15 X 70mm SkyMaster

$119.95

Availability: More on the way

Standard shipping: $9.95
The Celestron 15 x 70mm SkyMaster is a surprisingly economical tool for revealing the splendors of the heavens at night and the intricate secrets of distant wildlife during the day . . .
Our Product #: C1570
Celestron Product #: 71009
 

Product Description

For astronomers, the 15 x 70mm SkyMaster is almost the equivalent of a low power 100mm rich field telescope. Using two eyes to observe, however, shows you up to 40% more detail than you see looking through the single eyepiece of a telescope. With a wide 4.4 degree field of view, you can sweep the star clouds of Sagittarius, search out the Great Galaxy M31 in Andromeda and the Pinwheel Galaxy M33 in Triangulum, take in globular clusters like M13 and M22, open clusters like the Beehive and the Wild Duck, and much more. A supplied separate tripod adapter lets you mount it on any convenient camera tripod (at 48 ounces, it is realistically too heavy to hand hold steadily enough for extended observing). The tripod adapter mounts on any standard 1/4"-20 thread 35mm or video tripod. You can use the adapter with many other binoculars, as well as the SkyMaster.

For nature study, the 15 x 70mm SkyMaster will let you observe deer feeding in distant meadows early in the morning, mother birds feeding their chicks in nearby nests, courtship behavior in distant off-shore rookeries, and more. With a close focus of 43', this is not a binocular for warblers or butterflies (unless you are watching them from across your backyard). However, its bright 4.7mm exit pupil makes it a good and very economical choice for any twilight birding or nature study activity where close focus is not required - but bright images are essential.

Eye relief is specified at a very long 18mm. While this is technically correct, the actual usable eye relief typically measures a mm or two less due to the recessing of the eyepieces when the eyecups are in the down position for eyeglass use. A shorter eye relief than specified is typical of all binoculars. There will be some minor vignetting of the field for those who must wear eyeglasses while observing. Soft roll-down eyecups shield the unaided eye from stray light when rolled up, and cushion eyeglass lenses when rolled down.

The supplied neck strap is narrow. Adding an optional wide padded neck strap would make carrying the SkyMaster more comfortable.

This center focus Z-body porro prism uses BaK-4 prisms and multicoatings for good light transmission. It comes with a lightweight soft storage case, objective lens covers, and an eyepiece rainguard. Light rubber armor with textured rubber gripping surfaces and thumb grooves provides a sure hold when dewing becomes a problem. The 15 x 70mm is water resistant, but not waterproof. Setting it down in dew-soaked grass would not be recommended.

There is some barrel distortion (straight lines at the edge of the field are curved), and some visible astigmatism and chromatic aberration at the edges of the field. However, these flaws are not obtrusive, particularly in view of the large aperture and exceptionally low price. As a first serious astronomical observing tool, as a long distance nature study instrument, or as a highly useful companion to take into the field with your telescope at night, the Celestron 15 x 70mm SkyMaster is priced to be easily affordable for any birder or astronomer.

Tech Details

Armored Yes
Close Focus 43'
Exit Pupil 4.67mm
Eye Relief 18mm
Field of view 4.4
Field of view 1000 yards 231'
Interpupillary Distance 56-72mm
Optical Type Porro Prism
Relative Brightness 21.81
Twilight Factor 32.4
Weight 48 oz
Warranty Limited Lifetime

