I just wish that Celestron design the neck strap with quick release clips, which would make swapping between the two much quicker than having to re-thread the straps onto the bin every time. However that is not to say they are beginners in terms of being able to produce a quality instrument for looking at objects on this planet: Not that long ago, I had the pleasure of testing and reviewing the Celestron Granite 8x42 bins, that went on to win the award for for the Best Birding Binocular that year. Material on GearLab is copyrighted. Click here to open it up in a new tab. It looks to be robust enough, without any unwanted movement or play, but like most plastic ones, it just lacks a little something. We had no complaints with the focus nor diopter adjustemnts. So to be as consistent, impartial and subjective as possible, I set side by side the bin under review and my "benchmark binoculars" and weigh up the view between them in different conditions. Or to express it as an angle from the binocular, they have a viewing angle of 8.1. Also if you fold the binoculars, their height increases to 7.5cm with the lens covers included. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! In most situations, this model provides a very bright image. Although the TrailSeeker 8x42 are good all-rounders, 10x50 binoculars remain the sweet spot for stargazing. adorama alert wish list - Most certainly, these Celestron Trailseeker binoculars come with a host of features and components that work together to offer a level of performance that easily surpasses their price tag and thus as a result passes almost all of their direct competition making them one of the Best Value For Money Binoculars in their class. I can say this because in all but the very poorest light conditions, the pupils in your eyes will be smaller than the shaft of light coming from the binocular and so they will be supplying your eyes with more than enough light. Within this price range it is not uncommon to find roof prisms with the cheapest option of an aluminium mirror coating that will transmit between 87 and 93% of the light. Some won't like the front lens caps, which are mounted on the barrels by way of a simple rubber ring. The TrailSeeker 8x42s usability is pushed further by some significant eye-relief. Made from a flexible and soft plastic or rubber, the Trailseeker's lens covers fit over the ends of each barrel. Once again for a product in this price point, this is excellent. Their stated width of 5.1in (13cm) with the central hinge fully open, close this and it drops down to 11.5cm. Here I thought that these were about equal to my benchmarks and try as I might, I really struggled to observe one as being obviously different to the other. Space is supported by its audience. Objective Lens Covers To illustrate my point on just how good most of the optical glass and coatings are that have been used on these, I have put together the table below that lists a number of 8x42 binoculars in order of price and which shows what optical components and coatings they have used: As this table clearly shows, these Celestron's are up there with the cheapest to have Fully Multi-Coated optics and the addition of Phase Correction and Dielectric coatings on the prisms is very impressive. While we don't usually talk about binocular accessories because of the near-identical group of neck-straps and carrying cases on offer, the Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42 throws a unique bonus item into the mix. straight above your head or thereabouts) then it's worth using the harness strap in the box. From this point of view, you can also clearly see the anchor loops that are used to thread the neck strap through. However almost all bino manufacturers omit supplying much or indeed any details as to the makeup of the lenses, both in the eyepieces and the large objectives and unfortunately I have to say that Celestron are no different in this regard, which is a real shame. All of which are fairly standard. This did go away after a little use and I suspect this may have been just a once off, but it does show the difference in quality of the focus mechanism that you get between many cheaper bins like these and the very best. However, the highlight is an innovative harness strap, a contraption that the user must slip their arms into and wear across the shoulders. The exact wording here is very important, because unlike the cheaper and much lower quality "Multi-Coated" or "Fully Coated" optics, these have had numerous layers of a special anti-reflection material added to ALL the exterior glass surfaces throughout the whole optical system. Below are similar pairs of Binoculars that you may also want to have a look at: High quality optics, housed in a very lightweight, water and fogproof open bridge body, these 9x32 Pentax DCF BC binoculars are really good value for, General Price Range: (3/6) Mid Price Binoculars. So with an advertised close focus of 6.5ft (1.98m), these Celestron Trailseeker's are still very good and more than fine for most of us. How can that be if they use a roof prism optical system? Here I look to see if I can spot any obvious tinting of the image that you sometimes see, especially where cheaper glass is used. However, thumb indents on the bottom of the barrels would make them significantly more ergonomic. The harness itself works fine, though don't expect supreme build quality; were talking elastic straps and a basic mesh design that at least keeps your back ventilated during long stargazing (opens in new tab) sessions. Privacy | Cookies | Terms, While these binoculars are good, many competitors in the same price range are better. Binoculars have been a hit during the last couple of years as aspiring stargazers keen to spend some of their unexpected time at home are getting to know the night sky, and there are plenty of reasons why the TrailSeeker 8x42 are well-suited to the amateur astronomer with a mind to travel to find dark skies. That means, hopefully, a steady view devoid of shake. These have a reflectivity of more than 99%, but because of the difficulty in producing them and the costs involved they are usually reserved for the top tier, "alpha" bins and so it is a very welcomed surprise to see them used on these. trailseeker celestron binoculars 8x42 However, these binoculars 8x42 specifications are, we think, the minimum to look for in astronomy binoculars; its 8 field of view means you get a noticeably smaller image of deep-sky objects when compared to a pair of 10x50 binoculars, which offer about 6.5. Whilst aluminium and magnesium are still reasonably lightweight, they are both stronger than polycarbonate, but the problem is that they are also more expensive to produce and so are usually only found on higher end products. Whilst the rubber armour itself is good, I did think that it would be better had it been attached to the body underneath a little more securely.

