Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter
Multi-coated optics
Long eye relief ideal for eyeglass wearers
Multi- coated optics
Large aperture perfect for low light conditions and stargazing
Tripod adapter
Long eye relief ideal for eyeglass wearers
Diopter adjustment for fine focusing
Specification: Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer
No
Product Dimensions
22.1 x 10.92 x 27.94 cm, 1.49 Kilograms
Date First Available
May 14 2010
Manufacturer
Celestron
Place of Business
TORRANCE, CA, 90503 US
Item model number
71009
Country of origin
USA
Department
Unisex-adult
9 reviews for Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter
4.0out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
5
★★★★★
2
★★★★★
0
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
1
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★★★★★
farooq –
I ordered these binoculars just the other week. However, when they arrived there was an issue of double-vision. I quickly realised it was a collimation issue, i.e., they needed recollimating. Instead of tinkering with the binoculars myself, which might have caused permanent damage, I decided to contact the seller; they promised to send out a new pair pre-tested for correct vision and subsequently issued me with a return slip to a free post address, which means I didn’t have to pay any postage return costs.
The new binoculars arrived in perfect working order. They’re heavy (and I’m someone who does weight-training at least three days a week), but the vision they give – at least during the daytime – is excellent. Quite fabulous for observing birds, wildlife etc – and I’m not even a birdwatcher (although I might turn into one now!). In fact I took them with me up a hill in the Pennines earlier in the week and I could see for miles at the top.
However, I originally got these for observing the night sky, which was a bit risky as most astronomy buffs don’t recommend anything above 10 x 50 for handheld devices. However, having previously owned a pair of very good 10 x 50 binoculars, these are a tad better. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the results. They’re more than decent for tracking stars (on a clear night you’ll see more than 10 x the number of stars you’d normally see with the naked eye alone), and the moon is very crisp and clear (I’ve just spent the last two nights observing this month’s full harvest moon).
Overall, a good product with equally decent vision and build quality. A tripod might be a good accessory, especially for nature lovers on a day out in the countryside. For star-watchers, I would use these as an ancillary to a more powerful telescope (which is exactly what I plan on doing next).
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★★★★★
QuintMc53 –
For the last 6 months my eyes have been tremendously sore, squinting furiously into the darkness through my bedroom window to determine whether or not my neighbour Deidre is doing her ironing in a skin coloured jumper, or is in fact topless. Now I have my trusty Celestron 71009 Skymaster 15×70 peeping goggles, I can happily confirm she is not merely wearing a skin coloured jumper. Tripod is recommended with the product to enable free hands during usage.
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★★★★★
Jeff –
For the price this is a good deal, but the view is a little more blurry that I would like, more pronounced on the right than the left, even with the adjustment to the right eye piece. From the picture you can see the zoom level which is great for watching the boats. I use them at night to look at the stars and they work well. All in all, for the price I am happy with the purchase. If you want great optics you will have to pay more, but these get the job done.
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★★★★★
Mr. G. T. Martin –
I will caveat my five stars to say that I think these bins deserve that rating in the £50-£250.00 price bracket.
When I choose bins I rarely go for anything where the focus doesn’t divide into the object lens size by at least five times (just my estimate). These are 15 x 70, so just under that BUT the exit pupil is large, so you get lots of light through. They are never going to be as bright as my 7×42 bushnell of course, but nor will my bushnell get the distant these give! All the same, at 15 x 70 the image is still nice and clear. I can’t really see why you would go for 20x or more because of the loss of light, unless you get an object lens of 100 or more, which would be really big!
Anyway, I bought mine mostly for watching the killer whales and harbour porpoise that swim along the coast near my house, and maybe to see what more distant neighbours are up to, sorry, I mean stars and stuff. Trying them today, they have been perfect. I have actually NOT tried these for astronomy as yet, but I’m sure I will.
Weight wise, they are heavy and they are big in length, the main body is pretty much in keeping with a 10×50 pair of traditional bins. Though, using them mostly for watching sea life and birds means that I scan the ocean with my eyes and then use these to focus in on detail. If I was to keep them at eye level all the time, it would be a real test of strength! So I’ve no doubt I will look at a tripod.
So Tripod? Yes, if you are going to use these for extensive periods of time, and something good, not your standard £9.99 aldi type. The adapter that comes with it, as already been said by others, is pointless. Get another one, they are pretty cheap anyway. I really wish they would just drop that in the package and improve the case, or use the saving on some other area of the bins.
Technically, I guess I’m lucky, I have had NO collimation issues from the box, they were perfectly aligned. Overland viewing gives no fringe, not sure with astronomy stuff as that is not really my field.
