Celestron Eclipsmart 10×42 Solar Binoculars

Specifications:

Objective diameter:  42 mm
Magnification:  10 x
Exit pupil: 4.2 mm
Eye relief (according to spec.): 12.7 mm
IPD (according to spec.): 56 – 72 mm
RFOV(acc. to spec.):  6.0  degrees = 105 m
Minimum focus distance: n.a.
Focus type: CF (direction of rotation from close to infinity: > clockwise)
Range of diopter adjustment (acc. to spec.): +/- 4 dpt
Prism system:  Porro I
Waterproof: no
Weight (acc. to spec, without accessories): 680 g
Weight (measured, with eyepiece cover and strap): 779 g
Made in: China

Remarks:

Virtually every binocular sold nowadays comes with a warning label telling you never to look directly at the sun with your instrument, as this could be very dangerous for your retina. But what if you would like to observe a solar eclipse or sunspots with a magnified view of the solar disk? There are all sorts of safe filters which you can attach to regular binoculars and spotting scopes etc. for observing the sun, but nothing is as easy and straightforward as a binocular specifically dedicated to solar observation. The “Eclipsmart” from Celestron is such a binocular; due to its black filter firmly built in, it can only be used to observe the sun. The filter is so effective that in the beginning, you may have trouble finding the solar disk with the pitch black image that the Celestron provides, but then, the Eclipsmart can be very useful. It is not well built, mechanically barely acceptable, and you may have to “help” the sub-standard collimation by pressing down on either eyecup until you have well-merged images in both tubes, but the Eclipsmart is cheap, and it is optically sufficiently good not only for observing an eclipse, but also for sunspots. More magnification might be welcome, but the 10x of the Eclipsmart is enough for daily sunspot recording, esp. when mounted on a tripod (needs something like a Berlebach adapter as there is no screw hole in the central hinge).

Ratings:

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Review:

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