Celestron SkyMaster 25x70 Binoculars for Astronomy, Long-Range & Wildlife

I picked these up to complement a pair of 10x binoculars that live on my desk. Most of the time the 10 powers are enough, but occasionally I want a closer look at distant wildlife, especially the hawks that like to perch in trees well beyond the range where my standard binoculars are comfortable. For that purpose, these have been excellent. The extra magnification makes a noticeable difference when observing birds at longer distances, and the image quality is much better than the bargain-bin high-power binoculars I've tried over the years. They're certainly not cheap, but compared to many other 20x+ options, I think they offer a reasonable balance between performance and price. A few things I particularly like: * clear image * good magnification for distant wildlife * reasonably comfortable to use * solid value compared to higher-end alternatives * noticeably more capable than true budget optics One thing worth discussing is the astronomy marketing. These are frequently advertised as astronomy binoculars, and while they can certainly be used that way, I'm not sure that's where they shine best. I've pointed them at the moon a handful of times and was genuinely impressed by the amount of detail visible. Beyond that, however, I haven't personally gotten much use out of them for stargazing. That may say more about me than the binoculars. Astronomy isn't really my hobby, and I'm sure someone with more experience under dark skies could get more out of them than I have. For terrestrial use, though, they've been fantastic. They're also lighter and easier to handle than I expected given the magnification. That said, 25x is still 25x. You can absolutely hand-hold them for casual viewing, but image shake is noticeable, especially when you're trying to study a distant subject for more than a few seconds. I haven't felt the need to buy a tripod adapter, but I do find they're much easier to use when I can brace myself against something. Most of my viewing is done from a desk, and simply resting my elbows on the desktop makes a significant difference in stability and viewing comfort. If your primary interest is: * bird watching * wildlife observation * distant landscape viewing * having more reach than standard binoculars without moving to a spotting scope these are a very nice option. Overall, I've been very happy with the purchase. They filled exactly the niche I wanted between standard binoculars and a dedicated spotting scope, and they've become my preferred choice whenever I need a little more magnification.

