Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm porro solar binoculars review

With two solar eclipses coming up in North America everyone’s focusing on getting the best view, but do you need the kind of magnification offered by the Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm Porro solar binoculars? The scramble for solar eclipse safety glasses always mushrooms before every solar eclipse, but given that the sun and moon occupy barely half a degree in the 180-degrees sky, it’s tough to get anything other than a general view of how the eclipse is progressing. Cue 12x magnification on these solar eclipse binoculars, whose 50mm objective lenses have solar filters permanently built into them. 

With the sun looking 12x bigger than with the unaided eye, the Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm might seem a no-brainer, but there are a few things you need to know about them before making a purchase. Depending on your own preferences — and even your physical size — they could either delight or repel you. Are they one of the Best binoculars? Here’s what you need to know.


Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm porro solar binoculars review

Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm porro solar binoculars: Design

The Celestron EclipSmart 12×50 porro solar binoculars are for serious close-ups of the solar disk. (Image credit: Jamie Carter)
  • Solar filters meet ISO rating
  • Bulky Porro optical design
  • Average quality accessories

Specifications

Design: Porro prism

Exit pupil: 0.13-in / 3.3mm

Eye relief: 0.47-in / 12mm

Weight: 31.5 oz / 892g

Dimensions: 7.8×2.6×7.3-in / 199x65x186mm

Magnification: 12x

Objective lenses: 50mm

Durability: Water resistant

Except during totality, it’s not safe to look directly at the sun through binoculars unless they’re fitted with solar filters. That’s exactly what the Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm has, with polymer glass solar filters on the objective lenses that meet the ISO 12312-2:2015(E) international safety standard. On the underside of the barrels are thumb pads, which indicate where to hold them.

Wide view of the EclipSmart 12x50 binoculars on a tripod

Mounting the binoculars on a tripod does add much-needed stability.  (Image credit: Jamie Carter)

Using the Porro prism optical design — known for good contrast, clarity and less light loss compared to roof prisms — the Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm has a focus wheel on the top and eyecups with plenty of eye relief. Sadly, the lens caps — for both the objective lenses and for the eyecups — are separate and easy to lose, while the neck strap is on the slender side. Ditto the shoulder bag in the box, which is best described as rudimentary.

Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm porro solar binoculars: Performance

View of labels on the EclipSmart 12x50 binoculars

These binoculars are part of Celestron’s four-strong EclipSmart range. (Image credit: Jamie Carter)
  • Blueish-white image of sun
  • Detailed views of sunspots
  • Some color fringing

With plenty of magnification, the Celestron EclipSmart 12×50 is capable of fantastic detailed close-ups of sunspots peppering the sun’s surface. It does so against a cool bluish-white backdrop, though we did notice a trace of color fringing around the sun’s disk. This issue appears as visible blue and yellow bands on opposite limbs of the solar disk, but it’s neither distracting nor particularly unusual on solar eclipse binoculars.

View of objective lenses on the EclipSmart 12x50 binoculars

The 50mm objective lenses mean a bright image of the solar disk but the ISO standards adhered to mean that it is totally safe to view the sun. (Image credit: Jamie Carter)

What the Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm is good at is both identifying sunspots and actually separating areas of activity within them. During my test I could see two large sunspots, Active Region 3403 and 3407, front and center, and make out detail within them. I could also see the smaller 3405 also visible on the eastern limb, something not nearly as visible while using the Celestron EclipSmart 10×42 solar binoculars I had on hand (which offer a little less magnification).

Celestron EclipSmart 12x50mm porro solar binoculars: Functionality

Underside view of the EclipSmart 12x50 binoculars

Thumb pads on the underside of the binoculars make them easy to grip. (Image credit: Jamie Carter)
  • Difficult to hold stable
  • Tripod adaptor jack included
  • Requires practice and patience