Which binoculars

We have a small cheap auto focus pair, means easy to grab and use with no adjusting, both me and the admiral have very different eye prescriptions and both have glasses and before were endlessly adjusting eye lens focus and just being able to pick up and use with or without glasses on makes such a difference
 
Splash some proper cash on your Binos - you won't regret it.
Rubbish optics are rubbish optics. You won't be able to read that sail number/ spot that cardinal, see what vessel that is...etc

I spent about £120 on my Pentax 10 x24 UCF's about ten years ago and they're still as sharp and clear as an eagles nadsack.
 
For marine use you need to look at 7x50 binoculars, these will give you good magnification, but not so high that it’s difficult to hold them steady and they have the maximum light gathering capability for poor light conditions and at night which make them the optimum choice for marine use.
Autofocus binoculars aren’t not in reality auto focus, they just rely upon a deep depth of field and restricted close distance focussing, but they are very useful and worth considering.
We bought a pair of floating auto focus 7x50 bin’s with built-in compass from Gealforce Marine about 3 years ago and so far would rate them as the best we have had on board, but some YBS members have not been so keen.
We did have a pair of Russian 7x50 for years, these were very reasonably priced, well built with good optics, but traditional design so not waterproof or floating, so eventually changed them.
 
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ganter said:
Splash some proper cash on your Binos - you won't regret it.
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Until they go over the side...

ganter said:
I spent about £120
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Although, that seems quite a reasonable amount for a good set.

I bought a pair of Chinese bins, with a built-in compass for around £40. They are good enough, although the compass is rather 'variable'. I've had a look and the same are now over £60 or more.
Probably not worth paying that much for them though.

Maybe try getting second-hand if you want the best value.
 
I would always get 7 X 50's with a built in compass, very handy for checking if other boats / ships are on a constant bearing collision course as well as taking fixes.

I have XM's like this, they work well as binos' but the rubber rings on the object lenses fell off - they were about £100, so these or something similar better made if that can be identied.
 
Have a word with Actionoptics of this parish, he sells binos and when I spoke to him, he offered some advice (which i took) and I have been very, very pleased with the ones I bought. They stay on the boat so I cannot give you the details but I do remember they were x 40 rather than the x 50 set I already had and they remain fantastic, especially in poor light. I believe they were nitrogen filled and cost around £120 probably 4 or 5 years ago.
 
+1 for Binolytes, also Fujinons are great value and light in the hand. I have a pair of Tasco's which have very good optics for the money. But I normally use the Fuji's as they are so light, they live in the cockpit all the time and stand up to kicking about very well.
These sets I have mentioned only cost a bit more than chandler's catalogue types, but are better value.

£800 Carl Zeiss etc are heavy and over rated, and would you want them bouncing around on deck? That pin-sharp focus will not look so good in the real world, through a greasy thumbprint and a layer of salty water..
 
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Pin sharp focus isn't a lot of use on a moving boat. You roughly get what you pay for, but a half-decent pair of 7x50s will be invaluable about once every twenty years, when nothing else will do.
Alternatives,
A light pair of 8x25s of decent quality
Stabilised binoculars such as Canon 10x40s. Expensive but fantastic in real life use.
Cheapo 7x50s, which will be 100 times better than nothing, actually 7x but worth having.
 
johnalison said:
Pin sharp focus isn't a lot of use on a moving boat. You roughly get what you pay for, but a half-decent pair of 7x50s will be invaluable about once every twenty years, when nothing else will do.
Alternatives,
A light pair of 8x25s of decent quality
Stabilised binoculars such as Canon 10x40s. Expensive but fantastic in real life use.
Cheapo 7x50s, which will be 100 times better than nothing, actually 7x but worth having.
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Any specific 8x25s models?
 
Ohlin Karcher said:
+1 for Binolytes, also Fujinons are great value and light in the hand. I have a pair of Tasco's which have very good optics for the money. But I normally use the Fuji's as they are so light, they live in the cockpit all the time and stand up to kicking about very well.
These sets I have mentioned only cost a bit more than chandler's catalogue types, but are better value.

£800 Carl Zeiss etc are heavy and over rated, and would you want them bouncing around on deck? That pin-sharp focus will not look so good in the real world, through a greasy thumbprint and a layer of salty water..
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Specifc models sir?

I can't find Binolytes as a brand?
 
I have a small problem with the traditional wisdom about the 7-10 magnification. The steadiness of the image looks like a good reason for the low magnification, until you realise that the set of microscopic dots - however steady - you see is of no much use to you. After some frustrating experimenting with this type of binos (my eyesight is perfect, BTW ;-)) I ended up with a 20x60 set by Perrini a few years back. Happy ever after. The mag is excellent, works well in low light as well and I paid less than $100 for it. Steadines? Let's put it this way: if I can hold these steady enough, I probably should't be out there anyway ;-).
 
It may not be answering your question as you said 'nothing ridiculous' but.....

I have a pair of excellent Monk Optics (Monk are now retired, I think) but when bouncing around on the boat, I could not see the detail I needed to see.

Bought s/h Fujinon stabilised and they are simply superb - higher magnification and a stable image.

My testing in very low light conditions has shown the Fujinons let (considerably) more light in than the Steiner Commander pair (bit knackered but shouldn't affect light transmission) that I have.

I haven't tried other stabilised binoculars - people speak well of Cannon - but if you can find a pair in your budget, you will not regret it.
 
djr said:
Specifc models sir?

I can't find Binolytes as a brand?
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Bynolyt SeaRanger.

The Mark II, as used by the RNLI, seems to be so popular that they have put it back into production, despite having subsequently manufactured Mark III and Mark IV models.

You can't go wrong with a pair TBH - they won a PBO "Best Buy" in 2016 and I see they now have a 25-year warranty.

https://www.pbo.co.uk/gear/7x50-compass-binoculars-test-43902
 
The reasons that 7x50 are the optimum choice for marine use are:
1. Magnification is more than sufficient for normal use, higher mags tend to be difficult to hold steady unless one opts for the highly expensive stabilised models which are great but do introduce a degree of complexity which can easily go wrong.
2. The large objective lenses collect and pass a high light level.
3. The exit pupil on 7x50sis approximately 7.1mm which corresponds to the average maximum opening of the human iris diaphragm, thi results in the maximum light transmission into the eye and also improves extra image stability as the eye/exit pupil ratio is large enough to accommodate movement.
Using models such as 10x25 (exit pupil approx’ 2.5mm) restricts light transmission and can be difficult to stabilise on image as the exit pupil is restricted. This is not to say that these aren’t any use or aren’t good instruments, just not best suited to marine use.

2.
 
I inherited a pair of Zeiss 7x50B rubber coated binoculars. The ones with adjustment for each eye. They are truly fantastic but so heavy I doubt I could hold them up long enough to find that elusive mark. Not much use really. Haven't a clue what the modern equivalent would cost.

My wife has a pair of small Nikon Travelite 8 x 25 binos that are really great, they are plastic, not waterproof, weigh nothing and cost less than £100. Much more useful.
 
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