Accessories: Solar

ASTRO-PHYSICS

Premium Binoculars for Astronomical Viewing

11 X 70 Premium Binoculars - PB11X70
16 X 70 Premium Binoculars - PB16X70

Binoculars are the perfect companion for the upcoming solar eclipse as well as your future nature studies and exploration of the night sky. We are pleased to offer our new 11x70 and 16x70 binoculars to accompany you on your journeys or enjoy in your backyard.

These 70mm binoculars will provide an outstanding and memorable view of the partial phases of the solar eclipse when coupled with appropriate solar filters on the front of the binocular. If you are lucky enough to be in the eclipse path, you will enjoy the full expanse of the corona in the wide field of view, solar prominences and pick up any stars and planets that appear in the darkened sky. Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury will all be viewable during totality. Do NOT view the partial phases of the eclilpse without the proper solar filters or you will damage your eyes.

If you would like to read more about the capabilities, check out Roland's comments penned in 2006 regarding the 10.5x70 and 15x70 binoculars that we offered previously. We are pleased to offer the newest rendition of these binoculars with 11mm and 16mm magnifications. They offer a flatter field, are sharper at the edges and color fringing is reduced.

Each Premium Binocular includes

Your choice of 11x or 16x power binoculars
Caps for the eyepieces and objectives
Removable strap for binocular
Padded soft-case with removable strap and internal storage pocket
Heavy-duty Tripod Adapter - metal casting construction with a rubber insert on the base, which prevents it from shifting on your tripod. You don't pay extra for this rugged adapter!

Features

High light-transmission, fully-illuminated exit pupil
Magnesium-alloy construction with rubber-armored covering for secure grip in your hands
Waterproof and shockproof - built to military standards
Nitrogen purged
High-quality eyepieces
Edge-to-edge sharp and distortion-free
Precise individual focuser for each eyepiece
Excellent contrast and definition for nighttime deep-sky viewing
¼-20 thread to attach tripod adapter
High value for the price

Specifications

	11 X 70mm (PB11X70)	16 X 70mm (PB16X70)
Magnification	11 X	16 X
Aperture	70 mm	70 mm
Exit Pupil	6.4 mm	4.4 mm
Twilight Factor	27.7	33.5
Flattener Eyepiece Design (#Elements/#Groups)	5E / 4G	8E / 5G
Apparent field of view	52.8 degrees	65.6 degrees
Actual field of view - deg.	4.8 degrees	4.1 degrees
Field of view at 1000 yds	252 ft. @ 1000 yds	216 ft. @ 1000 ft.
Field of view at 1000m	84m @ 1000m	72m @ 1000m
Eye Relief	23mm	20mm
Minimum Focus Distance	<=20m	<=24m
Light Transmission	>=90%	>=90%
Optical coatings	Every surface fully multi-coated with modern high-contrast multi-layers (HC-ML)
Porro Prism:	Barium Crown (BAK4) prisms for full illumination
Interpupillary Range	56mm - 74mm	56mm - 74mm
Positive Ocular Diopter Adjustment	+6	+10
Negataive Ocular Diopter Adjustment	-6	-10
Water Resistance / Proof	1m Water Depth / 30 min
Weight:	2.40 kg, 5.3 lb.	2.44 kg, 5.4 lb.

Choosing Your Binocular

These 70 mm binoculars come in two powers, 11x and 16x. If your preference is to do more sweeping of the skies or daytime vistas while hand holding, we would recommend the 11x, though a tripod is advised for extended viewing. The 16x binos definitely should be held on a tripod. The exit pupil on the 11x is 6.4 mm, while the 16x has a 4.4 mm exit pupil.

The smaller exit pupil of the 16x will be a better match for older eyes that do not open up to the larger diameter of the 11x version. The 16x power also will have a small advantage to the faintest magnitude star that can be seen. Eyeglass wearers note: both binoculars have fold down rubber eye cups and can be used with glasses, although some people may not be able to see the full field in the 16x model.

