How useful are Binoculars ?

[waynes world]

I think they would be very handy. T is asking what i want for Christmas and i just want things for the boat and all i can think of that is in the budget, i hope is a pair of Binoculars. Budget being around £60 for them.

Will that get a half decent pair? i see they vary a great deal in price and as always there is so much about i dont want her to be buying a rubbish make as we have no clue on wats good and bad as never used them before.
Cant think of what else we need for the boat.


All Best

CFaffer

 

[LiftyK]

My binoculars are useful from time to time but not vital. Sea movement is a challenge when trying to decode what you are seeing. I think for around £60 you are not going to be impressed with what you see except in calm and bright conditions. Expensive stabilised binoculars are the best but at a price I cannot afford. Instead, do what a friend recommended to me. Take a photo using your mobile phone then magnify the image.

 

[chris-s]

We bought a pair a couple of years back and find them used quite a bit whether it be for navigation purposes or general bird/dolphin/other-wildlife/yacht/ufo spotting.
They have a compass which is of reasonable usefulness and float (apparently). Price wise, they aren’t any fancy brand, I don’t recall but less than £100.
If I lost them then yes I would replace them with a similar/same model.

 

[jaminb]

These are my first pair and I am getting used to them now - seem decent to me but no reference point.

Marine Binoculars 7x50 Autofocus - Black

 

[Refueler]

I have bought various over the years ... initially because ships bin's were often not so well looked after .... so preferred my own. I still have a pair that I bought in Singapore .... nothing special ... but despite the cheap price - have survived many years.
My last purchase bin's - Steiner Champ .... small enough to go in waterproofs pocket ... but very handy .... 10x26 ..... just need new rubber eyecaps ..

Champ 10x26.

More than the 60 quid OP says ... but well worth it. I'm sure that there must be a newer model by now ....

Just an addition ... my Father obtained a pair of US Navy bin's .... enormous ...... but just too powerful for use on a yacht - virtually impossible to get a steady image.
Another pair of bin's I have ... a Russian tank Commanders bin's ... small conventional type ... but perfect for boating .... they stay in the house with the others though ... my Steiners are the ones for the boat along with my cheapo Singapore bin's.

 

[Poignard]

Whether it's identifying navigational marks, taking bearings for a fix, or reading the small numbers on the end of marina catways, I would not like to go to sea without my compass-binoculars.

When I lost a good pair in Cherbourg harbour, (if anyone finds them they are welcome to keep them! ) I wasted no time in replacing them.

 

[Refueler]

I keep looking at Compass bin's ... but each one I've tried - been unconvinced ....

 

[johnalison]

I keep looking at Compass bin's ... but each one I've tried - been unconvinced ....

I have never been able to find a use for compass binoculars, with the exception that one might know the exact bearing of an object from the chart or AIS and want to search that bearing for the said object. Accuracy of a bearing taken is more dependant on the stability of the compass and the boat, and a simple HBC will do as well.

A £60 pair of binoculars may not be ideal or as durable as more expensive ones but will still be a thousand times better than the naked eye. Almost any size will do but there is a reason why 7x50s are the most popular, and this is what I would be looking for. 8x40 would be less good in low light but might be better if you want to use them also for bird-watching.

 

[Daydream believer]

My wife & I walked into a shop in Kelso just browsing. We were casually looking at binoculars with no real intention of buying.
The owner asked if we would like to look at a couple so we agreed.
Before we could stop him he had produced over 20 pairs all in a row on the counter. He then told us to look at a point some distance away. Then try 2 binoculars, We did & discarded the lesser of the two. We then repeated using the saved one & another, discarding the worse one, working our way through all of them.
He advised us to consider the width across the lenses. Some are very narrow .He pointed out that some have much better light admittance. Some had higher magnification, but would be harder to aim & also tiring if used for longer period.
We eventually came to the last pair that he had put to one side & we had no problem in chosing that pair. He laughed & said that he had kep it to the end on purpose. They were Bushnels & not particularly high magnification. It seems that they are favourites with bird watchers. My wife has used them on the club committee boat & starting bridge for years. I am not allowed to touch them.
My daughter has only sight in one eye, so has a really good monacular set.
I have a pair of self focusing ones, gifted to me, with a compass in. However, being too close together makes the lenses awkward & the compass is at an angle. I end up looking through 1 side only to get a bearing. The high magnification makes them hard to aim. I tend to use my Sestral hand bearing compass where possible. That is a quality piece of kit.