Thankfully this is most certainly not the case on these Celestron 8x42 Trailseeker binoculars and to me the image looks nice and natural and apart from the added magnification, no different to my view without them. And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. The amount is minimal and to be honest unless you are actually looking for it, for the most part it is not at all easily seen. For most users this does not matter as it does mean that you can use them with confidence in even the worst weather conditions, just don't test them out in your pool! A pair of roof prism binoculars positioned above the low prices in the mass market, the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 combines a premium design and build quality with excellent optics designed to get the most from the night sky. Thus I would say that the fringing on these is very minimal and no worse than I would expect to see within this class. Magnification: 8x Overall - Celestron have certainly done their homework with these and as you can see above, for such a cheap binocular, the weak points are very minor and the list of strong points is quite long and substantial, which is impressive. However for a lower cost bino, this could actually be a really smart move as those that do use ED glass are not actually guaranteed to produce an image that is instantly better than those that don't. Eye-cups We had no major complaints when adjusting the Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42. So this leads me to rate these as very good to excellent in this particular aspect of the view and most certainly up there with the best within their price range. For something slightly larger yet less expensive in the roof prism category try the Opticron Adventurer II WP 10x50 (opens in new tab), which have larger objective lenses, 10x magnification and high-quality optics. Should your setting not be neutral or happen to line up with the + or - markings, you can of course quite simply make a mark with a pen or etch with a knife, but it would have been nice and show a good attention to detail if you did not have to. No ED Glass Honest Review The ones on these are very secure, indeed unlike some that are glued on, these look like they are part of the main body mould and thus are much stronger. It appears to work well, with bright and crisp images in the dark. Its also worth noting that Celestrons TrailSeeker range of roof prism binoculars also includes 8x32, 10x32 and 10x42 binoculars. However when I first used the bins, I also had a section that was a fraction tighter when turning the wheel than the rest of the time. Diopter The Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42's close focus range is 6.5 feet. Got feedback? It takes the weight of the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 off your neck and onto your shoulders, making it much easier to carry them around and use for long periods. Showing all of the accessories included with the Trailseeker. The hinge that connects the cover to the ring and the small tab on these add quite a bit to the height and so if you include this, their height is actually 6.5cm. This along with the raised track on the rubber exterior also helps with grip which is not that important most of the time, but does make a difference when wearing your winter gloves. It is in bad light where things can sometimes get interesting and bins with more/better quality optics and coatings sometimes come to the fore. Heres why you can trust us. For example a bird settles on a branch near you, or if you want to observe an insect in great detail. In such instances, its images turn into silhouettes significantly earlier than some of its main rivals. This is not always the case and I have seen quite a few really well made non ED bins produce an image with less color fringing (cause by chromatic aberrations) than some less well made ones that do. Even in the shade, it offers enough brightness to make out subtle color differences. Eye relief: 17mm The harness connects to the binoculars in the same place and way as your neck-strap with a couple of cords that loop back on themselves after being threaded through the small rings located on the side of each barrel on the bin. celestron trailseeker 8x42 binocular neueinsteiger This design of prism is very popular because unlike the more traditional porro prism, the way they light passes through them in a straight line, means the designers can make a more streamlined binocular with the eyepieces in-line with the objective lenses. The prisms on these Trailseeker's also have a number of very specialized optical coatings applied to them, indeed as you will read below the quality of these is pretty much as good as it gets and matches that of the very best and much more expensive roof prism binoculars out there and I can happily say this is one area where Celestron have not compromised at all, unlike many others that do within this price range to save costs: Reflectivity These clips are swivelled and thus enable more freedom of movement and I guess make it easier to untwist the strap should you need to. Today's best Celestron 8x42 TrailSeeker Binoculars deals, We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices, Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 review: Design. