Celestron EclipSmart Reviews
Nice Solar Binoculars!
By Todd
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-11-21
They work good and I enjoy using them. Money well spent!
surprisingly good
By Scott
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-10-01
I bought these for a permanent set of sun observers, I have other solar filters for scopes and binos but wanted a quick peek set up. These were better than expected and allow me to go outside for a quick peek before setting up a telescope or binos with filters for longer sessions. The hardest part was the initial focus setup, once completed these are ready to use in an instant. Note: you will only see the sun in these so it is impossible to focus on a distant object before looking at the sun, my recommendation is use a tripod adaptor and look through only 1 barrel for the initial setup and focus. Once setup these are wonderful to get a quick look at the sun.
Easy to Use
By Oscar
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2020-01-22
The EclipSmart solar binoculars are easy to use light weight with a compact feel to them. The view through them is clear, and 10X42 is perfect for hand held viewing, simple. I was worry of quality control but it turned out to be in good working shape for the price.
Great for the Eclipse, and for any sunny day
By Anonymous
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2017-11-20
Bought these for the 2017 Eclipse - was in Idaho Falls with lots of NASA and JPL types.� I was surprised to be the only one with these, and a few folks asked to try them out.
These work really well - easy to see sunspots - but you do need to carefully focus.� Luckily we (family of four) all practiced ahead of time (necessary) - there is some skill to squaring up and finding the sun, while cupping your eyes so as not to let any light actually leak in (i.e. to find the sun without seeing it) - and while holding the binocs a bit off your eyes to maximize the eye relief and angle the barrels to center the image in both eyes.
Since all four of us wanted to use them, took a little time each handoff� adjusting and re-focusing (try to remember your settings).� For the next eclipse everybody gets their own :-) !
In summary, these are great!
I would suggest Celestron add prominent coloring to distinguish from ordinary binocs.� Also, some on here remove the filters - personally I would not suggest that - to be safe, buy a regular pair and mark these with colored tape, for safety.
I would not buy this product.
By Jim
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2017-10-16
I purchased this for the Eclipse October 21, 2017. I was in Torrington Wyoming for the full totality eclipse. It was almost impossible to see a picture through the binoculars. When you did see the image you could only view it through one lens (left side). You had to close you right eye. This was a total waste of money. I would not recommend this product. If you want to buy a pair of solar binoculars I recommend you go to the store and walk outside at 11:00 am-12: noon and try them out before you buy. I threw them away after the eclipse.
removable filters
By keith
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2017-09-12
I've seen some folks write wishing these had removable filters. The filters are listed as non removable, but, this is not true. I bought them thinking i would bust them removing a filter, to mount it on my camera, since a proper solar filter for my lens would cost about $200. To my delight, i found that if you roll back the rubber housing, these filters easily, and non-destructively simply screw out, leaving you with a great pair of binoculars for regular viewing of landscapes, birds, etc.. I have left them with one solar filter, and one unfiltered side.If i want to look at the sun, i just leave the lens cap on the unfiltered side, and view the sun through the filtered side. And i mounted the removed filter in an old lens cap, so, i now have a great solar filter for my camera, as well. Couldn't be more delighted.
Some Challenges for Eyeglass Wearers
By Paul
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2021-12-10
We purchased these for the North America 2024 total solar eclipse so that we can practice and enjoy viewing the sun before the event. They work very well, but eyeglass wearers will have a few challenges.
(1) The eyecups are rubber roll-down and are not as easy to adjust as those like Swarovski's.
(2) The caps for the ocular lenses will *not* fit over the lens, if you have the eyecups rolled down. This means either no protection for the lens or you have to roll it up and down with each use. Constant rolling, as we have discovered with other binos, will wear out the eyecup and it will break off.
(3) Lots of light enters around the edges due to the eye relief with glasses--which is normal. However, this can be dangerous when looking at the sun. To mitigate this, my partner has ordered some eyeshields and hope they resolve the issue.
Another downside with these, not necessarily related to glasses, is that you cannot bring the ocular lenses close enough together to make for a comfortable viewing. At their narrowest, the barrels just close enough to work for my partner. So if you have slightly narrow-set eyes, this could be an issue. This is not an issue for me, though.
For these four reasons, we are only giving these binos a 4-star rating.
Ever one likes them
By phillip
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2021-11-02
Everyone likes them at the truckstop. And at the docks that's truck drivers get a big kick out of it
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