Focusing is a little stiff at the moment, though I’m used to that with new bins, so I expect they will loosen up.
The carrying case is pretty basic, no, the carrying case is very basic and will offer no protection from bumps whatsoever. I guess when you make a decent pair of bins, you have to cut costs elsewhere; celestron have done the cost cutting with a naff neck strap, near to useless carry case and a very useless tripod adapter. BUT don’t let that put you off. The binoculars themselves are excellent.
So in short, large, but bright, and a great price for a decent set of binoculars. Very pleased with the purchase.
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★★★★★
Amazon Customer –
Sadly these Celestron SkyMaster 25×70 binoculars are REALLY uncomfortable to use. The eyecups are very small and rigid (very small eye relief, the smallest of the SkyMaster series at 13mm), it hurts the bridge of your nose from friction with interpupillary distance adjusted. I don’t understand why Celestron made them that way. Also, unfortunately the lens seemed misaligned and wasn’t able to get a sharp focus so i had to return this product. So i don’t have to tell you i was really disappointed with this Celestron product. I am also owner of a Celestron SkyMaster 15×70 and they are perfect, longer and softer eyecups, really comfortable and gives sharp focus.
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★★★★★
Hairy Horace –
I bought these (25×70) to give that little extra oomph when stargazing, having bought a pair of 15x70s last year.. The first thing I would point out is that the 25 x magnification magnifies the slightest movement, so if you intend using them for astronomy for more than a couple of minutes you’ll really need to mount them to a tripod. I’ve been using my camera tripod, and it’s more than adequate A tripod adaptor is included, it’s plastic and reasonably sturdy, but for a more stable image it’s worth buying a metal one, I bought a good solid one on here for £6 and it’s much better. I’ve been using the binoculars most evenings this week, Jupiter and its four main moons and Saturn and its rings are clearly visible through them. OK, they’re binoculars, not the Hubble, and the aforementioned planets are only very small in the field of vision, but you can see them nonetheless. I think I was able to make out the stripes across Jupiter on a really clear night last week, but that may just have been wishful thinking on my part. Naturally they can’t match the image I obtain from my 4 “refractor telescope either, but they’re much easier to set up and use and ideal for short viewing sessions when lugging out the telescope would be just too much hassle. They’re pretty good for terrestrial viewing too, but bear in mind the closest focusing distance is 75ft, ideal for planes overhead and ships at sea, but not for birds at the bottom of your garden unless your garden is 75ft long or more. I like the look and feel of these binoculars, and I’m very pleased I bought them.
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★★★★★
Sean K. –
Huge magnification for mere binoculars at a reasonable price, BUT – because the magnification is large you WILL need to mount them on a tripod as it is IMPOSSIBLE to view anything adequately with even a small amount of vibration. Also, the high magnification creates a very narrow field of view, kind of like what you’d expect from a telescope. So if you’re interested in astronomy, either get a telescope for better stability and even larger magnification OR get a much smaller pair of binoculars for wider field of view and less disturbance from vibration. I can’t really see what purpose these binoculars serve – although they are quite good for terrestrial viewing I suppose.
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★★★★★
Brent D’Alessandro –
Always wanted a pair of really good binoculars, but never could justify buying some. Then I saw these and saw their price. They are way higher powered than I ever thought I would buy, but the price is really good for what you get. I was gonna get even higher powered ones to see really far, but I think the 15×70 are the best as they can see things really far, but still keep the weight down to use handheld. I have a tripod as well, but only use it if I plan on looking at something for a long time. I suggest you buy one too as it will reduce any sort of shaking by a lot. I bought the Amazon 60 Basics Tripod and it works great and is super cheap, yet strong. I also got a stronger L bracket to mount them. They come with one, which is decent, but a metal one is much better at reducing even more shake. Makes life a lot easier to focus on things when the image is almost totally stable.
These can see for miles. Every time I use them it is exciting. It blows my mind just how sharp an image you can see even though it is literally miles away. Farthest thing I saw so far was over 400 million miles away, which was Jupiter. It could easily be seen in the sky, but the coolest part is you can even see its moons. I never thought I would be able to see either with just binoculars.
Things at night are very bright. The large lens let in so much light. I saw a raccoon in a tree and could see he was looking at me. I couldn’t even tell there was something there with my normal eyes, but could see it in detail with these. They are not actual night vision like it says, but they mean you can see much clearer at night than you can with your regular vision. I saw a city at night really far away that could not be seen with the human eye too. It was roughly 40miles away. It was not very clear at that distance, and it was night, but you could clearly see the lights and the buildings. Was pretty cool.