Quality Assurance and Warranty

Our goal at Astro-Physics has always been the complete satisfaction of our loyal customers. To that end, each and every binocular is inspected and tested before being shipped. Each Premium Binocular should provide many years of flawless service with reasonable care. Should your binoculars ever become damaged by accident or misadventure, repair service is an available option.

We warrant to the original purchaser that each pair of our Premium Binoculars will be free from all defects in materials and/or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. During that year, we will either repair or replace (at our sole discretion) any properly, cared-for unit with defects that are not the result of negligence, mishandling or abuse.

Accessories

Baader Solar Filter for Binocular, Finders and Camera Lenses (ASBF-70) - Ready-made filters from Baader Planetarium. These may be purchased individually, however are more economical to purchase as a package with your binoculars.
Kendrick Solar Filters - Ready-to-use Solar filters. Put a pair of KDRA70V filters on your binos and you're ready to observe.
Baader AstroSolar™ Film - Solar filters for your binoculars are easy to make (for the "Do-it-yourselfers") and great fun to use.

Remember: Our prices INCLUDE insured standard ground shipping to U.S. customers in the 48 contiguous states!

11x70 Premium Binoculars

16x70 Premium Binoculars

11x70 Premium Binoculars with two Baader Planetarium AstroSolar Binocular Filters (ASBF-70) for Solar Viewing

16x70 Premium Binoculars with two Baader Planetarium AstroSolar Binocular Filters (ASBF-70) for Solar Viewing

Specifications subject to change without notice.

Roland Christen's Binocular Review

Roland's comments about the previous version of these binoculars. As noted above the newer, current version provides a flatter field, are sharper at the edges and color fringing is reduced. :

"For years, I have been searching for the perfect binocular companion to my telescopes. A binocular which would be of a nice size to hand hold for wide-field sweeps of the night-sky, as well as for birds and wildlife and for long distance daytime views of mountain and ocean vistas.

Almost all inexpensive binoculars that I have tested have had too many compromises in their performance for my personal needs. I was made aware of a small company that specializes in high-quality military binoculars, and had them send me a modified set (without the military reticle) to see if this would satisfy my particularly picky requirements. I was quite surprised and delighted that finally here was a binocular that did not cut any corners in its construction, quality of materials used, or in the design of the optics, at a price that was quite reasonable to boot. After having personally tested the performance of these binoculars on the night sky, I am convinced that they are just the ticket for the amateur who wants something better than the typical run-of-the-mill commodity binocular.

To give you an idea of how well they work, I was able to easily see the stars of the Pleiades cluster before sunset while the sun was still above the horizon. The contrast was exceptional, showing all the members of this cluster as tiny pinpoints against a dark blue background. Cruising down the Milky Way under dark skies revealed countless stars, open clusters, globulars and other deep sky wonders. Even the faint members of the Leo Galaxy cluster show up nicely in both the 10.5x and 15x versions.

These binoculars feature high-tech multi-coatings on all lens and prism surfaces for highest possible light transmission and image contrast. All optical surfaces are manufactured to a high level of polish and accuracy to insure sharp images under all observing conditions. The use of oversize prisms insures excellent light throughput to the edges of the field-of-view. All-metal construction makes these binoculars rugged and stable, yet the rubber-armored covering makes them comfortable in your hands. They will not lose collimation over time or with rough handling. They are nitrogen-purged and waterproof and will not fog over internally, nor will the coatings on the internal optical surfaces degrade with time under any conditions.

We have shown these binoculars to various advanced amateurs who know good optics when they see them. Even the most knowledgeable and discriminating individuals were impressed by the sharpness and inherent brightness of these binoculars. They are fully equal to big-name premium brands sold at much higher prices. These binoculars are made to Astro-Physics’ specifications and performance requirements and we inspect each binocular to assure that these standards are met. " Roland Christen, July 2006

Astro-Physics, Inc.
11250 Forest Hills Road, Machesney Park, IL 61115, U.S.A.
Phone: 815-282-1513 Fax: 815-282-9847