I originally gave these four stars because the focus has play in it. I bumped them up to 5 stars because of the low price and the fantastic astronomical views. They stay in the focus you put them in, but the play occurs only during adjustment. My 16x50 is much better for daytime sight seeing. 1. The eyepiece lens is 23mm, vs 18mm for my Nikon Aculon 16x50, 16mm for my Celestron 10x50, and 13mm for my Tasco 7x35. Despite this, they have the same eye relief as the smaller binoculars, and also a moderately smaller apparent field of view. 2. I followed the exit pupil, drew a triangle, and quickly and accurately measured the apparent field of view of the Celestron 25x70 to be only 57.5 degrees, and that is the maximum no matter where your eye is. My Nikon's are 61 degrees, my Celestron 10x50 is 60 degrees, and my Tascos are 58 degrees. Visual observation confirms these math measurements. 3. They are noticeably heavier than my other binos, but not a lot. 4. They are easy to hand hold very steady in the day time, without resting my elbows on anything. At night it is much better to have something to brace my elbows on. 5. They look like they are good quality, other than the thin strap. 6. They are 10.4 inches long, and 8 inches wide. 7. There depth of focus is less than that of lower powered binoculars, so I really have to adjust them as I aim around at stuff terrestrially at different distances. These are better for astronomy than for birding. My 10x and lower did not need to be adjusted much unless I looked at something really close. My 16x is in between, but still pretty forgiving. 8. The focus is smooth but has a short lag, and requires diopter adjustment of the right eye to compensate for the lag. In cold weather, the focus wheel is tighter than any of my other binos, but still reasonable enough to turn. 9. I am a bit near sighted, so I get a closer near focus at around 50 or 60 feet instead of the advertised 75 ft. My nikons near focus at 18 ft, not their advertised 28 ft. As many other reviewers already said, the eyepiece barrels seem too big around, and pinch my nose if I try to get closer to the eyepiece. However, if I carefully measure the interpupilary distance, I can place them so I see the full field of view without the pinch. It just does not come as naturally as with my 10x50. I separated them to see if getting one eye closer would give a bigger field of view, but it did not. I guess how close I get is close enough. It just feels weird them being that far out on my nose and making that third point of contact like that. Edit: next day: I'm getting used to the new feeling. The correct place to hold these binoculars is by the barrels in front of the prisms. That is how to get steadier views. Better yet, slouch down in a chair and put your elbows on the arm rests. Then all you'll see is your heart beat. I looked at a distant light, and compared its size to the Nikon's 16x. I find it very believable the Celestrons are 25x. The field of view is not as wide as advertised. The apparent field of view is 57.4 degrees, not 61. The belt of Orion just barely fits in the view. The moon is 30% of the view. The true field of view is 2.4 degrees, not the advertised 2.7 degrees. The arms of the eyepiece adjuster also have some wiggle in them causing a 1/4 inch delay when turning the adjuster wheel. I have had to re-adjust the right diopter even when I did not touch the center wheel, indicating it might be moving a bit. But it does not take long to get back into focus. There is also a flare visible off to the side of the exit pupil, though I don't see it during astronomy. Despite these flaws, I can't subtract a star at only $70 shipped. These binoculars are a league above my 10x50 for astronomical viewing, at least in terms of looking at individual targets. A telescope has many advantages, but these are grab and go. However, to see the phase of Venus, you need to stop down the aperture and sit down to brace your view. ------------------------- I easily saw the correct shape of the Orion nebula on a half moon when my 10x50 could see nothing. I could see the dark side of the half moon, whereas my 10x50 could only see the bright side. My 16x50 also saw the dark side. Jupiter looks much bigger in the 25x70, but I may need to reduce the aperture to see the stripes. I can see bands on Jupiter 114mm f8 Newtonian telescope at 28x, but I can't see bands at 25x in the binoculars. The Pleiades look much better in the 25x70 than in the telescope or my other binoculars. The double cluster in Perseus is clearly visible in the 25x70, and looks tiny with an almost stellar core in my 10x50. Andromeda, M31, looks better, with M32 and M110 noticeable by it, and very hard to see in my 10x50. I can see a tiny ring around Saturn at 28x in my telescope, but at 25x, I sometimes see a ring around Saturn and sometimes I don't. On the day that I could see a ring, my 16x50 detected ears. I can see M13 and other globular clusters as small fuzzy balls. I could find them in my 16x, but smaller. In my 10x, I can locate most of them, but they look like stars. Maybe I can detect a little fuzz on M13. In my 7x, I can't locate most of them, but I can see M13 and maybe a few others, though I don't remember. All of my observing was hand held, unbraced. I could point them at whatever I wanted and hit my targets just fine. I had trouble hitting Andromeda right away because I could not see it naked eye. M82 and M81 are easy to identify in my 25x70 as I sweep over them. I can see the cigar shape of M82 in my 16x50 too, though I can't find either one in my 10x50. I can see a mountain range on the moon in the 25x70 when my elbows are braced. I've not yet found it in my 16x50. Airplanes look bigger but take longer to find in my 25x70. At 25x, you can't tell where you are in the sky from the star orientations. You just have to point and look, and you know where you are when you see the object you are looking for. At 16x, I can pan around from bright star to bright star and figure out where I am by memory. At 10x, I can see some bright stars in the same field of view, but have to pan for others. And at 7x, you can easily see where you are. I actually think my view of M31 was more enjoyable in a 15x70 than in these 25x70, though I know the Orion nebula is better at 25x. It keeps getter better even at 60x. M33 can be located at lower power, but the 25x70 gave the best view, giving maybe a hint of spiral structure.