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. So considering that this Trailseeker binocular is much more budget focused and thus aimed at the more price conscious user, is already really impressive. Waterproof with 8x magnification and 42mm objectives, amateur astronomers after wide-field views of star clusters, double stars and lunar views will love their flexibility. We don't think anyone will be disappointed with the clarity; it's just possible to get something better for the same price. This combined with their very good quality glass and almost unbeatable coatings that combine together to produce a high quality view that is way better than what their price tag suggests and is thus absolutely something that is worth highlighting and another real strong point. The field of view of 426 feet at 1000 yards is one of the best in its class. Eye-Relief: When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support, Relatively dim, rubber feels a bit sticky. That means a nice, wide-eyed view of the night sky ideal for looking within constellations and scanning the Milky Way without going too deep. Absolutely. Nitrogen Purged Waterproof Magnesium Frame, Dielectric & Phase Coated BaK-4 Roof Prisms, Focus from Near to Far, focus wheel rotates: 630. To focus from the extremes of near to far (or vise versa) takes about 1 revolutions of the wheel (approx 630).

More common within this price bracket are silver coated prisms that cost more to make, but can reflect up to 98% of the light. The minimum distance that you can adjust these to is 5.5cm and the maximum is 7.3cm, which is fairly standard and so these will accommodate most people including children and young adults. However, if youre starting from scratch and paying retail price, your money can likely go substantially further elsewhere. Under the rubber, the wheel itself I think is fashioned from plastic, which is pretty much what I'd expect to find in this price range. It also has an attached wrist strap and so also makes it easy to carry about. Celestron include a somewhat basic and generic instruction booklet, that contains the usual information on the parts of the bin, how to adjust and care for them. This dry gas and now moistureless internal offers a number of important advantages: Firstly it helps prevent the internal glass surfaces from misting up, secondly it prevents corrosion and thirdly it stops mould from growing on the internal surfaces, something that many of us will have seen on very old pairs of binoculars. The Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 is a good choice for anyone wanting to go stargazing, but theyre particularly well suited to anyone wanting to travel to dark skies. If you tend to be birdwatching when the light gets low, these may not be the bins for you. Congress approves International Space Station extension to 2030, Ukraine invasion's impacts on space exploration: Live updates, Earth's crust is dripping 'like honey' into its interior under the Andes, Strange, never-before-seen diamond crystal structure found inside 'Diablo canyon' meteorite, Asteroids' colors, shapes and brightness levels revealed in new Gaia satellite data, Your monthly guide to stargazing & space science, Try a single issue or save on a subscription, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. Is this Trailseeker as good as more expensive ones like their excellent Celestron Granite binoculars? The padded section is well padded (4mm deep) and has what looks like a Neoprene underside that offers a smooth comfortable surface that wont easily crease or fold which can make for an uncomfortable point on your shoulders or neck. This is the only area within the optical system of these Celestron binoculars that does not quite match that of more costly products and this is obviously where Celestron have decided to save costs and thus keep the price down on these. Indeed there are specifically designed very close focus bins like the excellent Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 binoculars that accommodate those who do this a lot. The key reason why the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 is good for navigating the night sky while traveling is its balance of a low 8x magnification with the 42mm diameter of its objective lenses. I certain instances where people like security personnel, birders or hunters need to be stealthy and perhaps not startle wildlife this can a be a small but important consideration. Weight Below is