Celestron 71454 Echelon 20x70 BaK-4 Prism Binoculars, Black

Prior to buying these Binoculars, I had already tried 2 different pairs of Binoculars (Nikon Aculon A211 Binoculars with Zoom 10-22 x 50 and Celestron SkyMaster 18-40 x 80 Zoom Binoculars). Both pairs were returned to Amazon, simply because I was not satisfied with them. I feel it would not be proper to go into the details regarding my dissatisfaction, principally because I feel "the details of my dissatisfaction" are subjective! However, I have to say that both pairs of the Binoculars were in perfect working order! They were not faulty! After reading many meticulous articles regarding Binoculars and a very in-depth review of these Binoculars via Best Binoculars Reviews, I decided to purchase these Celestron Echelon 20x70 Binoculars. I can honestly state that I am absolutely delighted with these Binoculars. Looking through them is an absolute pleasure. The image quality is amazing. It is crystal clear, sharp and intimate. Observing the Moon in crystal clear detail is both transfixing and stunning … such a beautiful pleasure! The Stars look like "beautiful points of light" and viewing Open Clusters such as M44 (The Beehive Cluster), M45 (The Pleiades) and The Hyades is breathtaking! I could go on and on … and mention how breathtakingly beautiful and remarkable The Orion Constellation and some of its Characteristics looked through these Binoculars during last March, as well as other objects I viewed including the magnificent Messier 81 (spiral galaxy) and Messier 82 (Cigar Galaxy) in the constellation Ursa Major (without the use of a Tripod too) … but I feel I have said enough! However may I just say that a few days ago, I observed Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Jupiter appeared as a bright glowing disc. It was a most impressive and phenomenal sight! An important point that I would like to state is that, so far I have not noticed one of the most annoying optical problems known as Chromatic Aberration or Color Fringing. This, I have to say is another confirmation of the "high quality Japanese optics, using Celestron's proprietary XLT coating technology for superior optical performance". Concerning the practicality of the Binoculars. They are very easy and comfortable to manage and holding them is not demanding. That said, if one would like to observe objects for long periods of time and in more detail, both a Tripod Adaptor and Tripod are essential. Lastly, I brought these Binoculars to my local Astronomy Club here in Trieste, Italy (il Circolo Culturale Astrofili Trieste) with the intention of getting some feedback from more knowledgable and experienced Astronomers. They were very impressed with both the quality of the lenses and what they could actually view! In a nutshell … these Binoculars are quite simply A Stellar Product!

Very nice binoculars - big eyes all the better to see at night.

Excellent optics, crystal clear view. For a night sky need a tripod.

No matter if it's fine target rifle optics, spotting scopes or astronomy gear I appreciate quality optics. I have lots of glass and some is better than others but these are certainly at the top of my collection given my initial impression of them. I received these two days ago and managed to get out last night to observe Comet 2014 Q2 Lovejoy. Despite the 13° F temperatures and the Gibbous Moon, these binoculars performed admirably. My other pair of hand held optics is a pair of Steiner 8X32 Military Marine binoculars. They showed a good view of the comet, but are no where near the quality. As an example, the Steiners show lots of blooming if I use them at night to look at any artificial light, like street lights or headlights. It's incredibly distracting the way they handle stray light in the optical path. The Echelons however are substantially better than the Steiners in this regard. I don't know if it's the coatings, baffling or blackening of the edges of the prisms, but stray light and blooming was significantly reduced in comparison to the Steiners and made me realize that despite the name, the low price point Steiners are not of the same pedigree as their larger binos. I used in the service. The Echelons are solidly constructed but not too heavy to hand hold. I believe they are made of aluminum instead of magnesium so they have a solid heft. The black overmolded rubber is firm and not spongy. They are delivered in a nice foam lined polycarbonate case. Not quite Pelican quality but nice nonetheless. I'm not impressed by the objective lens caps. They are functional but tight fitting. A little too tight, but they stay on the objective lenses. After enjoying the comet, I decided to take a look at the Moon to see if I could detect any false color fringing. Fortunately I couldn't detect any false color, but the Moon was so bright it was painful to view. These could certainly benefit from a neutral density filter for looking at the Moon. Although my experience is limited, my initial impression is that these are great binoculars. Nice and bright with a flat field of view and very good color correction.

could not get the focus to adjust properly, also adusting two oculars is a major pain , because you get one thing adjusted then you pan to something else you must refocus everytime!