Pretty amazing value for the dollar. $65 is likely better money spent than a $100 department store telescope, and you can bring them most places that you wouldn't want to haul a scope. The visibilty is pretty amazing, the moon occupies about half the field of view giving you a solid amount of detail. I haven't had them long enough to get a chance to look at deep space items clearly because there haven't been clear skies - which is odd for Phoenix! If you have steady hands you could view items in the daytime, but it is difficult to hand-hold them steady without bracing against an item. The included tripod mount is pretty decent, but you must be very careful not to touch the binoculars when looking at distant items or they shake for some time - I'm working on a fix for this, and may look for an aftermarket tripod mount that's more stable...I think it's the plastic construction that allows the binoculars to twist slightly. My tripod is not to blame....but you MUST HAVE a solid tripod or forget about it. My amazon purchased ZOMEi Z818 Aluminium 65" tripod is plenty tall, and stable for the task, and only $110! Also a great value. I believe the 25x100 may solve the issue with the sliding tripod mount that provides a metal slide that travels the length of the binoculars and can be balanced better front-to-back. Sighting items isn't a major issue as the viewing angle is wide enough that you can track off known objects from your field of view. I've taken a few images through a lens with my iphone with moderate success. Clarity is really good. Focusing is simple, as is adjusting the eye-piece spacing. My 13 year old twins use them without complaint.

These things are spectacular! I can see a Gnat on an Elephant's butt @1,000 yds. Great price for these. Make no mistake, they are all quality.

Fantastic binoculars for looking at wildlife. You almost need a tripod though since they are so large.

These binoculars would be one star if I was just ranking them off of quality alone. The first set I got was horridly out of collimation. So bad that I don't think it could even be fixed. I contacted their support and their solution was "return them to Amazon". I did, and the second set was better but not perfect. Celestron's support again said "return them to Amazon", and the second option was "pay for a repair". Neither pair should have left their warehouse. I think their quality control is non-existent. For the collimation issue, they are technically adjustable, but not in an easy way. I watched several YouTube videos on how to access the screws, but they're almost impossible to see; I spent an hour messing with them and didn't improve anything. I've just learned now to use either one eye, or stare through them sort of cross-eyed to even everything out. Other than that, they're pretty damn good. 3 of Jupiter's moons are easily visible. I've definitely seen a few nebula. There are tons of stars visible through these binoculars I couldn't otherwise see. I live in the NYC metro area and light pollution is horrible. The moon is absolutely stunning- you can see so much detail. These are so much easier to see things compared to a telescope since stuff isn't upside down. You definitely need a good tripod. They're very heavy, and pretty much impossible to hold still. I have a good solid metal camera tripod I use with these. It's nice because I can use the height crank to make them comfortable to view for people of various heights. I can locate something and then lower the tripod height to a child's height without having to reacquire the object.

These binoculars big and powerful. Easy to use and easy to attach to a tripod.

Standard for all my reviews: When reviewing products, I always remain objective and honest about the product or service. I always review with information that I feel others would like to know about the product as I always assume what I'm writing will influence for or against the purchase. I always try to go above and beyond surface characteristics and input into quality, value and application. Most importantly, I will always end the review with an answer as to whether I'd purchase the product again which I believe is the most critical question pertaining to the item. To manufacturers: Want me to review your items, just let me know! I see the negative reviews and get what people are saying but it's unfair to Celestron to offer poor marks on something they can't well control. I purchased these 25x70 binoculars knowing there is better glass available but wanting something reasonably priced that would offer better celestial body viewing along with long distance wildlife viewing while in Yellowstone. I have yet to use them for wildlife but have used them for night sky viewing. Firstly, the 25x magnification REQUIRES a very sturdy tripod, preferably one that can extend closer to 7'. Being an amateur photographer I use a Manfrotto and Bogen Ball head mount. It's very heavy and very sturdy. Cheaper tripods won't give you the solid base needed, could have an issue with the weight of the binoculars and will sway with the wind. Even on a tripod, the slightest bump, shake or allowing your eyes/brow to touch the binos will send your target image shaking across your field of view. They are best used by not touching them after properly focusing with the focus wheel and diopter, looking at your target without making contact with the binos. The 70mm objective lens size makes for a long and heavier binoculars and the 25x magnification is great for budget based viewing. Funny story: I purchased these to get a better view of Jupiter and it's Galilean moons. I mounted on the tripod, found the brightest start in our southern sky (Jupiter), spent a few minutes focusing one eye at a time and then prepared to be wowed. Instead, I was very disappointed in that it was just a larger bright star. Then I realized I was one star to the right of Jupiter. Repositioned and immediately saw the difference. Refocused and immediately saw Jupiter and all four moons visible. Make no mistake, you won't see detail, but you can tell it's a planet and the moons are visible. Again, you can find better glass/optics at much higher price points but for our first set of star gazing binos without going to full telescope, it's hard to beat this price point for a brand like Celestron. We're going to have a lot of fun with these. I can't wait to get these to Yellowstone to see if they are too powerful. But do NOT attempt to use these hand held otherwise you will be sorely disappointed. The field of view is too tight and the magnification is too great to use anywhere but on a tripod. The binos do come with a tripod mount. I had purchased one separately.

