My Binoculars

Look | Basic Data | Visited Sky Objects | Conclusions | Links

On this page, I provide some information about my two binoculars, which I also use to observe sky objects. One of them is my fairly old Leica Trinovid 10 x 25 BC, and the latest are the TS 10 x 60 LE Porro binoculars.

Note: I order to avoid redundancy (and work), I list the extended observation data only on the pages for the respective deep sky objects.

 

Look

A special feature of the Leica Trinovid is that you can push the eyepieces down if you use the binoculars with glasses. With the TS binoculars, you can fold back the rubber eyecups for this purpose.

 

Technical Data

  Leica Trinovid 10 x 25 BC TS 10 x 60 LE
Aperture 25 mm 60 mm
Magnification 10 x 10 x
Entry Pupil 25 mm n.a. (60 mm?)
Exit Pupil 2.5 mm 6 mm
Prism Type Roof prisms Porro prisms (BAK-4)
Coating n.a. Full broadband multicoating
Twilight Factor 15.8 24.5
Eye Relief n.a. 19.9 mm - retractable rubber eyeguard, fully suitable for spectacle wearers
Field of View 90 m for 1000 m / 5.2° true field of view 92 m for 1000 m / 5.3° true field of view
Focus Range 5 m to infinity 6 m to infinity
Weight 245 g (242 g including carrying strap*) 1200 g (1075 g including carrying strap*)
Dimensions 110 x 60 x 36 mm (L x W x H) 230 x 190 x 75 mm (L x W x H)
Rubber Armoring no yes
Tripod Adaptation no yes, optionally available (adapter)

*) own measurement

 

Visited Sky Objects

Note: I order to avoid too much redundancy (and work), I list the extended observation data only on the pages for the respective deep sky objects. In addition, I also list observations with the Omegon 2.1 x 42 wide-field binoculars* here.

DSO
Name Constellation Type
Binoculars
Leica Trinovid 10 x 25 BC TS 10 x 60 LE OM 2.1 x 42*
Cr 399 Coat Hanger Vulpecula P yes yes  
M 3   Canes Venatici GC   yes  
M 4   Scorpius GC   yes  
M 5   Serpens Caput GC   yes  
M 8 Lagoon Nebula (and NGC 6530) Andromeda GN+OC yes yes  
M 10   Ophiuchus KS   yes  
M 11 Wild Duck Cluster Scutum OC yes yes  
M 12   Ophiuchus KS   yes  
M 13 Hercules Cluster Hercules GC yes yes  
M 14   Ophiuchus KS   yes  
M 22   Sagittarius GC   yes  
M 31 Andromeda Galaxy Andromeda G yes yes yes
M 33 Triangulum Galaxy Triangulum G yes ---  
M 34   Perseus OC yes yes  
M 35   Gemini OC yes yes  
M 36   Auriga OC yes yes  
M 37   Auriga OC yes yes  
M 38   Auriga OC yes yes  
M 39   Cygnus OC yes yes  
M 41   Canis Major OC yes yes  
M 42/43 Orion Nebula Orion GNE yes yes  
M 44 Praesepe/Crib Cancer OC yes yes yes
M 45 Pleiades/Seven Sisters Taurus OC yes yes  
M 48   Hydra OC   yes  
M 50   Monoceros OC   yes  
M 67   Cancer OC   yes  
M 80   Scorpius GC   yes  
M 92   Hercules GC yes yes  
Mel 20 Alpha Persei (= Mirfak) Cluster Perseus OC yes yes yes
Mel 25 Hyades Taurus OC yes yes  
Mel 111 Coma Berenices Cluster Coma Berenices OC yes ---  
NGC 884/869 Perseus Double Cluster Perseus OC yes yes yes
St 2 Muscle Man Cassiopeia OC yes yes  
Double Stars
Albireo   Cygnus DS   not separated  
Alcor and Mizar   Ursa Major DS Alcor (Little Rider) and Mizar separated, Mizar itself not separated
Double Double   Lyra DS Only two stars seen, not seen as double stars (that is, not as four stars)

G = galaxy, GNE = galactic emission nebula, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster, P = star pattern, DS = double star
*) No longer in my possesssion

 

Conclusions

Leica Trinovid 10 x 25 BC

I bought the Leica Trinovid in the early 1990s, because I wanted compact and powerful binoculars that I would gladly take with me on my trips. It did not disappoint me in this respect. Of course, I also used the binoculars for sky observations, well knowing that it is actually the exact opposite of a night glass, because until recently I had no other binoculars. The moon can be observed quite well with these binoculars, and in 2017, I was even able to see the Andromeda galaxy very nicely at the dark French night sky (in any case, better than ever before...). These binoculars are also well suited to observing larger open star clusters, although a magnification of 10 x is sometimes already too much, whereas for smaller open and globular clusters (and most galaxies) it may be too little.

TS 10 x 60 LE

I bought the TS 10 x 60 LE Porro binoculars in October 2017 (at Teleskop-Spezialisten), because, after the good experiences in September 2017 with a dark night sky in France, I wanted to explore whether a night glass can show even more objects than the Leica binoculars already do. After about a year of experience with these binoculars, I can state that the image has much more contrast than that of the Trinovid and that I can also see more faint stars with it. Regarding the pure recognizability of deep sky objects, however, there does not seem to be a big difference between the two binoculars. I can find most of the sky objects with both of them, but they typically appear more beautiful in TS binoculars. All in all I do not regret the purchase of the TS binoculars, and I am quite happy with them!

Of course, the TS binoculars are much heavier than the Leica Trinovid (though not as heavy as stated in the specifications). Due to the higher weight, I can keep it more steady than the Trinovid, but on the other hand, my arms also get tired much faster ...

Sometimes, I have problems with setting the glass correctly, especially setting the angle, and from time to time also with focusing. But these problems may be related to my eyes. The Trinovid is certainly less problematic for me.

In daylight, the TS binoculars exhibit magenta and cyan color fringes at dark edges (for example, if you view dark branches or a crow against the bright sky), which are more or less disturbing. At night, color fringes are unnoticeable and therefore not disturbing when I observe stars and DSOs. When observing the moon, I find some color fringes (depending on the moon's brightness), but the fringes are not disturbing for me.

 

Links

 

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06.08.2024