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Celestron 15x70 SkyMaster Pro Binoculars for Astronomy

  • Based on 42 reviews
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Availability: In Stock.
Fulfilled by Ultracell LLC

Arrives Jul 23 – Jul 29
Order within 3 hours and 46 minutes
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Size: 15x70


Configuration: Binoculars


Features

  • Large 70 mm objective lenses for excellent light gathering in low light conditions or for astronomical observing
  • Detachable RSR rail for attaching an optional red dot finderscope
  • Rubber armored for improved ergonomics and protection from every day use in the field
  • Waterproof and nitrogen purged for use in all weather conditions

Description

Size:15x70 | Configuration:Binoculars SkyMaster Pro binoculars are the ideal choice for amateur astronomers or anyone that observes at great distances. Compared to lower-priced large aperture binoculars, SkyMaster Pro uses superior optics, coatings, internal parts and housing materials. With large objective lenses, BaK-4 prisms and fully multi-coated optics utilizing Celestron’s proprietary XLT coating technology, the view through a SkyMaster Pro is second to none at this price point. Massive Objective Lenses - The 70 mm objective lenses have tremendous light gathering capabilities, delivering superior low light performance, even in the dimmest conditions. Choose SkyMaster Pro for use at dusk, dawn and nighttime astronomical viewing. Fully Multi-Coated Optics and BaK-4 Prisms - Every air-to-glass surface is multi- coated with Celestron’s proprietary XLT coating technology. These coatings coupled with BaK-4 prisms increase light transmission through the optical path and deliver crisp, high contrast images with outstanding resolution. Built in Tripod Adapter - The built in tripod adapter of the SkyMaster Pro 15x70 allows the binocular to be attached to a tripod for added stability during longer viewing sessions and also allows a red-dot finder to be attached to it utilizing the included RSR “Reflex Sight Ready” Rail. When properly aligned with the binocular, the red-dot finder will allow objects to be brought into view quickly. RSR “Reflex Sight Ready” Rail - The tripod adapter included with the SkyMaster Pro not only allows the binocular to be attached to a tripod for added stability during longer viewing sessions, but also includes a removable rail for attaching a red dot finderscope. When properly aligned with the binocular, a red-dot finder helps you locate objects quickly and center them in the binocular. Lightweight, Waterproof Construction - A polycarbonate and aluminum housing makes SkyMaster Pro durable and lightweight. The housing’s protective rubber armor is extremely rugged and can stand up to tough use. The fully waterproof housing for use in all weather conditions provides peace of mind when unexpected weather rolls in. The housing is also filled with dry nitrogen gas to prevent the internal lenses from fogging when moving between extreme temperatures or when using the binocular in damp conditions. Extended Eye Relief - 17 mm of eye relief allows for comfortable viewing for both eyeglass and non-eyeglass wearers. Eyeglass wearers can see the entire field of view while looking through the eyepiece with their glasses on. For those that do not wear eyeglasses, the rubber eyecup positions the users eye behind the eyepiece at the correct distance for optimal viewing. Enhanced Magnification - Bring distant objects into view with 15x magnification—great for observing celestial objects in greater detail, searching for wildlife in the brush or viewing a distant object on the horizon.


Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 7.5 x 14.5 inches


Item Weight: 6.2 pounds


Item model number: 72030


Is Discontinued By Manufacturer: No


Date First Available: March 2, 2015


Department: Unisex-adult


Manufacturer: Celestron


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Jul 23 – Jul 29

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Needs better construction and durability
Size: 15x70 Configuration: Binoculars
As for image quality, it is much closer to five star assuming that you get a good one (had to have a replacement sent because the first one I received had some astigmatism in the right barrel). The reason it gets two stars is that I received the replacement on Wednesday, and two days later on Friday while attached to my parallelogram it fell off and crashed onto the floor. Fortunately it landed on carpet, but when I went to put it back on I realized that the tripod adapter piece in the center had fallen off. It was never properly screwed on at the factory, but rather was only GLUED on at the factory. This is not good for supporting the weight of the binoculars, especially big ones like these for an extended period of time. One more dollar put into the construction would have fixed this issue. I will be looking at the Giant Views from Orion as a possible replacement. The optics for the SkyMaster Pro were quite nice for the price, but the build quality is not for the long term. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2016 by Ron

