SkyMaster 12x60 Binoculars for Astronomy & Wide-Field Viewing | Wide-field Astronomy Binoculars, Multi-Coated BaK-4 Optics, Comfortable Handheld Viewing, Soft Carrying Case

I've never written a review for anything on Amazon before but i'm so pleased with this purchase I felt the need to write one. I just took these out, the first clear night since they arrived, and I was blown away by how good these are for a $60 binocular. I purchased the 12x60 and was totally surprised by the clarity of the image. I just took them out in my driveway for a quick test and ended up spending a few hours using them! Jupiter was large and bright, couldn't make out the bands or the red storm but I could see the Galilean moons surprisingly well. Saturn was too small to see any detail but I could just about make out the shadow of the rings across it. Finally I was pleasantly surprised to be able to spot Andromeda with them, something I hadn't expected at all. Unfortunately there was no Moon tonight but everything I did see was incredibly crisp and clear for a pair of binoculars. There was a little color aberration around bright objects but it wasn't super notable. I enjoyed using these way more than any amateur telescope i've tried, completely worth the price point! It's also worth noting that the two eye pieces give a much greater field of view than a telescope. The one negative is I don't have a tripod for them yet and it would have made more viewing much more enjoyable. These binoculars are big too so they hurt your arms to hold for long periods. I'm very happy with these, can't wait to do hours more star gazing with these! I look forward to using them to look at the Moon.

I just came in from my first night with these and I love them. For comparison I also have the Celestron 25x70 binoculars and a Celestron Nexstar 8SE. I like the 25x70s, but they do really need to be on a tripod mount for comfortable and stable viewing. I got these for nights when I just want to lay in a lawn chair and look at the sky. 12x60 was just a little extra oomph compared to 10x50 but I still had no trouble holding them still enough for a good picture. Unlike my 25x70s the collimation on these was good right out of the box. The magnification is enough to see the disc of Jupiter and its moons. Saturn is clearly an oval shape, but not with much detail. Andromeda can be seen, and based on my experience with other binoculars the Pleiades will also look amazing (better than in a telescope actually, due to the FOV). Some open star clusters and double stars are also doable. And of course, the moon. I highly recommend these for new astronomers. Binoculars offer better bang-for-buck at this price range than a telescope will, and the wider FOV is very useful as you learn to search the sky. I'd also recommend them for those with a telescope too. It's nice to have optics that are literally just grab and go, especially on nights when the weather makes you question the effort.

This review is for the Celestron SkyMaster 12x60 Binoculars. I purchased these binoculars for celestial viewing, stargazing and to watch satellites zip across the night skies. I had originally purchased the Skymaster 25x70 binoculars which are outstanding in their own right. However, for my purposes the 25x70's were to heavy for hand held viewing and are best used with a tripod exclusively. Pro's of the 12x60 SkyMasters 1. BaK-4 Prisms offer crisp clear images, the binoculars are easy to adjust and focus, Field of View is outstanding. 2. Built well, rubber grips make holding the binoculars easy, even in difficult conditions or while wearing gloves. 3. The binoculars are designed for celestial use, however they work great for terrestrial viewing as well. 4. Water Resistant, the binoculars are not "waterproof" remember, these binoculars are designed for celestial viewing. If you will be using your binoculars near water, consider binoculars with marine specs. 5. Protective lens cups are made from good quality rubber, fit firmly on the lenses, but are easy to remove. 6. Although the 12x60 binoculars do not offer the higher magnification found in their larger siblings, you can easily see the moons craters, really viewing the moon regardless of the phase is impressive. 7. The binoculars offer great magnification while still very manageable when viewing by hand, weight approx. 2.4 lbs. 8. Value, I purchased these binoculars for 83 dollars on sale, they should have came with a tripod adapter and a better neck strap, more on that later... still a good value for the product itself. 9. Storage case is a good nylon material with cloth lining and a shoulder strap. 10. The instruction manual is easy to follow and printed on large quality paper. Most people won't look at it, but hey, a Pro is a Pro right? Cons. 1. The binoculars are tripod adaptable with a standard 1/4-20 screw port located on the front of the bridge. A tripod adaptor is not included with the 12x60 Skymaster, however a tripod adaptor is included with the 15x70 Skymasters. I'm assuming this is because once you go beyond a 60mm objective lens, using a tripod is a more practical application. This notwithstanding, when I purchased the 12x60 Skymasters for 83 dollars US, the 15x70's were on sale for 81 dollars US. A moot point except a good quality tripod adaptor cost anywhere from 18 to 30 dollars. If indeed you will be using your binoculars with a tripod more than by hand, consider the 15x70's as you will most likely be looking for a higher level of magnification anyway. 2. As noted, the binoculars weight approx. 2.4 lbs. this is not an unmanageable weight for most adults, however the neck strap that is advertised on the products page is not what I personally received. I received a very small 1/4 inch wide strap with no clips or reasonable means to secure the strap (see photo). To be fair, I did contact Amazon and they provided funding to purchase a suitable neck strap (photo below), regardless it really isn't their problem to solve. Celestron needs to do a better job in regard to accessories. At the very least, provide what's being advertised and have clean photo images so the consumer knows what they are getting. Note: It is for the lack of correct accessories or the absence thereof, not the performance or the quality of the binoculars themselves that I gave the 12x60 SkyMaster Binoculars 4 stars instead of 5 stars. The packaged items and accessories do not change, regardless of the sale prices. When the 12x60 SkyMaster Binoculars are not on sale, they retail for 109 dollars US, and for that price point, you should be provided a quality neck strap. I own a nice tripod and adaptors so not having a tripod adaptor included was not a problem for me, although as a consumer, I believe every penny counts. Celestron would benefit their customers if they included a tripod adaptor with each of the Skymaster products.