I bought this for around ₹8,000 with card offers, the best ₹8K I’ve spent so far. This binocular is excellent for sky and stargazing. If your budget is around ₹10,000 and you’re looking for a powerful astronomy binocular, go for this without a second thought. The lens quality is very good, and the overall build feels solid and well-engineered. What I was able to see through this binocular: - Full Moon – The Moon does not fully occupy the lens; it covers roughly 60–70% of the field of view, which gives great perspective and clarity. - Jupiter and its 4 moons – Clearly visible on a good night. - A few star clusters – Bright and beautiful. - Orion’s Belt – You cannot see all three stars at once; they can only be viewed separately, which gives a good idea of the high zoom level. Important Note: This binocular is heavy, so a strong and sturdy tripod is mandatory (don’t go for cheap ones). If you want to capture photos through the binoculars, a phone mount is also recommended. I still remember the night I pointed this binocular at the sky and saw a star cluster for the first time, it was truly magical. If you are a space enthusiast, this is an absolute must-buy. Highly recommended!

La bête est impressionnante. J'ai pu l'essayer le jour même de la réception et la précision des objets observés à distance est impressionnante, par comparaison à mes anciennes jumelles 10x50. Il faut avoir des bras d'haltérophile pour maintenir les jumelles stables pendant un certain temps car elles sont relativement lourdes, au bout de quelques secondes, les mains les mains tremblent et les images avec. Pour une observation longue, il faut impérativement un trépied.

Muito Bom Produto!!!!

Very nice gadget, just as described on site

Before I bought this, I didn't know much about Binoculars, let alone astronomical ones. Having said that, since then I have learnt a great deal. Let me categorize my reviews here: 1. Build quality / construction: This is designed and built very well and is very sturdy. The quality of materials for this price is unmatched and it has a good grip due to the surface all over the binocular. This also makes it very easy to hold despite it's weight. The lens caps on each end are of good quality and they cover the lens with a tight seal, however, the only criticism I have is that the covers (especially on the objective lens) are individually removable but have no strap or tags to attach them to anything, you'd have to keep them separately in a bag or pocket and are easy to lose. 2. Operation: The adjustment at the center is done by a plastic wheel with knurling on it for better grip, it feels a touch too tight, but it is better this way as plastic degrades over time and you don't want it on the loose side. 3. Image quality: The overall performance of these binoculars are good, but I have noticed that the image gets very slightly distorted when I used it for terrestrial viewing on a hot day. Also, the adjustment, in my opinion, could have been a touch finer, especially when you are looking at a full moon. Due to the magnification, the field of view (portion of the sky one could see) is small, but because of the massive objective lenses (70mm dia) you could see quite deep into space with reasonable contrast as it collects more light. 4. Stability: All binoculars of this size and magnification suffer from instability as very small movements can cause the image to shake violently. The only way to cure it is with a strong tripod, not the cheap £20 ones though. On Amazon, my gf bought me an Amazon basic All-metal tripod for about £42, which came with a trigger grip handle - which is very articulate and incredibly strong, stable and a breeze to maneuver. Overall: This is by no means the best binocular out there, but by far, THE best one for the price. If you are an amateur astronomer starting out and looking to spend little dosh to observe objects Hundreds and thousands of lightyears away, this is the one to buy.