  • Great light gatherers for astronomy.
Size: 15x70 Configuration: Binoculars
So far so good! I had trouble finding very many reviews on the skymasterpro binoculars, but just ended up buying these anyway since they seemed like they would serve me well. I couldn't be happier, it's true the eye cups come off extremely easy, but it makes it easier to swap them, the build is solid, I love the front cap design since you won't lose them when removing them. There was some Chromatic aberration I noticed but I was looking at a tree in the winter with tons of snow, so not too surprised with what I saw, since that's pushing the Optics to the limit. Okay so I did check out the Orion Nebula with these and was able to see quite a bit more nebulousity than even my 80mm triplet telescope. Also the weight isn't too cumbersome, though for extended sessions I would definitely use a tripod. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2017 by RKEELE

  • Decent once you receive a non-defective pair
Size: 15x70 Configuration: Binoculars
Pros: (1) Fully XLT multi-coated lenses. Regular Skymaster binocs are not fully multi-coated. (2) High quality, flexible drop-down front lens caps and flexible connected rear caps (versus the junky caps you receive with regular Skymaster binocs.) (3) Supposedly waterproof — haven't tested it (4) High quality, flexible rubber, light blocking second pair of eyecups — thank you Celestron! (5) Tripod mountable — very easy system, quality metal, and it "just works" — much better than plastic alternatives (6) Wonderful daytime performance. Brightness of nighttime viewing is also excellent, however nighttime clarity needs improvement. (7) Attractive styling CONS: (1) No quality control. My first pair had to go back because of severe astygmatism. This issue never should have passed inspection. (2) Fair nighttime performance which undoubtedly lacks the clarity of Japanese glass (3) Minor quibble: Eyecups and lens caps tend to fall off a little too easily. This issue may improve as the rubber stiffens over time. I am giving the Celestron SkyMaster Pro 15x70 binoculars a 4-star review despite my first pair being defective. The lens system on the right side had a horrible astygmatism that fuzzed out more than 1/3 of the entire field of view. There was no way to adjust or compensate for the problem. Obviously nobody looked through the binoculars, and there was no "inspected by" label anywhere on the bioncs or on their packaging (= zero quality control). I sent the first pair back and received a replacement from Amazon which was visibly open-box with subtle signs of wear and a smudge on the glass. (I believe somebody at Amazon may have looked through the glass — just my belief.) The second pair did not have the huge astygmatism of the first pair, and I will be keeping them. Again, there was no "inspected by" label anywhere. For daytime viewing of boats on Lake Michigan, they are a 5 star, "OMG that's gorgeous!" binocular. For stargazing, they are a little more challenging to use. No problem for moon gazing. Although I have pretty steady hands, especially laying on my back with elbows supported, it's difficult to hold 15X binoculars steady enough to get a really clear view of Mars, Saturn, Venus, etc. For greater stability I use an old fashioned heavy Bogen Manfrotto tripod legs with extra leg weights (if needed) or the legs spread out wide, a 22 pound capable lock-down Manfrotto 468MGRC2 ballhead, an Imorden 6.5 foot carbon fiber mini-Jib arm with counterweights, and my vintage Bogen Manfrotto 3130 fluid camera head with counterweight. This setup is heavy!!! My Bogen Manfrotto 3265 joystick grip head also works pretty well, though it locks into place rather than allowing the smooth glide of the fluid head. My expensive and bulky system gives me good stability and an ability to get under steady binoculars to look at stars without straining my neck and without hand-shake. Obviously, these Bogen Manfrotto components increase the system cost considerably and they add to setup time. I just keep mine assembled and drag the whole apparatus out onto the deck when I look at the sky. [ Aside: I tried simpler setups and none were satisfactory: without the jib, I was struggling to keep my body away from the tripod and I constantly had to move the tripod legs as I changed sky viewing positions. Sorry people — for stabilized astronomy you're going to get complicated. Handheld viewing is a lot simpler with a beanbag seat, blankets and a few pillows. Lake viewing and birdwatching with a simple tripod and a high quality fluid head is a total joy! Even a decent monopod works well for daytime. Don't forget extra QR plates and mounting adaptors if you're doing more than one kind of viewing. ] So, here is my optical review of the Skymaster Pro 15x70... The replacement binoculars are great for looking at boats on the lake or for birdwatching. They are not so amazing for astronomy. No matter how I adjust the binoculars, there is always a slight smudge on stars and planets, and noticeable chromatic aberrations even in the center of view. Chromatic aberration is NOT noticeable, however, for daytime viewing except in the outer 1/3 of the visual field (where it would be expected in any consumer grade binocular). I can see that Saturn appears slightly wider than tall (I think), but I cannot see any more detail than that. Chromatic aberration makes it difficult to be certain I am really seeing Saturn wider than tall. Again, these are wonderful daytime binocs for the person with a good tripod & head, a monopod, or steady/strong arms. I also purchased Celestron 51630 Star Pointer viewfinder, which I reviewed separately. While decent quality and easy to attach, I am not sure it adds anything to these binoculars. Maybe the 51630 would be useful for 25X binocs. I was tempted to purchase Celestron's new SkyMaster Pro 20x80 binoculars from another vendor (currently unavailable from Amazon) but I am glad I did not do so. The non-Amazon vendors had restocking charges and a pay-your-own return shipping. Amazon definitely is the way to go for sensitive optical equipment lacking factory quality control. I was also tempted to buy Celestron Skymaster 25x100 mega-binoculars, and I may do so in the future. With my setup listed above, I could definitely stargaze with the 25x100. The longer glass would pull in distant ships on the horizon better. That said, I expect the Skymaster 25x100 to be completely unusable for hand-held viewing (based on my experience with the 15x70 and reading reviews of the 25x100) and I have concerns about Celestron quality control being even worse than nonexistent on the non-Pro Skymasters. I love the Skymaster Pro's high quality, flexible rubber, light blocking second pair of eyecups. This was a very happy surprise, and I use the light blocking eyecups often. They are shown on Skymaster's web page "what's included" photo but not mentioned elsewhere. Nice extra! The only downside is the heavier eyecups tend to drop off when stargazing. Please check the ground when packing up after viewing. I nearly lost my favorite eyecups already twice this month. Celestron does not appear to sell replacements. SUMMARY: These are a decent pair of fully coated, supposedly waterproof binculars with nice extras and better styling versus the regular SkyMaster line. These are not truly Professional grade binoculars like Celestron Echelons, which I do not own... nor do they cost anywhere near as much as Echelon binocs. The brightness of the 4.6 mm exit diameter allows lots of light to reach your retina during stargazing, however pinpoint clarity suffers when viewing planets or stars. (I cannot say whether the higher powered SkyMaster binocs are any better in this regard.). Some chromatic aberration is to be expected in any consumer grade binocular, and these definitely have it but it's not too annoying. For casual sky exploration the wide field of view makes handheld use possible — expecially laying on your back with elbows supported. I certainly wouldn't want to try that with Skymaster 25x100 binocs. For extended viewing, a tripod setup such as what I listed above will definitely help. These binoculars are moon-gazers rather than galaxy-finders. They are higher end Chinese binocs, not German, Swiss or Japanese glass. The only quality control is the buyer, so definitely make sure you have a generous return policy like Amazon's. Overall value: I felt $190 was a fair price for these binoculars. They are no substitute for a 16 inch Newtonian telescope. Thank goodness for Amazon returns! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2016 by MacHound

