As mentioned in a previous post, I ended up selling my new Apertura 10" Dobsonian telescope - So that I could get myself either a binocular telescope, or perhaps an Alpha type pair of Binocs.
After constantly checking AM and CN, and not finding anything good...
I took a chance, and reached-out to an Astromart Member, who I recalled had sold some excellent binoculars in the past.
To make a long story short, I ended up buying a (very gently used) pair of APM 16x70's apochromatic bincos, featuring ED glass. When they arrived, they were basically in as-new condition. I cannot tell you how happy I was! Having been a die hard fan of binocular observing, this was like a dream-come-true for me.
Since, having owned the (legendary) Fujinon 16x70's - the original ones (which are more desirable than the current production models). One night, in my (then) Bortle 8, light polluted backyard (in Bronx NY)... I screwed-in the pair of Fujinon-manufactured, nebular (sic) filters into the threaded EP ends...and pointed those tripod-mounted Fujinons at M42. The view I had literally took my breath away. I immediately became a firm believer in binocular astronomy.
After constantly checking AM and CN, and not finding anything good...
I took a chance, and reached-out to an Astromart Member, who I recalled had sold some excellent binoculars in the past.
To make a long story short, I ended up buying a (very gently used) pair of APM 16x70's apochromatic bincos, featuring ED glass. When they arrived, they were basically in as-new condition. I cannot tell you how happy I was! Having been a die hard fan of binocular observing, this was like a dream-come-true for me.
Since, having owned the (legendary) Fujinon 16x70's - the original ones (which are more desirable than the current production models). One night, in my (then) Bortle 8, light polluted backyard (in Bronx NY)... I screwed-in the pair of Fujinon-manufactured, nebular (sic) filters into the threaded EP ends...and pointed those tripod-mounted Fujinons at M42. The view I had literally took my breath away. I immediately became a firm believer in binocular astronomy.
And it didn't take too long after that, to slowly seek-out and acquire the wonderful books on the subject...By the legendary pillars of the binocular astronomy world:
And several others...
Well, getting back to the 16x70 Apo ED glass binoculars from APM - They were amazing. I only got to use them a couple of times. And although their optical quality/performance was wonderful - I had become far too interested in planetary nebulae. And I knew that the only way to truly enjoy observing them, was with a (decent sized) telescope.
And since I was on a limited budget (which is typically the case) the only way to get a good-sized refractor (4"?) or reflector, was to sell the APM Binocs.
And that's what I decided to do...
Now, I could easily write a bunch more about the particular details of the subsequent selling & buying which took place - I'm going to perhaps save it for another post. Primarily because I'm excited to work on my next post...
It will be all about a wonderful opportunity I had, to acquire not one...but FOUR beautiful telescopes! From an extremely knowledgeable, fellow amateur astronomer on Cloudy Nights. This gentleman has enough experience with astronomy (and all it entails) that he is closer to the skill level & knowledge of a Professional Astronomer.
Well, there is a lot more to the story - Not the least of which, is the subject of the 4 telescopes which I'll be acquiring from him (sometime between now and February). In a nutshell: I'm extremely excited to share all the news - and the details about the 4 wonderful, vintage scopes!
For now, I'll point out that these will consist of:
One 4.25" reflector and three 6" reflectors...Each of these telescopes are simply wonderful (and fairly rare). One of the 6" reflectors is a real stand out. I plan to refer to it as my observatory 😄
All will be revealed in my next post
One last link about binoculars:
Here's a very useful link about repairing binoculars at home, using simple tools and materials. It deals with the testing, repair, and adjustment of binoculars. Older/vintage binoculars tend to be a lot easier to fully disassemble and repair.
Until the next post - Wishing you clear & steady skies!
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