Overall, if you live in a place that allows you to see really far I would definitely get these. They are a lot of fun. Once you look out of them for a few minutes it is like another universe seeing so far once you put them down. You will be shocked every time that you could see so far. Really liking them and definitely recommend.
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★★★★★
Fayaz Bawa –
I had always been interested in exploring this hobby but never got the time for this until now. I initially got the Celestron 15x70s from a local vendor and later returned those to get these 25x70s from Amazon for about the same price. I went with 15x70s initially because I thought I could use it for terrestrial and astronomical use and kill two birds with one stone. I didn’t want a tripod so that was one more reason. But you will most definitely need a tripod even for the 15x70s in order to get steady views when sky-watching. So, I ended up getting a tripod anyway.
I was mostly interested in viewing the planets and I was mind-blown when I got the first look at Jupiter away from the city. And this was with the 15x70s initially and then the 25x70s. When looking through, you can easily see a small white distinguished circle (Jupiter) with 3 or 4 of its moons as little dot like sparkling stars on both sides of the planet. All three pictures are of jupiter (using 25x70s) through my phone zoomed in on different levels using the binoculars app and surprised at how well they turned out.
Saturn looks oval shaped and like an elongated orb because of its rings – you can’t distinguish the ring from the planet but the oval shape is so apparent that you can easily tell that you are looking at Saturn. It’s almost the same with 25x70s for viewing Jupiter and Saturn but yes, it’s a bit more magnified and defined. I know some reviews say that you can identify the ring “separately” from the planet when looking at Saturn and see the gap in between them but I wasn’t able to do that with the 25x70s.
Mars is just a small red dot with the 15x70s and with the 25x70s you can easily see a really small red circle (much smaller then when you look at Jupiter). Venus in my experience has been unremarkable with both binoculars and I have just been able to see it like a star.
For constellations and regular stargazing, both binoculars are wonderful and you can see A LOT more stars with them compared to your naked eye. Using the skyview app on my phone, I was able to pick out a few constellations and north stars but my interest is only in planetary viewing so didn’t really explore that further. Whatever you are looking at up there, keep in mind the best views will be away from the city lights.
If they cost about the same, I would get the 25×70 (not the 15×70) because they weigh almost the same and you will need a tripod anyway so much rather get the higher magnification. For around a $100, I am happy that I spent that getting these binoculars and not some cheap beginner telescope because the vision is much more impressive when looking with both eyes. I have retained my interest in this long enough that I will definitely be looking to buy a proper telescope soon.
And if you are looking to carry around binoculars (without the inconvenience of a tripod) for regular terrestrial use i.e hiking, camping (read: peeking at your unattainable hot neighbors) – I wouldn’t recommend going above 10x. I got the Olympus Trooper 10x for that and I am very happy with those.
farooq –
I ordered these binoculars just the other week. However, when they arrived there was an issue of double-vision. I quickly realised it was a collimation issue, i.e., they needed recollimating. Instead of tinkering with the binoculars myself, which might have caused permanent damage, I decided to contact the seller; they promised to send out a new pair pre-tested for correct vision and subsequently issued me with a return slip to a free post address, which means I didn’t have to pay any postage return costs.
The new binoculars arrived in perfect working order. They’re heavy (and I’m someone who does weight-training at least three days a week), but the vision they give – at least during the daytime – is excellent. Quite fabulous for observing birds, wildlife etc – and I’m not even a birdwatcher (although I might turn into one now!). In fact I took them with me up a hill in the Pennines earlier in the week and I could see for miles at the top.
However, I originally got these for observing the night sky, which was a bit risky as most astronomy buffs don’t recommend anything above 10 x 50 for handheld devices. However, having previously owned a pair of very good 10 x 50 binoculars, these are a tad better. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the results. They’re more than decent for tracking stars (on a clear night you’ll see more than 10 x the number of stars you’d normally see with the naked eye alone), and the moon is very crisp and clear (I’ve just spent the last two nights observing this month’s full harvest moon).
Overall, a good product with equally decent vision and build quality. A tripod might be a good accessory, especially for nature lovers on a day out in the countryside. For star-watchers, I would use these as an ancillary to a more powerful telescope (which is exactly what I plan on doing next).
QuintMc53 –
For the last 6 months my eyes have been tremendously sore, squinting furiously into the darkness through my bedroom window to determine whether or not my neighbour Deidre is doing her ironing in a skin coloured jumper, or is in fact topless. Now I have my trusty Celestron 71009 Skymaster 15×70 peeping goggles, I can happily confirm she is not merely wearing a skin coloured jumper. Tripod is recommended with the product to enable free hands during usage.
