Celestron 10x42 solar binoculars

[Rob63]

As promised, here is a quick review of my newly arrived Celestron Eclipsmart 10x42 Solar bins (following from topic viewtopic.php?t=40471 ).

Before I start I should point out that, as a keen wildlife watcher I am used to high quality binoculars my current favourites are a pair of Hawke Frontier ED-X 42mm which are five times the price of these Celestrons so they are never going to live up to that standard!

Ordered from Harrison telescopes in the UK for £74 and arrived the next day.

Initial impressions are pretty good, they are Chinese manufactured, Porro prism types and seem reasonably well made for the price with a rubber coated metal (aluminium?) body although a couple of parts feel a bit ‘plasticky’. Weight is 755g and they have a wide range of movement so should fit anyone’s eyes.

The eyecups are just a foldable rubber skirt affair which doesn’t feel that nice compared to “twist-up” types, but then again twist-ups are notorious for failing! I don’t wear glasses so I can’t comment on how they would feel for those that need to wear them.

The filters are very dense and look well up to the job, Interestingly the retaining ring holding the filters in place on the front optics have a thread on the inside, not sure if it is a non-standard size, I measured 43mm with a vernier caliper.

The weather has been poor here so I have only had a couple of brief sessions, but the image is clear and bright (but not too bright). The Solar disc is white and fills about 20% of the full view so it’s a decent size. To my eyes the view has a slight blue-ish hue.
I could easily make out several distinct sunspot groups (AR3296, 7 and friends ) and discern their position and general shape.
There is a bit of a colour fringing on the edges of the solar disc but it's not too bad to my eyes and to be expected at this price point.

I have added a Bino Bandit eye shield which I would consider essential for solar binoculars really, they make such a difference by shading the eyes.

These will be useful for a quick check of the solar disc before deciding to get the scope out or while I am waiting for the Quark to warm up. They will be great for grab and go occasions and taking on holiday.

I don’t have access to the Lunt SunOcculars but I would assume they are a bit better in terms of build quality, but I think the view on the 10x42 Celestrons would be preferable to the 8x32 on the Lunts, however the main decider for me was the price, in the UK the Lunt 8x32’s is around £178 against the £74 for the Celestrons. They are not a “main” viewing platform so don’t have to be perfect for my use case.

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[marktownley]

Great review, thanks Rob. I'm tempted by a pair to keep at work...

[LostInSpace]

Thanks Rob for the review.
Wonder why the threads?
Blueish ting due to the glass or the filter that Celestron uses?
VAT, duty result in the expensive price of the Lunt? The Celestron price is relatively close to what we in the USA are charged.

White light view is revealing vs. single stack H-alpha. Relative to the single stack Lunt 50THa, the umbra and prenumbra are clearly defined with higher contrast vs. the Lunt. This AM @ ~1400UTC the cluster of faint spots close to the WSW limb viewed through the Lunt turns out to be over a dozen under white light view.

Relative to yesterday morning. Seems to be increasing number of visible sun spots. H-alpha revealed more facula, filament, plage. Granulation was more detailed. Could be just a case of improved viewing conditions vs. increase activity.

[Rob63]

Thanks Rob for the review.
Wonder why the threads?
Blueish ting due to the glass or the filter that Celestron uses?
VAT, duty result in the expensive price of the Lunt? The Celestron price is relatively close to what we in the USA are charged.

The threads are probably just part of a standard retaining or reversing ring they use in their products, I doubt they are meant to be for filters but it does provide a possibility of adding one e.g. a wratten green for contrast but to be honest I doubt it's worth it.

Blueish tinge is from the filters, it's not uncommon on ND filters, the disc doesn't look blue though.

Yes, we really get hammered for imported goods in the UK, Lunt products are very expensive here but fortunately my incoming Solarscope 70mm DS is much cheaper here than in the US.

I had a decent break in the clouds for a while today and am very pleased with the view I get in the Celestron bins.
The magnification is good although they are much better if you are seated (deck chair is ideal) as it can get a bit wobbly after a while if you are standing with them.

The only thing I don't like is the black colour - it makes them look like normal binoculars and I would worry about someone picking up the wrong ones to view the Sun. It's not a concern for me but for some people it might be an idea to mark them in some way to be extra safe.

[Montana]

Thanks for a great review, very interesting!

Alexandra

[LostInSpace]

Is the cap with the Celestron logo at the front of the hinge/barrel bridge removable and deep enough threaded to accept a tripod adapter? The stick style adapters that range from $7 to $70USD at AMZ.

[Rob63]

Is the cap with the Celestron logo at the front of the hinge/barrel bridge removable and deep enough threaded to accept a tripod adapter? The stick style adapters that range from $7 to $70USD at AMZ.

The cap just pulls off to reveal a thread, I think its a standard 1/4" thread, the screw from my tripod adapter plate fits into it.

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