These binoculars are well made and sturdy. They come with caps on all the lenses and a case with strap for carrying. Also included is a thin strap for putting on the binoculars themselves to wear around the neck (the strap is on the thin side for neck wearing and I'd recommend getting one of those more comfortable thick straps for that). Looking out at the night sky is fantastic. Not long after we got these, their was a night when the moon was the tiniest sliver and so near the horizon that it appeared larger and orange in color. In addition on that night you could see Venus clearly as well as Mars (smaller and also orange) near the moon. It was a sight to behold. Never have I seen such clarity with such a moon as that--to me it a once in a lifetime view and the perfect way to test out these fabulous binoculars. We can definitely see more stuff up in the night sky than with our lesser binocs. This set is heavier than the average binocs, but we expected that. They also sell a tripod that will fit these if you'd like. Of course there are stronger (and heavier) binoculars out there, but these are great for travel and everyday use. Looking at the constellations, nebulas, red giants, and galaxies is a wonder. Great basic binoculars for any household to open up the skies (and your neighborhood-haha).

They're good. I'm new to binoculars so I can't really go into detail about things like chromatic aberration and whatnot but I can that they're at least good for amateurs. Focusing is easy and the detail is crisp (in the eye of a beginner). They're quite sturdy and definitely have some weight to them. I recommend a tripod or resting your elbows on a table for stability. Since these are on the lower price end, I recommend not bumping/hitting them since cheap celestron definitely isn't the sturdiest when it comes to collamination. My pair have taken 2 decent drops but it's probably just luck that they're still collaminated. Overall, they're good. If they aren't collaminated, just exchange them for another pair.

Great bang for the buck. A little difficult to focus sometimes, but i think that's to be expected for the price. I can make out the moons of Jupiter (as tiny dots, but they're there!) See plenty of detail on the moon. Nebulosity in the great orion nebula. I also purchased a pair of the skymaster 9x63, the optics are clearly better, with more crisp views but again dollar for dollar the 12x60's pack plenty of results. If you've never looked up at the night sky through a pair of binoculars this is a great place to start. One warning i would issue here, is if you are smaller person, free handing these may get a little tiresome due to their weight and size, but you'd probably be fine if you're laying back while observing.

Looking for something light and yet farther reaching than 10 x 50s? These Celestron 12 x 60mm are high quality build, BAK-4 prisms, multicoated. Collimation on my example was perfect. See more than 10 x 50s and not have to resort to the 15 x 70mm Celestron's. However those are great as well so bought a pair of those from Amazon as well. BEST BUYS!

Excelente imagen!!! Muy bien la calidad de los materiales, los prismas BK4 si hacen diferencia, súper recomendados, la luna se ve hermosa y puedes observar muchas más estrellas que las que se perciben a simple vista.

Fue una excelente compra, cumplió totalmente mis expectativas. Los quería para observación astronómica y me sorprendió gratamente la gran potencia que tienen. Los cráteres de la luna se ven increíbles, por ejemplo, y con buena estabilidad logré incluso ver 4 lunas de Júpiter y los anillos de Saturno. Bastante bien para ser binoculares, y de sólo 12x60 aumentos. Estoy tan satisfecho que estoy considerando invertir en el modelo de 25x100.

