Celestron Skymaster 25x100

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Brand and Model:Celestron Skymaster 25x100
Price ($USD):$350.00
Attributes:checked Waterproof un-checked Armored
Objective Lens Size:100 mm
Magnification:25 x
Prism Type:BAK4 Porro
Coatings:Fully Multi-Coated
Field of View:3.0 degrees
Eye Relief:10 mm
Near Focus:75 ft
Weight (lbs):9.8
Dimensions (w/h/d):10.0"x15.8"x5.0"
Description:Full length hinge bar with sliding mount...folddown rubber eyecups...individ focus...metal obj rings...pebble finish

Celestron's Skymaster Binocular Page

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Celestron Skymaster 25x100
Field of view is stated as 3.0°. It actually measures 2.45°
Oberwerk 22x100 has a measured 2.7° fov.

Objectives are multi-coated. Prisms and eyepieces are coated with what appears to be simgle MgF. Oberwerk is FMC.

Arrived with collimation only 1 arcminute out from perfect. probably would not be noticed by most people. It is noticed by my eyes.

Weight about 10#. This requires a heavy duty tripod head asembly on the order of Bogen 3246 with Bogen 501 head. About $400 for a stand up tripod.

Interpupilary distance has a very narrow to very wide adjustment, better than Oberwerk.

Eye Relief stated as 15mm and exit pupil distance actually does measure 15mm. BUT the lens is recessed 6mm. So usable eyerelief is only 9mm. With glasses on, my usual viewing mode, about 15% of the field of view is cut off. Not recommended for those who must eyeglasses. Oberwerk 22x100 has 11mm eyerelief and shows entire field of view.

A 14" double star can be cleanly split at 50% out from center, is still good at 60%, but is poor at 70% out. Even doubles of 21" and 22" can be seen at 70% to 75% out. Image sharpness drops off very quickly beyond 70% out. By 80% it is rather poor. Net usable field of view is 80% of 2.45° = 2.0°, much less than Oberwerk 22x100.

On-axis resolution is very good. I cleanly split doubles of 7.8" (Mesartim), 7.4" and 7.1"(Struve 953).

Limiting magnitude was mag 12.0 in Naked Eye mag 5.8 skies.
Looses about a half magnitude in the outer 50% of the field.

Sees more faint objects than 22x100 several 80mm binocs and Fujinon 16x70. But images are not as fine a pinpoint as the renouned Fujinon.

No CA seen on-axis, but considerable CA seen when bright objects moved to outer areas of field of view.

Center mounting post was too short. On my heavy duty tripod, I could not adjust the binoculars any closer than about 60mm IPD because the barrels hit the tripod head.

Go choice for deep sky views, but with a lot of little deficiencies that should not be present in a $300-$400 binocular.

edz

Overall Rating: 7
Optics:6 Value:8
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=404498

Celestron Skymaster 25x100
Got this about a week ago and have just given it the rudimentary once-over. Massive is the operative word here...everything is large scale. Quality of assembly seems very good...solid feel; no gaps, rough edges, etc, that you might expect in a glass this size at this price point. Coatings show no white reflections looking into the objective end, but did notice a slight difference in the right side...top of the objective seems to have a magenta cast that blends into green, whereas left side uniformly green. This doesn't seem to affect anything, but haven't really given it true tests yet. The resolution seems sharp and image brightness very good. Stated fov is 3* and this seems about right. Got close focus at about 75ft...infinity I judge to occur at about 1500m (the point at which everything from there out is in focus). Diopter adj on my example right on (I normally have 0 left eye, +1 rt eye) but collimation was slightly off....left barrell had approx 2* image tilt and about 1*below plane....not noticable in daylite use but viewing planets, stars, etc, will cause a little eyestrain trying to merge images. Advised Astronomics of this and they will trade out this one for another. After I get the other unit, will give it a good evaluation and update this rating

Overall Rating: 7
Optics:7 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=346601

Celestron Skymaster 25x100
You get what you pay for. When lined up next to equivalent Fujinon and Parks large aperture binoculars, these came in a distant 3rd. Fuji took first place. If you plan to use these regularly, and have these for a lifetime, spend the extra money on an upgrade.

Overall Rating: 6
Optics:5 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=489134

Celestron Skymaster 25x100
GOT BIG BINOCULARS ? I was in the market for some giant binoculars to try a Messier marathon this month. I ordered the orion 25x100's but the inter-ocular distance was too wide. The rubberized body was loose and they were out of collumnation so I sent them back. On adoramas' website I saw the celestron 25x100 skymaster was for sale for 199.95.I ordered a pair and they were here in three days. Much Better! They were packed very well with multiple layers.The collumnation was perfect. The covering was tight and well fitted.The focussing is smooth and the coating was even and good. They were everything I had heard.On axis resolution is very sharp, softening at around 80% from the center. Some chromatic abberation was evident, but didn't stop me from enjoying the views.The covering wasn't real pretty like my fujinons and other high end binos, but hey, They work perfect for what I bought them for and only cost $199.95. I've been doing amatuer observational astronomy for 20 years and this is one of the best deals (steals) I've seen. Better pick some up before they change their minds. I have no comercial interest in celestro or adorama either one.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=426995

Celestron Skymaster 25x100
great value for the price.i can see squirrels playing almost half a mile away.Cant wait for a full moon

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=348249

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