I was looking for binoculars for backyard astronomy and couldn't decide between the Oberwerk 15x70's and the 11x70's, so I got both.

The 15x70's are amazing binoculars, especially for the price. Very sharp, bright images, with good focus across most of the field of view, except for right near the edge. The 4.3 degree field of view gives plenty of room for observing the whole moon, open star clusters, etc., and the focus is razor sharp: I can see great detail on the surface of the moon, easily resolve the Galilean moons of Jupiter, barely make out Titan, and split double stars including Albireo and Mizar (but not Castor).

These binoculars work fine with my eyeglasses, and they're well balanced for hand-held viewing, although mounting on a tripod gives a much steadier view. While they're awesome for skywatching, I wouldn't want to use them for birdwatching -- the 20 meter minimum focus distance means that you won't be able to focus on nearby objects, so if that bird flies into a tree 50 feet away, you'd be mighty frustrated.

The construction of the binoculars themselves seems excellent, but Oberwerk skimped on the accessories. The soft case has very thin padding, and on mine the velcro was sewn on incompletely. The supplied straps are not first rate. There is a single oblong lens cover for both eyepieces, and it doesn't stay on securely (the objective lens covers are sturdy and secure). All of these are minor problems that I can live with (or replace these secondary components), especially given the very reasonable price of these binoculars.

Overall, I would enthusiastically recommend these binoculars to anyone interested in astronomy.

As a newby to the field I was worried after reading all the recommendations for the 10 x 50 binoculars. These have turned out to be a very rewarding purchase. I have had no difficulty finding any of the Messier objects I have searched for. Their field of view continues to surprise me. I have yet to use them without the tripod - but I don't really see this as a problem. I have recommended these to multiple friends and would purchase again without hesitation. Thanks Oberwerk!

I purchased my Oberwerk 15X70 binoculars in September, 2003 and have been greatly satisfied with their performance. When viewing side by side with binoculars of comparable size but much more costly, the Oberwerk image compares extremely well.
The service that I received from Big Binoculars was excellent.

A bargain at twice the price. The stars are sharp to within 10 to 15% of the edge. Nice Multi coatings, and sharp views. Much easier to handle than a pair of 20x80s I used to own.

The full Moon shows a sliver of green at at the very edge, but only when off axis. They show a wealth of detail.

Great Bins for the money!

For the use I intended, astronomical viewing, these were a good choice. They're bulky however, and unsuitable if closer focusing (under fifty feet) is needed. Optically they seem excellent, but are at their best using a tripod or a firm surface to rest them upon. Hand holding them more than briefly is not easy. Lots of bang for the buck if they suit your needs, but not for casual hand held viewing.

In case you haven't heard of Oberwerk, they are a not-so-known company that makes super quality stuff. I have owned Celestron, Orion, Park, & lots of other binoculars, & I will tell you the Oberwerks are like a $500 pair of binos. All of the glass is fully multi-coated (don't settle for simply multi-coated), and the images are crisp and sharp nearly to the edge of field of view. This is the one simple test you can do to determine a good bino from a bad one: do the images blur as they move from the center of view, or are they in focus almost til the edge of view?

I bought these several years ago & thought to post a review because they are the only high-end binos I've kept this long.

Believe it or not it is possible to hand-hold a large bino like this, I use them more off the tripod then on, but of course viewing is more stable in a tripod. Sitting back in a chair with the binos perched on your eyesockets and then using your hands to stabilize them does not make for a bad viewing experience.

The focusers are smooth on these, and the construction is very solid. I have no complaints other than I wish I had a few more pair in different apertures and powers. For astronomy its important to get the largest aperture (lens diameter) that you can afford. Magnification is secondary. Another good choice for astronomy is the 9 X 60 or 12 X 63 but you'll see dimmer stars with a 70 mm set. However the glasses get much bigger & heavier even going from a 60 mm to a 70 mm, so a 60 mm pair would still be good at a baseball game where a 70 mm+ is going to be mainly for astronomy. Just a note for some beginners.

If you're in the market for some giant binos, I really recommend Oberwerk over the rest. Some of Celestron's high-end giant stuff is very good too but you have to spend more to get equal quality.