Binoculars eBay

20x magnification is too great to hold steady without a tripod or leaning on a tree or wall. Might do for bird watching from a hide in good weather, but such high magnification not only makes them hard to keep steady, it also reduces clarity as there isn't enough light gathered.

7x50's are good for on a boat cos they don't overmagnify the available light, and a 50mm object lens gathers enough light for them to be suitable at dusk & dawn.

Small modern 7,or 8x20's are very good these days. Very small & light & fit in your pocket. I keep a pair in the car for general use & when walking. But I still have 7x50 night glasses on the boat where size is not really an issue.

Anything 10x magnification or greater will be hard to hold steady enough to make out what you are looking at.
 
nigelmercier said:
Autofocus binoculars, yeh right!
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Autofocus is a misnomer, they are actually fixed focus but with a large depth of field. In effect, everything from about 40ft to infinity is always in focus so there are no knobs to twiddle. Pick them up, look and you will see.
I've used a pair of fixed focus Fujinons for the last 20 years or more and not come across better yet.
 
nigelmercier said:
I've got a pair of Canon IS ones, they are fantastic.
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They'd make your eyes water if you dropped them or they went over the side. Are they mentioned as a specific item on your insurance? :D

At least I don't stress when using a 35squid pair - & I can see well enough with them. In my world, binoculars on a boat should be considered a consumable rather than a capital item.
 
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