Review on Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Compact Binoculars - Perfect Viewing Experience for Sports or Stage Events, with 900' FOV! by Heather Wood

I regularly present quarterly informational sessions for one of the largest astronomy clubs in the US. I usually focus on identifying constellations and some Messier objects like the Andromeda galaxy that are visible to the naked eye. I will also give a talk on opera glass astronomy, comparing lower magnification binoculars (2x to 5x) with high magnification binoculars of 7x and more. I have personally owned and tested a large number of binoculars, both modern and vintage, ranging from 2.3x to 18x wide angle with image stabilization. Magnifications above 7x and more are good observations of the night sky, but experience and skill are required to find the target at this magnification due to the relatively small field of view and the difficulty of holding the binoculars steady. Bushnell 4x30 binoculars are excellent for astronomy primarily because of their large field of view, brightness (relatively large front lens and 7.5 pupil) and fixed focusing at infinity. A field of view of 17 degrees is enough to see the Ursa Major shell and Aliot, the first star on the handle. At 4x magnification, the images do not shake like they do at high magnification. Fixed focus is good because everything in the night sky is infinite. Now don't expect to see a vastly improved detailed image of the moon, spiral galaxy, or Saturn's rings with this tool. But in my opinion they are the tool of choice for taking nice wide-angle images and showing fainter stars, especially magnitude 5 and 6 stars. I recommend them enthusiastically for their size, weight, usefulness and reasonable price. I have no affiliation with the company or any retailer. I was asked to respond to reports that these binoculars were of little value to astronomy. Anyone looking for a practical companion for observing astronomical objects will not go wrong with these binoculars with a large field of view. I would like to write more, but space is limited.