Sorry - binoculars again

[davidej]

I know that the subject of binos is as well covered as anchors, but I have trawled thruogh loads of threads on the subject and still can't make up my mind.

I have three pairs -mid-price(£150) cheap (£50) and very cheap (£25). I know - this sounds like goldilocks! Anway they all suffer from double vision from the knocking-about they get. I try to be careful with them but "stuff happens". I have tried adjusting them but with very little effect.

The quandary is should I grit my teeth and spend £4-500 on a Steiner or similar (I would be gutter if they were dropped and got out of alignment) or £50 on a pair I am willing to throw away.

 

[sarabande]

I cannot understand why anyone uses binoculars. It's not as if stereoscopic vision is any use at the sort of distances involved.

I have some old bins which became lenticularly disorientated, and cut them in half, and screwed one half to a sort of wooden pistol grip. Result, one handed, monocular vision, as steady as any pair of binoculars.

 

[snowleopard]

I splashed out on a pair of Canon IS bins. Magic for birdwatching but on a boat they are only exceeded in uselessness by an umbrella stand, a spirit level and a naval officer.

I won a pair of Steiner Commanders and they are excellent but, I have to say, I would never lash out £600 of my own money on them.

 

[johnalison]

I splashed out on a pair of Canon IS bins. Magic for birdwatching but on a boat they are only exceeded in uselessness by an umbrella stand, a spirit level and a naval officer..

I have to completely disagree. My Canon ISs are fantastic, both for bird-watching and on board. True, they are not waterproof or ruggedised, but the improvement in resolution under normal conditions is stunning, and makes possible the reading of the names of ships and buoys that would otherwise be impossible.

There is no doubt that for some reason not everyone seems to get this benefit, and for these people a decent pair of bins at about £100-200 should be sufficient. I have a 40yr old pair of Yashicas which have once been serviced and which I use for rough work. And some 8x24s for cycle rides.

My Canons are now about 10 yrs old and in perfect order, although they almost live in the cockpit for three months a year.

 

[VicS]

I agree I would not risk an expensive binocular on the boat.

On the other hand my experience with two of the very cheap Lidl/Aldi ones is not entirely satisfactory. One I have had to modify to stop it falling apart, the other I have had to dismantle and lubricate to get the focussing to operate freely.

I have a monocular, it's OK but I prefer a binocular.

We have 4 binoculars, all cheap to inexpensive, around the house ranging from a 7x30 to 10 x50.

I cannot get used to using them with spectacles but without I find I cannot focus them on nearby objects ( with the exception of the monocular).

I'd go for the £50 to £100 price range if I were buying a new one for the boat.

Don't buy a fixed focus one esp if you wear specs and prefer to use it without the specs

 

[dulcibella]

Have you found an optical instument repairer? if a prism is squiffy and giving a double image, it would be well worth the modest cost of having the £150 pair fixed fixed.
Being a birder and a yottie, I keep my best pair at home and my older ones on the boat. When the boat pair are past everything, I treat myself to a new pair of birding bins and downgrade the previous pair to the boat.
The big advantage of bins for sailing is the width of field. I use 10x50, which gives a decent magnification combined with excellent light-gathering power and a good field. Not difficult to hold steady provided one uses the wrist-twist technique.

 

[Vid]

Whatever you do, NEVER look through a pair of Leica binoculars. If you do you'll buy them at once and they're over a grand for a decent pair. Amazing binoculars though, wouldn't change mine despite the years it's taken to pay off the debt....

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I splashed out on a pair of Canon IS bins. Magic for birdwatching but on a boat they are only exceeded in uselessness by an umbrella stand, a spirit level and a naval officer.

Interesting comment - can you expand on it a bit. I was impressed by the Canon IS bins at SBS and am thinking of buying a pair so I can see whether the big boats of which we get a lot round here are anchored or not

 

[Coaster]

Interesting comment - can you expand on it a bit. I was impressed by the Canon IS bins at SBS and am thinking of buying a pair so I can see whether the big boats of which we get a lot round here are anchored or not

I have a pair of 10 x 30 Canon IS binoculars, bought about 3 or 4 years ago from Bristol Cameras. The price has increased by £100 but I'd certainly buy the same again.

The difference in readily visible detail is extraordinary. At first, when using them, these binoculars seem little different from most good ones. However, swapping between the Canons and a non-image stabilised pair quickly shows the enormous difference. Boat and buoy names can be read at two or three times the distance. Looking at seabirds seems to show every feather.

I was concerned that the relatively small objective lenses would cause difficulty in low light levels but that has not been the case. The binoculars were last used on Saturday night whilst motoring into the upper part of Milford Haven, where mooring buoys and other small objects were visible, in moonlight, half a mile away.

This is the Canon brochure.

 

[snowleopard]

Interesting comment - can you expand on it a bit. I was impressed by the Canon IS bins at SBS and am thinking of buying a pair so I can see whether the big boats of which we get a lot round here are anchored or not

Yes, when standing on land or at anchor they certainly are fantastic. The big but is that once the motion of the boat gets sufficient to overcome the limit of their stabilisation they become no better than an ordinary pair and with a magnification of 10x or 12x that's bad news.