Reviews

Review by:
I purchased these as a low cost step into larger astronomy binoculars. They have served me well. There are clearly better binoculars at higher prices in the Celestron line but these work well for the price. (Posted on 10/25/2019)
Review by:
I was looking for something easy to move around, travel with, and see objects in the night time sky, and these binoculars are awesome! I have seen craters on the moon, and Jupiter so far, and I couldn't believe these bins could actually do such a great job for viewing. They are well made and impressive. I did buy a tripod, which I use sometimes. These can be used without a tripod, as I have done, but sometimes I like having the tripod handy, if I am going to be viewing the sky for awhile. Highly recommend these. (Posted on 10/5/2019)
Review by:
15X is the max of what I can hand hold for viewing (otherwise need a tripod to prevent shaking)
Much quicker than setting up a telescope, I use for backyard star gazing with friends. Can see Jupiter with little bright dots ..those are her moons. Great terrestrial resolution as well (Posted on 10/5/2019)
Review by:
for the money, you cant beat these bino's. Can easily see 4 jupiter moons from a light polluted sky. Orion nebula is bright and well extended There is false color around bright objects, but for the price you're not going to get ED optics. Deep sky objects look just fine, and stars are pinpoints. I have a pair of 7X50's, and these are a huge step above, giving vastly brighter views. (Posted on 9/10/2019)
Review by:
In my light polluted backyard these allow me to pick out the Andromeda Galaxy. They are a little heavy. I attach to an inexpensive camera count and they allow me to find objects and share with my kids. Have been happy with. Also used when birding and they allow us to see much more than cheap 7x50 binoculars we regularly use. (Posted on 8/26/2019)
Review by:
These binoculars are interesting to review. At first, I almost couldn't stand them, I had a serious case of double vision. After a little internet searching, especially on CN, I determined that it was a collimation error and that I might be able to fix them. After fixing the collimation issue, I have been pleasantly surprised at how deep they can go. I was able to track down the Eskimo Nebula with these binoculars and Sky Safari.

I would suggest being prepared to send the first pair (or three) until you get one that is collimated out of the box. Even then, you might need to figure out how to collimate these yourself. (Posted on 1/14/2019)
Review by:
These work pretty nicely on a tall tripod so you don't need to hold them, at least for me as I am 6 feet tall an I get tired of holding them while star hopping.
Really nice wide field of view too.
I originally bought these to help teach myself the constellations and positions of messier objects when I first started out with astronomy.
Guess what? I still take them with me and my scopes as I really enjoy doing a quick survey of viewing conditions with them before i start to observe anything with my scopes.
I did learn to adjust the collimation rather quickly as well.

Just buy them if you can as they are certainly worth it at this price point. (Posted on 1/10/2019)
Review by:
Three stars, because optically, these are not the greatest, but they are very serviceable and let you try your hand at binocular astronomy for very little cash. There is obvious chromatic aberration when looking at the moon, but the view is still very crisp and detailed. The large objectives gather enough light to see many of the brighter Messier objects, especially under dark skies. There are a lot of posts on the interwebs describing how easily they become misaligned even with careful use. I've read many accounts of people sending new ones back multiple times because of mis-alignment. Maybe true, BUT, these have easily accessible collimation adjustment screws and with a small flat-blade screw driver, they are easy to realign. Just as a Newtonian telescope requires frequent collimation, these binoculars do too. If you accept that and keep a jeweler's screwdriver handy, you can expect to use these for many years without problems. Look at it as the price to pay for inexpensive astro binoculars. The quality for the price just can't be beaten. (Posted on 11/2/2018)
Review by:
Optically, these are not the greatest, but they are very serviceable for trying your hand at binocular astronomy. There is obvious chromatic aberration when looking at the moon, but the view is still very crisp and detailed. The large objectives gathering enough light to see many of the brighter Messier objects, especially under dark skies. There are a lot of posts on the interwebs describing how easily they become misaligned they even with careful use. I've read many accounts of people sending new ones back multiple times because of mis-alignment. However, these have easily accessible collimation adjustment screws and with a small flat-blade screw driver, they are easy to realign*. Just as a Newtonian telescope requires frequent collimation, these binoculars do too. If you accept that and keep a jeweler's screwdriver handy, you can expect to use these for many years without problems. Look at it as the price to pay for inexpensive astro binoculars. The quality for the price just can't be beaten.
* Restrict yourself to adjusting only one side, either left or right, and stick to that side only. That will keep you from moving the alignment too far away from the factory settings. (Posted on 11/2/2018)
Review by:
I was delighted to receive these binoculars as a gift and have enjoyed scanning the sky with them. 70mm aperture really opens up what can be seen, especially under dark skies. Messier objects pop into view as do larger nebula such as the North American or Veil nebulas. I had some issues with collimation which made the binoculars difficult to use for longer lengths of time. To correct required some disassembly of the body (peeling back rubber grips, etc). (Posted on 10/24/2018)
Review by:
These are some great binoculars for those on a budget. They provide clear, crisp images with a minimal amount of chromatic aberration- excellent for astronomy or low light situations. I would definitely recommend using a mount for these though, as their high power tends to cause images to bounce with the slightest movement. (Posted on 10/14/2018)
Review by:
The Celestron Skymaster 15x70's are a solid pair of binoculars. They are best used in combination with a reasonably good tripod. They can be hand held for short periods but the views are shaky at 15x. If you stabilize them against something or yourself while, say, leaning back in a chair, they give improved views. The tripod is best, though. They provide better magnification and can aid with telescope starhopping in light polluted skies like in northern kentucky near cincinnati. The views are good, too. Finding star clusters has proven one of their strengths in this environment.