Jeff –
For the price this is a good deal, but the view is a little more blurry that I would like, more pronounced on the right than the left, even with the adjustment to the right eye piece. From the picture you can see the zoom level which is great for watching the boats. I use them at night to look at the stars and they work well. All in all, for the price I am happy with the purchase. If you want great optics you will have to pay more, but these get the job done.
Mr. G. T. Martin –
I will caveat my five stars to say that I think these bins deserve that rating in the £50-£250.00 price bracket.
When I choose bins I rarely go for anything where the focus doesn’t divide into the object lens size by at least five times (just my estimate). These are 15 x 70, so just under that BUT the exit pupil is large, so you get lots of light through. They are never going to be as bright as my 7×42 bushnell of course, but nor will my bushnell get the distant these give! All the same, at 15 x 70 the image is still nice and clear. I can’t really see why you would go for 20x or more because of the loss of light, unless you get an object lens of 100 or more, which would be really big!
Anyway, I bought mine mostly for watching the killer whales and harbour porpoise that swim along the coast near my house, and maybe to see what more distant neighbours are up to, sorry, I mean stars and stuff. Trying them today, they have been perfect. I have actually NOT tried these for astronomy as yet, but I’m sure I will.
Weight wise, they are heavy and they are big in length, the main body is pretty much in keeping with a 10×50 pair of traditional bins. Though, using them mostly for watching sea life and birds means that I scan the ocean with my eyes and then use these to focus in on detail. If I was to keep them at eye level all the time, it would be a real test of strength! So I’ve no doubt I will look at a tripod.
So Tripod? Yes, if you are going to use these for extensive periods of time, and something good, not your standard £9.99 aldi type. The adapter that comes with it, as already been said by others, is pointless. Get another one, they are pretty cheap anyway. I really wish they would just drop that in the package and improve the case, or use the saving on some other area of the bins.
Technically, I guess I’m lucky, I have had NO collimation issues from the box, they were perfectly aligned. Overland viewing gives no fringe, not sure with astronomy stuff as that is not really my field.
Focusing is a little stiff at the moment, though I’m used to that with new bins, so I expect they will loosen up.
The carrying case is pretty basic, no, the carrying case is very basic and will offer no protection from bumps whatsoever. I guess when you make a decent pair of bins, you have to cut costs elsewhere; celestron have done the cost cutting with a naff neck strap, near to useless carry case and a very useless tripod adapter. BUT don’t let that put you off. The binoculars themselves are excellent.
So in short, large, but bright, and a great price for a decent set of binoculars. Very pleased with the purchase.
Amazon Customer –
Sadly these Celestron SkyMaster 25×70 binoculars are REALLY uncomfortable to use. The eyecups are very small and rigid (very small eye relief, the smallest of the SkyMaster series at 13mm), it hurts the bridge of your nose from friction with interpupillary distance adjusted. I don’t understand why Celestron made them that way. Also, unfortunately the lens seemed misaligned and wasn’t able to get a sharp focus so i had to return this product. So i don’t have to tell you i was really disappointed with this Celestron product. I am also owner of a Celestron SkyMaster 15×70 and they are perfect, longer and softer eyecups, really comfortable and gives sharp focus.
Hairy Horace –
I bought these (25×70) to give that little extra oomph when stargazing, having bought a pair of 15x70s last year..
The first thing I would point out is that the 25 x magnification magnifies the slightest movement, so if you intend using them for astronomy for more than a couple of minutes you’ll really need to mount them to a tripod. I’ve been using my camera tripod, and it’s more than adequate
A tripod adaptor is included, it’s plastic and reasonably sturdy, but for a more stable image it’s worth buying a metal one, I bought a good solid one on here for £6 and it’s much better.
I’ve been using the binoculars most evenings this week, Jupiter and its four main moons and Saturn and its rings are clearly visible through them. OK, they’re binoculars, not the Hubble, and the aforementioned planets are only very small in the field of vision, but you can see them nonetheless. I think I was able to make out the stripes across Jupiter on a really clear night last week, but that may just have been wishful thinking on my part.
Naturally they can’t match the image I obtain from my 4 “refractor telescope either, but they’re much easier to set up and use and ideal for short viewing sessions when lugging out the telescope would be just too much hassle.
They’re pretty good for terrestrial viewing too, but bear in mind the closest focusing distance is 75ft, ideal for planes overhead and ships at sea, but not for birds at the bottom of your garden unless your garden is 75ft long or more.
I like the look and feel of these binoculars, and I’m very pleased I bought them.