a link that will take you to a page with online retailers in both the US and UK that sell Celestron 8x42 Trailseeker Binoculars this page makes it easy to compare prices and then to buy from your preferred option: Contact Me | About Best Binoculars | Privacy | Sitemap | Copyright 2022 Best Binocular Reviews | Do You Want to Review Binoculars & Write for BBR? The central field of view is exceptional, though there is a little drift towards the edges. Meanwhile, its objective lenses let in enough light for bright views. Weak points? This is close enough that you'll likely be able to get even close-by insects in focus. Considering that binoculars are available at many times their price, the TrailSeeker 8x42 should be considered no more than mid-range binoculars, and yet they boast the kind of build quality that would be hard to criticize on a pair selling for a vastly higher price. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. Turning the wheel is smooth, although when I first took them out of the box, there was a small section that was tighter than the rest, however after some use, this "rough section" went away. Prism Coatings Eyeglass wearers in particular often look for a good amount of Eye-relief to ensure that they have plenty of room to manoeuver to be able to keep their glasses on and still get the full view. This does mean that they have the advantage of making fine adjustments easier, but also means it takes a little longer to make large changes to the focal length. As with most roof prism binoculars, these consist of two barrels that connect via a bridge in the middle. For uses like safaris and sporing events these will perform really well once there, especially considering the wide FOV, but some may prefer an even more compact product that is easier to pack and carry in a bag. If you're going to be out stargazing for long periods, and even for short periods if your celestial targets are towards the zenith (i.e. Also included is the information on the excellent Celestron "Limited Lifetime Warranty" which indicates they will cover any need repairs or indeed replace these binos should any parts be defective or should they get damaged from normal wear and tear. I could not see any signs of this when looking through these Celestron Trailseeker binoculars. This model is generally the right size and shape for comfortable holding our hands didn't get overly fatigued when using them for multiple hours. So what did I see: Well, like most bins (including many who use ED glass) I could see some fringing, but only by looking really hard for it. Why bother with all this? These Celestron Trailseeker binoculars come with a whole host of included goodies, some you expect to find and some as you will see are a surprise, but very welcomed addition: Carry Bag For uses like around the garden etc, the neck strap is a better option, so it is nice to have the choice. It does come in a small zip bag complete with a wrist strap, but it would be helpful if there was an area in the TrailSeeker 8x42s carry case for it. This way it makes it no trouble to replace them EVERY time, which in turn means your lenses not only always remain protected, but stay cleaner for longer, thus requiring less cleaning and therefore helps ensure your optics remain in pristine condition for longer. The first thing to note is that these Celestron binoculars are "Fully Multi-Coated" which is excellent. The elasticated straps have sliders so that you can adjust their lengths to suit your body and fit onto the main back panel via some plastic loops, which allow for more freedom of movement. the world's most carefully tested and objective gear reviews, Excellent brightness, great clarity, comfortable, Good clarity and brightness, smooth focus knob, Good clarity, small and lightweight, relatively comfortable, Mediocre close focus range, mediocre field of view, Average construction quality, mediocre low-light performance, An excellent balance of price and all-around performance with particularly impressive brightness, These perform well for the price, offering a smooth focus knob and decent brightness and clarity, The most budget-friendly option we've found that offers a good introduction to birdwatching, An inexpensive, small, and packable model that offers surprisingly good optics. The included Celestron harness comes in it's own small zipped storage pouch which is great for storing them away when not in use. Do You Want to Review Binoculars & Write for BBR? At first glance, the Celestron Trailseeker 8x42 binocular looks to have a very traditional straight through, single bridged body shape, common to most roof prism binoculars, however there are a few tweaks to this design: For a start the central bridge that connects the two barrels is quite thin and it is positioned more towards the eye-pieces than the usual larger ones that are located more towards the center.