My pair came with a bit of mis-collimation between the two sides. This was remedied by using a tripod and looking up some online instructions. Finding the small screws inside the rubber armor was only a little bit tricky as was the process of adjusting the collimation. This adjustment has held for a couple years now. I haven't dropped them yet, so I can't comment on their durability, but the collimation is still good. The center focus and individual eyepiece focus are a bit stiff, which matters a bit when trying to focus in accurately on, for instance, sunspots, nothing unreasonable, just a feature.

I recommend them, given that they are relatively inexpensive by comparison to other models of 15x70's. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
I've had these ones for over 5 years. They are fun for sweeping the heavens. Scorpio and sagitarius area look amazing. The only complain i have is that. almost every time i use them i have to calibrate the eyepieces, that is, i have to focus both eyepieces so i don't see a blurry image. But concerts on stadiums these are also very good, you don't want to stop using them, of course until your wife wants them too :).

Clear skies
Javier. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
Best "bang for the buck" you can find in astronomical binoculars. Very reasonably priced in comparison to others, these binos deliver performance on equal or better than most. At 15X with 70mm objectives they are not light and can give some smaller people problems when they are hand-held (an issue I don't seem to have a problem with) they can be tripod mounted for extra steadiness. for me, I prefer hand-holding as these binos act as my "grab and go" instrument. The 15X is more than sufficient for viewing the Gallilean moons of Jupiter, but are just barely on the edge of enough magnification to resolve the rings of Saturn. The 70mm objectives give a good bright view bringing many of the brighter nebulae and globular clusters into view along with great views of open clusters. No reason why you can't knoock out at tleast 3/4 of the Messier list with these under darker skies. To summarize, you can't go wrong with the Skymaster 15x70's. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
Bought these from another webstore quite a while ago. I use them with a cheap monopod, ball joint adapter, and the included stand adapter. The views from these binos are excellent, on a good night you can catch some of the brighter Messier objects (M31 and M42 show up especially well), a little bit of colour from most of the planets, and Jupiter's Gallilean moons. The terrestrial viewing is also excellent.

One thing to bear in mind is that these binoculars are _heavy_, I don't think you'd be able to use them without some kind of stabilizer, if I were out and about more I'd probably shell out for a tall tripod so that I don't have to hold them at all.

Not much in the way of gripes - the carrying case is a little cheap, the eyepiece lens-cap is one piece and falls off easily if the binos aren't fully opened, and the focuser's action is quite stiff until it's been used a bit, but none of these points are insurmountable with either care or use, overall an excellent set of starter binoculars. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
These are a big leap over the typical 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars you find in sporting goods stores or on-line, especially considering the price. If you are looking for your first pair of binoculars and stargazing is your main goal I highly recommend these over 10x50 binos. These binoculars allow you to see all of the Messier objects from a dark sky site and give nice bright views. For daytime use, the extra magnification and brighter views over 7/10x50 binos really help when viewing wildlife especially in low light conditions. The eye lenses are nice and big and have excellent eye relief; I have no problem seeing the full field of view with my glasses on. The weight of these is very manageable with no problem hand holding for a couple minutes. The only problems I've seen are that the focus can go out easily when you're pressing your eyes up to the eye-cups and the included tripod adapter is a bit flimsy. All in all the you get way more than you pay for in comparison to similar binoculars costing $250-$500 for the same 15x70 type. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
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Supplied Accessories

  • Soft case with carry strap
  • Thin neck strap
  • Eyepiece rainguard
  • Objective lens covers
  • Tripod adapter