En mi caso compré los 12x60. El empaquetado es correcto, proporciona una protección suficiente, dentro todo está bien ajustado con ayuda de foam y entre los tubos objetivos también dispone de un bloque de foam que evita que se flexionen o lleguen a partir en un caso extremo. Llegaron en perfecto estado, tanto es así que no han tenido desajuste alguno en los prismas que requiera colimación, por tanto la visión que proporcionan es perfectamente nítida y no presentan visión doble. Trae con ellos una bolsa de transporte muy básica, cierra con velcro y sirve para poco más que resguardarlos del polvo, también un pequeño paño suave típico de óptica para limpiar las lentes y una correa de cuello que es de risa, no parece que se rompa con la mirada, le he hecho por curiosidad algunas pruebas de tensión y aguanta bien, pero sí es muy estrecha dando la sensación de que va a molestar en la zona del cuello si los llevas un buen rato colgando, así que yo recomendaría añadir a la compra como mínimo una correa más decente. En contraposición a esos añadidos muy apretaditos en presupuesto tenemos que la calidad de construcción de los prismáticos en sí es muy buena, los materiales se ven muy decentes y son bonitos, la rueda de enfoque no presenta holgura y es lo suficientemente dura en su recorrido como para no moverla accidentalmente, las gomas de los oculares se pueden retraer para hacer fotos y se pueden usar con gafas ya que contamos con una distancia ocular de 17mm (quizá sea apropiado retraer también las gomas oculares para ello), adicionalmente y no obstante puedes ajustar las dioptrías del ocular derecho en un intervalo bastante generoso para ajustarlos a vistas miopes/hipermétropes, los prismas Bak-4 generan en la pupila de salida una imagen completamente circular y nítida dando fe de su calidad y cuentan con resistencia al agua, pero NO son impermeables no confundir los términos. Son completamente usables a pulso, pero tengo dos cosas que puntualizar: 1- Peso de 1,1 kg aproximadamente, diría que entramos en la frontera donde a algunos le pueden parecer pesados y a otros no...No sabría decir, de momento no he hecho un uso prolongado, pero sí que he percibido eso aunque yo en lo personal no los noto. 2- Lo mismo se aplica para los aumentos, 12x ya es lo suficientemente sensible como para que quien tiene el pulso que es «incapaz de robar panderetas» sufra en ciertos escenarios por que la imagen tiemble, sea como sea donde más se va a notar esa falta de pulso es mirando a las estrellas y planetas, al menos esa ha sido mi percepción, en terrestre quizá yendo al detalle. Dada la situación en la que se encuentran estos prismáticos entre ambos mundos, terrestre y celeste, estos dos puntos son muy personales, en mi caso no suponen un problema por lo que he probado, pero a lo mejor a ti sí te lo suponen y debes considerar la compra de un tripode posteriormente para uno u otro escenario, si es algo que puedas considerar tu problema estaría solucionado. ¿Qué se ve? Lo único que he comprobado hasta ahora en un ambiente con bastante contaminación lumínica es Júpiter y puedo decir que, con la vista habituada a la oscuridad al menos un poco, se distinguen los satélites galileanos sin problema por ejemplo, más allá de eso dicen que a Saturno lo puedes distinguir con una forma claramente ovalada, pero en mi caso en el momento en que me puse a mirar un poco estaba ubicado en un lugar que desde mi casa es difícilmente alcanzable y preferí esperar a otro momento. Teniendo eso como referencia no dudo que se podrán ver algunas nebulosas, cúmulos, a M31 (Andrómeda) y que la Luna se podrá observar muy bien. En cuanto a observación terrestre son muy satisfactorios, te permiten distinguir detalles a bastante distancia, de ese modo puedes ver como trabajan otros desde una valla con tus pipas a varios km de distancia; en cualquiera de los dos casos su amplia apertura en las lentes objetivo así como su gran diámetro de pupila de 5mm proporcionan una visión muy luminosa, clara y no presentan aberraciones muy marcadas o molestas. Como punto negativo decir que el capuchón protector grande de los oculares se cae solo en ciertas posiciones, así que es altamente recomendable pasar la correa que le pongas por una abertura que tiene para mantenerlo amarrado y que no se pierda. En definitiva yo creo que como prismáticos para aficionados estos representan el punto polivalente ideal para quienes quieran uso astronómico y terrestre, ya que para uso terrestre se comportan muy bien, puedes verle las espinillas a un gorrión y para un uso astronómico te van a dejar satisfecho. Sin embargo si te vas a inclinar claramente al uso astronómico pero no quieres un telescopio yo consideraría unos prismáticos con más apertura y aumento sin ninguna duda.

Very good product. Worth for money 💰. I love it.

كل عين لوحدها ماانصح احد فيه

all good