distinguish a truly high quality binocular from the run-of-the-mill are the glass the lenses are made from and the coatings that are applied to them. Quality coatings fill in imperfections on the lens surface as well as enhance their optical transmission properties. High level coatings are not cheap and can easily add hundreds of dollars to the cost of a binocular or other optic. I guarantee that if you compare a less expensive binocular with a high end set in circumstances that truly test their abilities you'll see why the price is justified.

That said I recommend you pick the best pair your budget can afford. A good 7x35 can easily outperform a cheap 10x50 in both light transmission and image quality. Letup old makes some extremely good binoculars at very affordable prices as does Steiner (who happen to be the binocular of choice for the US military in many cases).

God, is it ever great to read a fellow astronomer's posts!

Basically I agree with everybody's posts. Low magnification, Objective aperture no larger than 60mm, coated lenses, and hopefully your eyepieces are at least a Kellner lens arrangement (tho' a nice Plossl would work well too!)

One doesn't need binoculars for rocketry, but a good quality low power spotting scope would work well. Heck, you can build a nice low power spotting scope from lenses from the Surplus Shed (https://www.surplusshed.com/) and one can build a kick-a$$ spotting scope for less than $80, and the optical tube can be PVC or ABS sewer pipe from a hardware store.

gdjsky01 said:

I hope the original author, who I do not even think has answered, understands, for rocketry you don't have to spend more then $100. Probably less.

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Ok, Jeff, as the original author, I do understand. I am just taking all this in before I make my decision.
I appreciate all the conversation thus far. Thanks to all who have stated their opinions and shared knowledge.

Check these out. Perfect for daytime use. You can use your unaided eye for a rough bearing, and the aided eye to see up close. Dirt cheap!

https://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/t1533.html

Anyone use a golf range finder to figure out how far they have to walk to retrieve a rocket or how close is the nearest tree or object to avoid?

Take a look at the Nikon 7x50mm OceanPro Center Focus Binoculars with Compass.
Being able to watch the rocket and take a compass bearing at the same time has saved me hours of searching.
The downside, is that judging the distance to your rocket is hindered by the optical magnification.

John

Astronomer here as well, 8" Orion Dob and an 8" Celestron SCT.

Zeus-cat said:

That explains all the knights wandering around my neighborhood holding coconuts.

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They either get it or, as here, they don't.

Tarasdad said:

Astronomer here as well, 8" Orion Dob and an 8" Celestron SCT.

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18 inch Litebox dob f4.5
10 inch Cave Astrola f/6
8 inch Starsplitter f/6
7 inch Teleport f/5.6
4 inch TV101 f/5.4
4 inch Orion f/5 w/ CaK Solar filter
3 inch Vixen f/11
2 inch SolarMax Ha

Yes I have a 'problem'. :lol:

I'm a lightweight astronomer by your standards!

5" Newtonian F7 (basic. Nothing special)
70mm achromat F4.3 (great wide views, not so good for high mag. Too low a F ratio)
35mm homemade finder scope F6 (decent views. Good coatings)

Binoculars: Tasco 10x45 (for the price, pretty good binoculars. Nice widefield views of starfields. The Pleiades come out very nice!)

gdjsky01 said:

18 inch Litebox dob f4.5
10 inch Cave Astrola f/6
8 inch Starsplitter f/6
7 inch Teleport f/5.6
4 inch TV101 f/5.4
4 inch Orion f/5 w/ CaK Solar filter
3 inch Vixen f/11
2 inch SolarMax Ha

Yes I have a 'problem'. :lol:

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Some nice gear there! I'd love something with more aperture but the ones I have are pretty much my limit for weight due to a messed up spine. Well, that and budget restrictions - SSDI doesn't provide much disposable income. If I do try to save for something else it will be for a 12.5" Obsession. That won't happen until I have a permanent backyard observatory to store it in.

On the original topic, you can find some surprisingly good binoculars for under $200 if you shop around and compare.

What does it mean if something is advertised as having a "wide angle" view?

Hey all,

I want to photograph/video (using an adapter to fit a point and shoot digital camera to the eyepiece) rockets from 1000 to 2000 feet. Particularly I want to catch the apogee and ejection events. I expect to use a good tri-pod (heavy). I'm not worried about weight, or bulkiness. What about something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OUBI5A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20