  • Okay for the price but better options out there for astronomy...
Size: 15x70 Configuration: Binoculars
Construction of the Celestron 15x70 Skymaster Pro binocular is generally OK and I had no complaints in this regard. My unit was collimated perfectly at the factory and arrived safe and sound (triple-boxed!) Everything was relatively clean on the inside -- the fit and finish was respectable. No obvious dust particles were present. My focus knob was a little stiff. The weight of the binocular was actually not much of an issue for me. I was expecting a much heavier binocular but it was actually quite light. Supporting it by hand was not an issue -- focusing or adjusting the diopter however -- was almost impossible without a tripod or stable surface. An included optional component was the winged eyecups which help blackout surrounding light from the eyes. Unfortunately, this welcomed option was the most annoying feature! The eyecups kept popping off WAY too easily. This was REALLY annoying. When they stayed on, they were great. The most disappointing feature of the binocular was the optical quality. For viewing large celestial objects such as the moon, then these will be fine but even then, the overall image quality was just not there. I guess I should say that it just wasn't up to my standards. I was able to view Saturn and Mars but they were disappointing. In my Vortex Razor HD 12x50 binoculars I could make out Saturn's rings quite clearly. The SkyMaster Pro was just a smudged mess. Yes, I could see the fuzzy ring but it was hardly clear. Scanning stars and the milky way was also a quite disappointing. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) was OK but but since it's a fuzzy splotch anyway, it didn't really matter in this case. Surrounding stars were just fuzzy little dots though. If you're on a really tight budget then I can understand the purchase. For astronomy buffs, however, I would recommend investing in a 6" or 8" Dobsonian telescope -- which wouldn't cost that much more than these binoculars. You would see MUCH more detail than you ever will with binoculars. For portability (binoculars) then I recommend looking into Vortex Optics. They have their Vulture HD in 15x56 for around $400. They also have their 12x50 Diamondback for $255. For the serious observers, I can highly recommend the Vortex Kaibab 20x56 -- which I recently purchased myself. This model is truly stunning for astronomy. The Kaibab's are much more expensive but the image quality is second to none. Vortex offers a lifetime warranty on their products so it's a worthy investment. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016 by Nick Carrigan

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