Binoculars

JonWA

JonWA

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Hi, I'm returning to the forum after an extended period of absence. Recently got back to sailing having secured more time for things I like to do :). With new boat handover next week, I'm thinking about things that will be helpful. A good pair of binoculars seems sensible and I was tempted by a pair of Steiners until I saw https://youtu.be/xcMXiA4EOn8 which just seemed really silly, if not offensive.

So, does anyone have any suggestions for alternatives to Steiner navigators? Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks.
 
I don't care about the silly advert. I have an ancient pair of Steiner 7X50 binoculars, as well as three cheaper makes. The Steiners are easily the best.
 
My binoculars are Lidl/Aldi, but if I judged a product to be good value and fit for purpose I don't think a silly advert would stop me buying it. Similarly, a clever and attractive advert wouldn't make me buy a product I thought was unsatisfactory or overpriced.
 
Any binoculars are going to be a thousand times better than naked eyes, well, seven times anyway, but use on a pitching boat will reduce their effectiveness so that the advantage of superior optics is less than when ashore. Waterproofing may be useful for some, but my old 7x50s are still in working order without, and my stabilised 10x40s after 17yrs. We each have different needs, so it is mainly a matter of finding a pair that handle well for you and then deciding how much you want to pay. Other than the very cheapest, there are few actually bad binoculars, and most will serve somebody's purpose.
 
I once temped in a chandlery; we had just set up a display stand for ' Tasco ' average sort of bino's, when a group came in and the leader, so very obviously not a sailor in his biker jacket ( before anyone starts, I've had bikes and I doubt this charachter did ) asked " Ain't ya got any quality, Leica ' I thought of several replies, but the politest I could come up with was " I see, Sir wants to use Leica binoculars in a small boat do you ?! "

Cut the posing and get reasonable bino's, regarding them as a disposable item; they take a lot of knocks in the cockpit, so don't pay for a Rolls Royce when a Skoda will happily do just the same job.

10 X 50 is too powerful to hold steady on a boat, I 'd go for a £ 100 set of 7 X 50's with compass. - there are various makes competing at this price.
 
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Actionoptics (I think) is run by a chap that posts on here from time to time.

He offers excellent advice and sells new and 2nd hand 'noculars.

I bought some waterproof and in-built compass ones from him and they are still serving me well.
 
With a fraction of the money saved buying sensible bino's not Leica or Steiner, one could also get night vision kit which is a lot handier than a posh name; if you do go for NVG's try to get a system which is compatible with cameras.
 
Norman_E said:
I don't care about the silly advert. I have an ancient pair of Steiner 7X50 binoculars, as well as three cheaper makes. The Steiners are easily the best.
Click to expand...

It looks like you are right and I really wished I already owned a pair, just can't bring myself to buy new after watching that. It sounds like 7 x 50 is the way to go, but no obvious Steiner equivalent.
 
Tend to agree, there seems two ways to go; spend a lot and expect them to last, or spend much less and they will probably last. Having said that, there does seem to be weight advantage in some more expensive options.
 
Wow. If I trade in my old binocs for a set of Steiners will I get a girlfriend with bleach blond hair and big h**ters?

Seriously, I have a pair of Nikon 7X50 marine binocs that are excellent and my wife has a pair of Canon 10X35 stabilzed that are even better. Even with only 7X magnification I find I can't read the numbers on channel markers any better than with the naked eye due to shake. However, the Canon stabilized are great. Much better for reading signs and numbers at a distance than anything else I've tried.

By the way, Canon isn't the only stabilized binocular. Nikon and several other companies make them. One caveat, the Canons are not marine in any sense of the word.
 
Have Steiner Commander (poor condition but optics not damaged) and Fujinon Image Stabilised.

IMHO you need IS at sea.

In very dark conditions there was no comparison between the Steiner and Fujinon. The Fujinons let through significantly more light or, put another way, you could see things in the 'dark' that you could not see with the Steiners.

As Zing (above), the Fujinon IS are IMHO superb.
 
I fairly recently acquired for free a pair of Swarovski EL Field glasses. They were a bit tatty so I decided to spend a couple of hundred pounds to get them serviced. They were returned from the factory in an as-new condition. On the boat I use a pair of the £100 with compass, commonly available from Chandlers. I'm amazed at the difference from high quality optics. I don't think I'd pay >£2000 for a new Swarovski, though as the £100 pair are perfectly adequate.
 
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