Helios Stellar II

Price £159 • Weight 1,190g Extras • Wide, neoprene neck strap; tethered objective caps and rain-guard; robust, lightly padded fabric case • Supplier Optical Vision Ltd • Tel 01359 244200 www.opticalvision.co.uk

The Helios Stellar II binoculars are the only ones in this test that have individual eyepiece focusing. This is the preferred option for astronomy, meaning you can set the focus and then leave it alone. These are also the heaviest pair, which means that they are the most likely to tire your arms, although we did find that their mass also helps to reduce shake.

We were impressed with the brightness and excellent colour rendition of the image, which is sharp over the central 80 per cent of the 6.5° field of view. This makes them ideal for scanning the sky.

They have several useful features, including tethered lens caps for the objective lenses and the eyepieces. By having these caps attached to the binoculars, they won’t get lost and you’re probably more likely to use them, too. They are covered in a substantial, ribbed rubber armour that offers protection against everyday knocks, and gives a secure grip even when the binoculars are damp from dew.