Sean K. –
Huge magnification for mere binoculars at a reasonable price, BUT – because the magnification is large you WILL need to mount them on a tripod as it is IMPOSSIBLE to view anything adequately with even a small amount of vibration. Also, the high magnification creates a very narrow field of view, kind of like what you’d expect from a telescope. So if you’re interested in astronomy, either get a telescope for better stability and even larger magnification OR get a much smaller pair of binoculars for wider field of view and less disturbance from vibration. I can’t really see what purpose these binoculars serve – although they are quite good for terrestrial viewing I suppose.
Brent D’Alessandro –
Always wanted a pair of really good binoculars, but never could justify buying some. Then I saw these and saw their price. They are way higher powered than I ever thought I would buy, but the price is really good for what you get. I was gonna get even higher powered ones to see really far, but I think the 15×70 are the best as they can see things really far, but still keep the weight down to use handheld. I have a tripod as well, but only use it if I plan on looking at something for a long time. I suggest you buy one too as it will reduce any sort of shaking by a lot. I bought the Amazon 60 Basics Tripod and it works great and is super cheap, yet strong. I also got a stronger L bracket to mount them. They come with one, which is decent, but a metal one is much better at reducing even more shake. Makes life a lot easier to focus on things when the image is almost totally stable.
These can see for miles. Every time I use them it is exciting. It blows my mind just how sharp an image you can see even though it is literally miles away. Farthest thing I saw so far was over 400 million miles away, which was Jupiter. It could easily be seen in the sky, but the coolest part is you can even see its moons. I never thought I would be able to see either with just binoculars.
Things at night are very bright. The large lens let in so much light. I saw a raccoon in a tree and could see he was looking at me. I couldn’t even tell there was something there with my normal eyes, but could see it in detail with these. They are not actual night vision like it says, but they mean you can see much clearer at night than you can with your regular vision. I saw a city at night really far away that could not be seen with the human eye too. It was roughly 40miles away. It was not very clear at that distance, and it was night, but you could clearly see the lights and the buildings. Was pretty cool.
Overall, if you live in a place that allows you to see really far I would definitely get these. They are a lot of fun. Once you look out of them for a few minutes it is like another universe seeing so far once you put them down. You will be shocked every time that you could see so far. Really liking them and definitely recommend.
Fayaz Bawa –
I had always been interested in exploring this hobby but never got the time for this until now. I initially got the Celestron 15x70s from a local vendor and later returned those to get these 25x70s from Amazon for about the same price. I went with 15x70s initially because I thought I could use it for terrestrial and astronomical use and kill two birds with one stone. I didn’t want a tripod so that was one more reason. But you will most definitely need a tripod even for the 15x70s in order to get steady views when sky-watching. So, I ended up getting a tripod anyway.
I was mostly interested in viewing the planets and I was mind-blown when I got the first look at Jupiter away from the city. And this was with the 15x70s initially and then the 25x70s. When looking through, you can easily see a small white distinguished circle (Jupiter) with 3 or 4 of its moons as little dot like sparkling stars on both sides of the planet. All three pictures are of jupiter (using 25x70s) through my phone zoomed in on different levels using the binoculars app and surprised at how well they turned out.
Saturn looks oval shaped and like an elongated orb because of its rings – you can’t distinguish the ring from the planet but the oval shape is so apparent that you can easily tell that you are looking at Saturn. It’s almost the same with 25x70s for viewing Jupiter and Saturn but yes, it’s a bit more magnified and defined. I know some reviews say that you can identify the ring “separately” from the planet when looking at Saturn and see the gap in between them but I wasn’t able to do that with the 25x70s.
Mars is just a small red dot with the 15x70s and with the 25x70s you can easily see a really small red circle (much smaller then when you look at Jupiter). Venus in my experience has been unremarkable with both binoculars and I have just been able to see it like a star.
For constellations and regular stargazing, both binoculars are wonderful and you can see A LOT more stars with them compared to your naked eye. Using the skyview app on my phone, I was able to pick out a few constellations and north stars but my interest is only in planetary viewing so didn’t really explore that further. Whatever you are looking at up there, keep in mind the best views will be away from the city lights.
If they cost about the same, I would get the 25×70 (not the 15×70) because they weigh almost the same and you will need a tripod anyway so much rather get the higher magnification. For around a $100, I am happy that I spent that getting these binoculars and not some cheap beginner telescope because the vision is much more impressive when looking with both eyes. I have retained my interest in this long enough that I will definitely be looking to buy a proper telescope soon.
And if you are looking to carry around binoculars (without the inconvenience of a tripod) for regular terrestrial use i.e hiking, camping (read: peeking at your unattainable hot neighbors) – I wouldn’t recommend going above 10x. I got the Olympus Trooper 10x for that and I am very happy with those.