However, we did notice a touch of chromatic aberration when moon-viewing, with a big, bright Hunters Moon appearing fabulously clear yet with a little purple fringing on its limb. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. The reason for this is that what you see through a bin can be very subjective and indeed can change depending on current conditions. Sorry you cannot see this table as your browser does not support iframes. It is slightly curved to better follow the path around your shoulders and is a full 4.2cm wide and thus has large surface area to spread the load and increase comfort even further. With an advertised weight of 655g / 23.1oz, these are up there with the lightest full sized binoculars that I have reviewed as you can see from the table below. This is more important than you may at first think because this is also the area on a binocular that gets damaged most often and so not only are these far more robust, but the whole twist-up and down mechanism is far superior and without any free play or undesired movement. I measured the distance that the objective lenses are set back within the ends of each barrel to be about 10mm. Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Once again and within this price level to save on manufacturing costs, it is not that uncommon to find roof prism bins that do nothing to correct this. Aside from a little purple fringing when looking at particularly bright objects such as a full Moon the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 remains optically impressive. Considering their price range, they provide a fairly good optical experience and are well made. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Its easy to grip and is completely waterproof, too, with the optical housing purged of any moisture with inert nitrogen gas under high pressure, thereby avoiding any risk of fogging on the surface of lenses. Indeed apart from not using ED glass lenses, these match the very best when considering their optical features and they punch way above their price point. By twisting out the cups, I measured the length at 14.8cm and then with both the objective and eye-cup covers on it moves out to 15.4cm - which for a bin in this size class is still nice and compact. Together they let enough light in to ensure sharp, colorful, contrast-y and hugely enjoyable views of the night sky in a surprisingly compact, astrotravel-friendly package. Even though both the focus wheel and diopter ring conform to the standard within their price range, the more important eye-cups most certainly don't and I mean this in a good way - on the whole they are outstanding! Jamie Carter Eye-Piece Cover The thin nylon straps thread through the loops on the sides of the binocular in the usual way and then connect back on themselves via a couple of plastic sliders that enable you to adjust the length of the neck strap to your liking. Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. A harness strap fits across the wearers back and transfers the weight of the binoculars from neck to shoulders. Close Focus

It also makes it easier to follow faster moving objects, like birds or example. There are a number of really good reasons for this, but one of the most important is the fact that they have a 5.25mm wide exit-pupil (42 8 = 5.25), or to put it another way: the shaft of light that exits the ocular lens is about 5.25mm in diameter. I have also read that this also acts like a camera hood to prevent lens flair. We'd classify the clarity of the TrailSeeker ED 8x42 as above average but not fantastic, a perennial B that gets outshined by a handful of straight-A students. There was a problem. While telescopes are big and complicated to set up, and many pairs of binoculars are just too darned heavy, the TrailSeeker 8x42 are simple to use and surprisingly lightweight. The stitching on the faux leather connectors that join the padded section to the thin nylon straps looks good and should hold firm. For this reason, it missed out on an award and wouldn't be our top recommendation for anyone buying a new pair of bins at retail price. Whilst the fit is what I would describe as very snug, it is not too tight and you can still just close and fasten the lid with the eyecups fully extended, the rain guard and lens covers on and with the neck strap stashed in the bag as well. Manufacturers can add a highly reflective material to the surface on the roof prism that does not reflect all the light that strikes it. Should you buy the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 binoculars?

Each cover also has a rubber loop that fits around the barrel and allows them to simply hang below the bin when you are looking through the optics, but are always at hand to replace when you are done. However not everybody's face is the same and there are of course people who wear glasses and thus may need to change the setting on the eyecups to suit their needs. I have used this same harness before as it is also included with the Celestron Granite 8x42 binoculars that I reviewed a while back, so knew from the last test that it would be comfortable to use and once again it was. However as you can read in the section on long eye-relief binoculars, for most people, even those who wear glasses, 15mm is often enough and thus 17mm is usually a good amount: Eye-relief is the distance at which your eyes need to be behind the ocular lenses to see the full view. I love the way as you twist them up and down that they confidently click into the two intermediate stops (four stops in total if you include fully extended and retracted), with a light but reassuringly metallic sound. No ads. Can the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 compete with the best binoculars (opens in new tab) and best telescopes (opens in new tab) available? New York, The underside of 8x42 Trailseeker is fairly standard and like many they have included an couple of indented thumb prints.

Celestron indicate that the prisms are fashioned from BaK-4 glass, which I reckon, like the vast majority of bins out there, will be the BAK4 glass made from a Phosphate crown and not the more expensive Barium crown ones made by Schott that are only really found on some very high end optics. What is more and as we already covered when talking about the eye-cups, the two fixed intermediate click stops will also help those eyeglass wearers get the right setting for their particular needs. Nitrogen Purged However they are not all created equal and to save costs, many will use cheaper materials that have a lower reflectivity. S whilst their FOV is sensational, their eye-relief is good, but at 17mm is not what I would call excellent. This is a good depth as it offers the lenses some shelter from rain, settling dust and from scratching cause by branches etc.

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