You get good magnification, with a waterproof (IPX7 rating) and fogproof design in a lightweight package (11.8 ounces). These also have two things that specifically make them great for kids: rugged construction and a nice, rubberized grip. I can’t tell you how many trees and rocks these have bashed into while around my son’s neck, and they’re still as good as new.<\/p>\n
Stargazing Binoculars<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"Three-quarter](\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/660c6f9a9149154d6ebfc33e\/4:3\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/Celestron-Skymaster-15x70-Offwhite-Background-SOURCE-Celestron.jpg\"\/)
<\/picture><\/span><\/a><\/div>\nPhotograph: Celestron<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
When you think stargazing you probably think telescopes, but binoculars can work too, especially larger, higher-magnification models like these Celestron Skymasters. The first thing to know is that these are huge\u2014most of the time you’ll want to use them with a tripod, which is not included in the price (they do include an adapter, which I used to put them on a photo tripod, which worked fine). The Porro prism design (see above), with 15x magnification and 70mm objective lenses, make these nice and bright, perfect for getting good views of the moon. They also work for larger clusters and nebulae. They do work for birding as well, but it’s more like using a spotting scope. They’re nice for digiscoping, though if you’re viewing something reasonably stationary, like water birds.<\/p>\n
As with all Celestron binos there’s a nice big, smooth focusing knob, and they also have long eye relief which makes them easy to use with glasses. There is a fair bit of chromatic aberration, especially with bright stars or the moon, but I didn’t find it distracting. In fact, for the price, these provide surprisingly great views.<\/p>\n
Image-Stabilizing Binoculars<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Image-stabilized binoculars use electronics to smooth out your view, similar to what action cams do to get rid of jittery video. There are quite a few models out there, and we are still testing, but here are a few that have stood out from the pack so far.<\/p>\n
<\/picture><\/span><\/a><\/div>\nPhotograph: Celestron<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
When you think stargazing you probably think telescopes, but binoculars can work too, especially larger, higher-magnification models like these Celestron Skymasters. The first thing to know is that these are huge\u2014most of the time you’ll want to use them with a tripod, which is not included in the price (they do include an adapter, which I used to put them on a photo tripod, which worked fine). The Porro prism design (see above), with 15x magnification and 70mm objective lenses, make these nice and bright, perfect for getting good views of the moon. They also work for larger clusters and nebulae. They do work for birding as well, but it’s more like using a spotting scope. They’re nice for digiscoping, though if you’re viewing something reasonably stationary, like water birds.<\/p>\n
As with all Celestron binos there’s a nice big, smooth focusing knob, and they also have long eye relief which makes them easy to use with glasses. There is a fair bit of chromatic aberration, especially with bright stars or the moon, but I didn’t find it distracting. In fact, for the price, these provide surprisingly great views.<\/p>\n
Image-Stabilizing Binoculars<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Image-stabilized binoculars use electronics to smooth out your view, similar to what action cams do to get rid of jittery video. There are quite a few models out there, and we are still testing, but here are a few that have stood out from the pack so far.<\/p>\n
![\"Overhead](\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/67d71e291082e4d970f03453\/4:3\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/Canon-8x20-Image-Stabilization-Binoculars-Top-Reviewer-Photo-(no-border)-SOURCE-Caramel-Quin.jpg\"\/)
<\/picture><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n