which binoculars would you buy from these 3 choices only?

[pvb]

Not mine. Comander V

Maybe the terminology is confusing. My Steiner Commanders have individual eye focus adjustment, but no central focus knob. Once set up for your eyes, they effectively autofocus from infinity to fairly close, but further eyepiece adjustment is needed for very close work. Realistically, in sailing use, I never need to touch the focus.

 

[vyv_cox]

I find that focus free is fine for the boat, where I rarely need to look at anything closer than say, the masthead, and mostly much further. For bird watching a central focusing pair is pretty much essential, a focus free pair is just not versatile enough.

 

[Sandgrounder]

I have a pair of Bynolts on order; can't wait for delivery so that I can try them.

Up til now I have been using a pair of Tasco's on the boat which were bought in the mid 80's and were perfectly OK until they started getting damp inside and fogging. I chose the Bynolt because: the RNLI choice seemed a good recommendation; the optics sounded good. I tend to think that you should buy as high quality as you can; this is based on the binos I use ashore which are a pair of Carl Zeiss which are 60 years old and still as good as anything I could buy now.

For the boat I would have bought Steiners if I weren't such a skin flint but I'm not prepared to pay £600 to £700 for something I will use a bit for 6 months of the year.

 

[emandvee44]

Which Binoculars

Helios Oceanmaster.

I like to have binoculars with individual eye focus, as on big ships! Pick them up, check the focus numbers are correct and use.
I bought these a couple of years ago - very pleased with them. (better than my Lidls 17 euro ones)
http://www.force4.co.uk/department/...x50-binoculars-with-compass.html#.VFC4wOlybIU

Cheers,

M.

 

[DannyB]

I bought a pair from Lidl that look exactly like the ones on the left. I bought them as a cheap pair just to keep as a spare, but they have become my bins of choice after a couple of seasons of use. Every bit as good as the expensive waterproof ones I also keep on board. In fact it's so long since I took the expensive ones out of the case, I can't remember what they are. Made by a camera maker, Minolta, Canon, some of them .

 

[actionoptics]

Firstly I have to say that I am actionoptics.
Your question has made me look at my own web pages in more detail and I have now corrected them.
There is a difference between BAK 4 and BaK 4. I did explain this in PBO this year but simply put,
the little "a" means the glass is the best type and is used in Steiners etc. Bak 4 is Barium Crown
the big "A" is used by Chinese makers and BAK 4 is Phosphate Crown which is a little better than
BK 7 Borosilicate Crown but it is allowed a higher bubble count than BaK 4.
So best is BaK4, next is BAK4, then BK7.

There are binoculars which are completely focus free. They do not have a centre focus wheel
and they do not have individual focusing eyepieces.
All those on the OP's post have individual focusing eyepieces so you can set them up to your own
eyesight, esp useful if you have a difference between your left and right eyesight, and if focused
at a point a bit more than mid distance, they will appear acceptably sharp from fairly close up
out to the horizon.
The Gael Force and the Oceanmaster have conventional compass cards damped by oil.
The N 750C-E has an electronic compass.
The card or the electronic read out appear in the bottom of the view, usually in the left side.

 

[pvb]

Great info, thanks for explanations.

 

[Sailingsaves]

Thanks for the advice.

Will take it onboard (pun was not intended as I typed that).

I do have an iris 50 handheld compass and Plastimo 7x50 Nitrogen filled bins (I bought them second hand and they are good).

But I was trying to take some bearings (on land) the other day over a distance of at least 2 miles and thought it would be a lot easier with bins with compass. Got a very cocked hat on the ordnance survey map using the handheld bearings.

Was looking for a spot of elevated land over 3 miles away from which I could test some of my illumination devices; wife would make observations and record with camcorder whilst I switched various lights on and off.

 

[Ruffles]

The first one without a shadow of doubt. They are rebadged and sold via a number of outlets. They were sold by Aldi for a while. They gather an enormous amount of light. I find I can see things at night that I can't see with the naked eye. They have individual dioptre adjustment clearly marked. I've two pairs.

As with all cheap binoculars check the alignment. Viewing stars is a good way to check. Then smack them with your fist and check again. That way you know they'll survive the first drop!

The eye seems to be able to tolerate a certain amount of misalignment. But the tolerance is reduced when you are struggling to keep the binoculars still.

 

[sailorman]

Aren't Steiners focus free?

Yes

 

[Storyline]

The Gael Force at £66. They're lighter, and shorter (which I find easier to handle). "Focus free" is a benefit.

Not sure if it is just our type (£75ish) but I have been very disappointed with focus free and would definitely get a pair of traditional ones next time.