How do you evaluate telescope or binocular optics?
Question by i_shouldnt: How do you evaluate telescope or binocular optics?
Other than price and brand, how do you tell a good quality set of binoculars (or telescope) from bad quality? I'm speaking in terms of optical quality. Without allowing emotion or ego in to your answer, how can I really test the difference between Chinese (Leapers, Tasco, etc) and Japanese or German (or whereever else) binoculars and telescopes?
Best answer:
Answer by campbelp2002
The only fool proof way is to look at the stars with it. This is rarely possible, except when buying used from a local person who lets you use the telescope before you buy it. When buying new, read reviews online and in magazines like Sky and Telescope, and research the company and the exact model to see what others who have bought and used it have to say. This very problem is why I love my old 6 inch Criterion Dynascope. It has extremely good optical quality and easily shows more detail on planets than other 8 inch telescopes. I bought that telescope used without testing it because it was offered really cheap and I knew the Dynascope was famous for high optical quality. Too bad they haven't been made for years. You can't get a new one any more.
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Rating: 
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List Price: $ 78.95
Price: $ 37.58
iPhone through tasco binoculars
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July 10th, 2011 - 15:26
For quality optics the stars have to be pin-sharp, and the image unobstructed, clear, bright, ‘flat’ and have good edge to edge sharpness, as well as having good colour transmission.
Cheap optics will show color/chromatic aberrations and image defects and perhaps have a smaller field of view.
With quality optics, the lens coatings should be of good quality, and on all the air-to-glass surfaces.
Cheaper optics will save on these coatings and give a dimmer image.
But having said that even cheap optics nowadays give superb images, and it is quite difficult to tell any difference, (apart from things like BK-7 prisms which are usually used in lower priced binoculars and are inferior to the BAK-4 prisms, and the lens coating or lack of..).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_telescopes#Achromatic_Telescope