 

[dunedin]

We use these - good value and effective for boat use. Gael Force 7x50 Floating Waterproof Binoculars with Compass Gael Force Marine

For coastal sailing I think they are very useful - albeit nowadays less for spotting navigation buoys (they are a rare beast in NW Scotland anyway) but more for looking at interesting things - other boats, otters/dolphins/whales/eagles, ships etc.

 

[blush2]

We had two pairs on Blush. One with a compass which were hardly ever used, and one autofocus. These were used on most trips for the same sort of things as dunedin. Autofocus is very good if more than one person is going to use them in quick succession.

 

[waynes world]

Blimey tech stuff then, `Autofocus` and built in compass. Not going to make this any easier now.

Maybe worth going a bit more on the budget to £100.

What would you folk say i best look at for in zoom thingy as in 7x50 or 8x40.

All i an think for use will be way points and animal spotting etc.

T pointed these out. i think she mite be expecting me over board or spy me leaving the pub lol

4K adult night vision binoculars, 3-inch display, 7-stop infrared night vision adjustment, 5x digital zoom, support video recording and photo shooting, suitable for day and night hunting, camping, surveillance

 

[Bouba]

I’m shortsighted...so I find binoculars useful....the wife has incredible long range vision....so hardly ever uses them. Mine are cheapies (about €50)...but it’s special feature is they are auto focusing...so no fiddly adjustments needed when you pick them up.
If you wear glasses and want to keep them on while using your binoculars....it’s important to find out what system they use...telescopic rubber cups are the best, but hard to find....most use rubber that folds over and can range from being acceptable all the way to bloody useless

 

[dolabriform]

We always have a pair of 7x50 binoculars to hand in the cockpit when on passage.
They are exceptionally useful for so many things that I wouldn't be without them.

 

[johnalison]

Blimey tech stuff then, `Autofocus` and built in compass. Not going to make this any easier now.

Maybe worth going a bit more on the budget to £100.

What would you folk say i best look at for in zoom thingy as in 7x50 or 8x40.

All i an think for use will be way points and animal spotting etc.

T pointed these out. i think she mite be expecting me over board or spy me leaving the pub lol

4K adult night vision binoculars, 3-inch display, 7-stop infrared night vision adjustment, 5x digital zoom, support video recording and photo shooting, suitable for day and night hunting, camping, surveillance

It won’t be autofocus so much as fixed focus. It is possible to compute the lenses so that an average viewer‘s eyes can adjust to focus within a useful range from infinitely towards the viewer. Typically, the nearest point that can be focussed will be further away than with focussing binoculars but may still be adequate for use at sea, and many people find them very useful, especially as they can be used by several people without the need to adjust for each. With all binoculars there are several factors that make one or other desirable, but which can also make them unusable for some people, so you really need to go to a shop and try them, and stick to you budget, because there will always be better ones.

 

[Bouba]

It won’t be autofocus so much as fixed focus. It is possible to compute the lenses so that an average viewer‘s eyes can adjust to focus within a useful range from infinitely towards the viewer. Typically, the nearest point that can be focussed will be further away than with focussing binoculars but may still be adequate for use at sea, and many people find them very useful, especially as they can be used by several people without the need to adjust for each. With all binoculars there are several factors that make one or other desirable, but which can also make them unusable for some people, so you really need to go to a shop and try them, and stick to you budget, because there will always be better ones.

Yes, that’s the secret of how something as complicated as autofocus can be so cheap....it’s your eyes that are doing all the work...but you don’t realize this as you use them...and they are so good for just picking up and using without faffing about

 

[pcatterall]

When I worked as a hydrographic surveyor I favoured a monocular with a pistol grip and compass.

 

[Bouba]

When I worked as a hydrographic surveyor I favoured a monocular with a pistol grip and compass.

Is the pistol grip with the compass....or the monocular ?....I don’t think I have seen a monocular with a pistol grip...a picture would be good

 

[Rhylsailer99]

Bushnell Marine 7x50
These are good. Ive only really used them for stargazing though when ive been out on my boat.

 

[Hadenough]

We use these - good value and effective for boat use. Gael Force 7x50 Floating Waterproof Binoculars with Compass Gael Force Marine

For coastal sailing I think they are very useful - albeit nowadays less for spotting navigation buoys (they are a rare beast in NW Scotland anyway) but more for looking at interesting things - other boats, otters/dolphins/whales/eagles, ships etc.

Keep the receipt. Slightest knock and they are toast.