Lidl binos and Aldi spotting scope this week

jfSDAS

hi all,

Aldi have a spotting scope in stock from this Thursday ... not sure of the quality, etc. but the link is https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thursday-specialbuys-20th-june/products-detail-page/ps/p/spotting-scope/

Lidl have 10x50mm binoculars since last Sunday. I picked up a pair last night ... 'cause you can never have too many binoculars They are braned Auriol but are the same as the Bresser binos previously stocked (aka Meade). I've used a pair of 10x50mm Bressers before to get some fine views of the summer Milky Way and general scanning of the sky. Well worth buying a pair @ only €20. Link is http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/SID-30F1EE7B-385D3684/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/index_32195.htm

John

Kersh

The 10x50, if they are like the Meades from before, are great.

I carry a pair in the car and use them quite a bit.

Well worth €20

username123

Ah lads, I only bought 10x50s on amazon recently.............but I would like a pair for the car.........STOP!!

Kersh

Lidl and Aldi are exactly why I dont stock 10x50s :pac:


They are generally that good, and well priced,when they come up, that I advise potential customers to wait on an offer to come up.

Some wait, some buy 15x70s

Everyones happy!

Tzetze

+1 for the LIDL bins.

Kersh

Super, Ill go check them out.


I have had to put a whole range of bins up due to heavy interest from birdwatchers and Aviation enthusiasts, But mostly higher end stuff.



Ya cant beat Aldi/Lidl bins usually when they come up

username123

I finally gave into temptation and bought them and I am very happy with them. Theyve also got a much nicer case and strap than my other 10x50s (which were dearer!).

I got a nice view of Super Moon with them over the weekend.

ps200306

Thanks for the tip. I'd never been in either shop before, and I decided to visit both. Unfortunately I couldn't remember which was doing the binocs and which the scope. So I got to Lidl and saw some funky looking combined telescope and microscope () which was twice the price I was expecting. I bought it anyway. Then I went on to Aldi and saw the spotting scopes and realised my mistake. So I bought two of those. But I have no binocs. Anyone know if they are still in stock in any location around Dublin or have I missed the boat?

ThunderCat

ps200306 wrote: »

Thanks for the tip. I'd never been in either shop before, and I decided to visit both. Unfortunately I couldn't remember which was doing the binocs and which the scope. So I got to Lidl and saw some funky looking combined telescope and microscope () which was twice the price I was expecting. I bought it anyway. Then I went on to Aldi and saw the spotting scopes and realised my mistake. So I bought two of those. But I have no binocs. Anyone know if they are still in stock in any location around Dublin or have I missed the boat?

Not sure where in Dublin you are, but Lidl in Balbriggan have roughly 4 or 5 pairs of the bins left as of an hour ago. Maybe they have more out back who knows. But I presume they all will still be stocking them if my local one is, stock permitting of course. Got a pair myself but won't be able to test them until tonight/tomorrow. Is the image through them nice and clear because it states on the box "razor sharp distance viewing". I'm not expecting miracles given the price but I once bought a 15 euro pair of bins (not from Lidl or Aldi) and they were basically useless and unusable - image was brutal, blurry and not real colour. Just hoping these will be better given they are in the same price bracket.

username123

ThunderCat wrote: »

Not sure where in Dublin you are, but Lidl in Balbriggan have roughly 4 or 5 pairs of the bins left as of an hour ago. Maybe they have more out back who knows. But I presume they all will still be stocking them if my local one is, stock permitting of course. Got a pair myself but won't be able to test them until tonight/tomorrow. Is the image through them nice and clear because it states on the box "razor sharp distance viewing". I'm not expecting miracles given the price but I once bought a 15 euro pair of bins (not from Lidl or Aldi) and they were basically useless and unusable - image was brutal, blurry and not real colour. Just hoping these will be better given they are in the same price bracket.

Yes, once calibrated properly the image is perfect.

I sat up in Mount Venus Cemetarys car park in Rathfarnham looking out over Dublin and I could see the water tower on the north side of the M50 clear as day - I could see things further than that but that was something that stood out for me as recognisable. I could also see the convention centre on the Quays as clear as a bell too.

ThunderCat

username123 wrote: »

Yes, once calibrated properly the image is perfect.

I sat up in Mount Venus Cemetarys car park in Rathfarnham looking out over Dublin and I could see the water tower on the north side of the M50 clear as day - I could see things further than that but that was something that stood out for me as recognisable. I could also see the convention centre on the Quays as clear as a bell too.

Thanks for that. They sound like a great purchase for the price and the two landmarks you describe there are a good disatance away from where you were so good to hear they were coming through nice and clear in the optics. Looking forward to trying them now. Nice to get something for 20 euro that actually works rather than the usual "it doesnt really work, but what do you expect for 20 quid".

username123

ThunderCat wrote: »

Thanks for that. They sound like a great purchase for the price and the two landmarks you describe there are a good disatance away from where you were so good to hear they were coming through nice and clear in the optics. Looking forward to trying them now. Nice to get something for 20 euro that actually works rather than the usual "it doesnt really work, but what do you expect for 20 quid".

Yeah I understand.
I also looked at Supermoon through them, and the conjunction the Moon and Saturn the previous week or so. All good clear viewing.

Once you follow the calibration instructions youre laughing. Nice strap on them too, far less scratchy than my other 10x50s which were a little dearer!

jfSDAS

Nice review username123 ... that is a good test of the binoculars.