I'd be interested to hear from those who get good results what sort of boat they use them on. Maybe a biggish mono with a slow roll doesn't move quickly enough to overpower the mechanism but a lightweight cat is way too jumpy for them to cope with. It's a lot of money to spend if you then find they are no good so I'd advise trying out a pair on your own boat before splashing out.

Another cautionary note - they come in a soft case and if you lay them down on their back the activating button can be pressed in and next time you go to use them the battery is flat! I never did manage to train SWMBO to put them down the right way up and not put anything on top of them.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Thanks for that comment. Arent there two designs for the Canon - the ones I tried on land were 8x and something like 12x. The 8x worked fine but the 12x had a funny effect is I panned with them. Felt a bit nausea making.

Trouble is, even on as mono with a reasonable weight I find normal bins next toi useless for spotting buoys or looking at ships. Cant hold them steady enough.
Not that I found a cat any different when we had the Quest.

 

[Coaster]

Arent there two designs for the Canon - the ones I tried on land were 8x and something like 12x. The 8x worked fine but the 12x had a funny effect is I panned with them. Felt a bit nausea making.

If you look at the Bristol Cameras link above you'll see the range. I thought that the 10 x 30 size was best. They're used on a 34' centre cockpit boat.

 

[Humblebee]

Try before you buy.

In my experience the alignment between the two sets of optics can vary, even between otherwise identical bins. Maybe my eyes are just too sensitive to this, I don't know, but I would always try a pair first before buying. A distant TV ariel is a good object to look at as it will show up any faults in alignment quite easily.
I had a cheapo pair (£9.99!) for several years and they were excellent. I've also tried much more expensive models and found they gave me double vision. The moral is, don't judge on price but let your eyes guide you.
Good luck!

 

[Malo37]

I would have a go at fixing them yourself. I've done that twice with different bins and in both cases the prism just needed popping back into its clip. The best ones I've had are Korean, and the cheapest.

 

[VO5]

I have two Carl Zeiss binoculars on board. Fabulous ! I have had them about 30 years and have served me very well, never a complaint. But they need to be looked after. They should be safely stored and replaced immediately after use in a secure holder, first ensuring there is no moisture on them. This can be aided by the application of small dabs of waterproof grease in vulnerable spots.

Binoculars at sea should optimally be 7 X 50 and no higher.

There are very good reasons for this.

The first is the property of luminosity. The greater the luminosity the clearer the vision at night. 7 X 50 has the ideal luminosity for use at sea and at night.

The second is the question of magnification.

If the magnification is too high, first of all the luminosity is decreased and also the image dances too much when you look through them if they are not held stationary as for example on a tripod.

As holding binoculars stationary at sea is an impossible luxury then high or very high magnifications are generally deemed unsuitable.

In my experience 7 X 50 is the ideal, fitted with rubber eyecaps and extension hoods.

10 X 50 is a dancer and all the other higher mags do not yield good images at night.

 

[VO5]

I cannot understand why anyone uses binoculars. It's not as if stereoscopic vision is any use at the sort of distances involved.

I have some old bins which became lenticularly disorientated, and cut them in half, and screwed one half to a sort of wooden pistol grip. Result, one handed, monocular vision, as steady as any pair of binoculars.

That's novel, Sarabande.

I also have a 1890 vintage Dollonds Naval Officer's Telescope, handed down, from my grandad.

I don't use it on the boat, only at Club Regattas to put on a bit of style.

The thing is, it is very clear by day and night and I can clearly distinguish people walking about 3 1/2 miles away on shore, but it is heavy (brass and leather covered) and difficult to hold steady in a seaway.

Actually, after practising holding it steady and then reverting to binocs is a relief.

They were probably designed for use on the decks of great battleships and cruisers at the turn of the last century, that is why I expect the actual field of view is not very great either, but beautifully finished nonetheless.

 

[Vanilla]

Sarabande - any chance of a photo of your splendid but mind-boggling contraption in use?

 

[whipper_snapper]

In my experience the alignment between the two sets of optics can vary, even between otherwise identical bins. Maybe my eyes are just too sensitive to this, I don't know, but I would always try a pair first before buying.
The moral is, don't judge on price but let your eyes guide you.

I completely agree. I had a pair of cheapo Plastimo 7x50s for many years that were fantastic. But when I bought them, the first pair I picked up were rubbish, obviously some misaligned optics. The next supposedly identical pair were excellent and served me for many years.

I recently replaced them with a pair of midprice 7x50s from Monk. I must say I am disappointed with them and regret not trying before buying.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Monk Nautilus 7x50 with built in compass - not particularly expensive (the compass included would cost a fair amount on its own!) and the best optic I've ever looked through.

 

[Phideaux]

Monk Nautilus 7x50 with built in compass - not particularly expensive (the compass included would cost a fair amount on its own!) and the best optic I've ever looked through.

I was wondering about buying some binoculars with the built-in compass and was wondering what people's views were? I'm used to taking compass bearings on land when orienteering and I've found trying to replicate the accuracy at sea with a hand compass to be frustrating (I briefly tried a pair of Plastimo and they seemed quite good for the price).