I brought a pair of the Bressers 10x50mm before when visiting the RTMC Astro Expo outside L.A. and got some excellent views of the summer Milky Way (the site is at 7,200 feet with almost no light pollution). Ya really have to get to one of the big US star parties. Great observing, great people, and amazing dealer stands along with the swap meets.

Don't worry if no 10x50s turn up in the stores ps200306 as the offer comes around again every couple of months -- just a matter of keeping an eye out for the deals and/or sign up for their news letter.

John

ThunderCat

Got to try them out yesterday and I have to say they are great. I have a pair of Celestron 10x50's that were double the price and there is no real difference from what I can tell. They are all made in China at this price bracket and are no doubt clones of each other anyway. I've never used a pair of bins worth more than 50 euro so it would be great to have a look through a pair of Fujinons or something similar to see the difference.

They'll be around again in a few months i'm sure for anyone who didnt get them, and they are certainly worth purchasing.

username123

ThunderCat wrote: »

Got to try them out yesterday and I have to say they are great. I have a pair of Celestron 10x50's that were double the price and there is no real difference from what I can tell.

Snap - my other 10x50s are Celestrons too. I actually think the optics are fractionally clearer in the LIDL pair.

Glad you are enjoying them. Im delighted to have a pair to leave in the car - at only 20 euro it wouldnt be the end of the world if they went missing and finally Im not always going "oh I wish I had my binoculars......".

ThunderCat

username123 wrote: »

Snap - my other 10x50s are Celestrons too. I actually think the optics are fractionally clearer in the LIDL pair.

Glad you are enjoying them. Im delighted to have a pair to leave in the car - at only 20 euro it wouldnt be the end of the world if they went missing and finally Im not always going "oh I wish I had my binoculars......".

And even at 40 odd quid, I wouldn't say the Celestrons were bad value either, it's just the ones from Lidl at 20 euro really are a steal.
I had them on the tripod looking at the moon for a few minutes before it disappeared for the night behind cloud and no complaints from me. Nice and clear. Mounting them on a tripod makes hell of a difference to be fair.

username123

ThunderCat wrote: »

And even at 40 odd quid, I wouldn't say the Celestrons were bad value either, it's just the ones from Lidl at 20 euro really are a steal.
I had them on the tripod looking at the moon for a few minutes before it disappeared for the night behind cloud and no complaints from me. Nice and clear. Mounting them on a tripod makes hell of a difference to be fair.

Thats very interesting, where did you get the tripod if you dont mind me asking - Ive been thinking Id like to get one alright.

ThunderCat

username123 wrote: »

Thats very interesting, where did you get the tripod if you dont mind me asking - Ive been thinking Id like to get one alright.

My tripod came with a little travel scope that I bought a while back, but I'd liken it to the cheapest tripod in the Argos catalogue because the travel scope really wasn't expensive at all. But that said, a very basic tripod will do the job just fine because the binoculars are small and weigh next to nothing. If you are looking them up in the Argos catalogue by the way, you'll find the tripods in the camera section. Argos have them listed as camera tripods but they work just fine for binoculars too. However you will also need to buy a tripod adaptor which is basically a small metal bar that connects the binouclars with the tripod. I got my tripod adaptor off amazon. This is the one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opticron-Tripod-Mount-Adaptor-Binoculars/dp/B005XXZCR0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372410402&sr=8-1&keywords=opticron+L

So all in all, you can get a tripod for about 20 euro and the tripod adaptor for another 10 euro, but it really does make a huge difference because it keeps the binoculars very still and it is because of that you see far more detail than you would if you handheld the binoculars, nomatter how steady your hands are.

username123

Thanks for the info ThunderCat - they occasionally have tripods in LIDL - so I will keep an eye out. Do you have an idea of the height of yours?

Once the magnification goes up to 10 or so you do need something to steady the view alright. My hands wouldnt be the steadiest anyway, but for each little shake and vibration to be magnified....well, you know what I mean!

Also, if I get the tripod sorted.....maybe I will just have to get a pair of 15x70s.....

ps200306

Just found the Lidl binocs in Lidl Bray. I bought three pairs (why not! :pac:) ... haven't checked quality yet.

ThunderCat

The height of my tripod is only about 4.5 feet so obviously im either sitting down or crouching when using them. The tripod height isnt so bad when ive the little scope on there because of the 90 degree star diagnal. Luckily most tripods are taller than mine. And yea I agree, a pair of 15x70 would be great, I think it may be my next purchase. Would be great if lidl did them for 20 euro!

ThunderCat

ps200306 wrote: »

Just found the Lidl binocs in Lidl Bray. I bought three pairs (why not! :pac:) ... haven't checked quality yet.

Good stuff, let us know what you think. Hard to leave them behind at that price

username123

Thanks Thundercat, I was looking at a 62 or 65 inch tripod for a good price on Amazon, so I might get that at some stage.

I was in LIDL in Tallaght today and they still had plenty of sets of the 10x50s.

username123

LIDL Tallaght has these reduced, about 4 pairs left - 14.99

Is1ldur

Anyone know if there are any of these left anywhere in Dublin? Or anyone willing to sell me a pair? I broke my Bressers that I bought there years ago and still miss them (I fell in the dark!).

Cheers for that........