Which compass binoculars?

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fobos8

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Hi guys

Going to get some binoculars with a built in compass. Have narrowed it down to Fujinon Mariner WPCXL 7 x 50 (£266) and Steiner Pro Navigator 7 x 50 (£345). I'm find it really handy to have a compass so I'm keen to have a good one. The Fujinon has an error/deviation of plus or minus 5 degrees whereas the Steiner has error/deviation of plus or minus 1 degree. The Fujinon's weigh 900g whereas the Steiner weigh 1.1kg.

http://www.monkoptics.co.uk/Marine/Fuji_marinerwpc.html

https://www.bristolcameras.co.uk/p-steiner-navigator-pro-7x50-binocular-with-compass.htm

I'm swayed by the lightness of the Fujinon and they seem to be very popular but I'm slightly put off by the possible lack of accuracy of the compass.

Anyone care to comment?

Cheers, Andrew
 
I've got the Steiners. I like them and don't find them too heavy and the compass is really quite useful. Just remember not to put your hand over the top of it, otherwise you can't see the scale.
 
A 5% compass deviation error may be irrelevant. I never get any way near this level of accuracy when taking bearings afloat anyway and anyone could easily cause this level of compass deviation on the most accurate hand held compass simply by using it too near to an engine or mobile phone etc. Do they float, will they mist up and do they give you a stable image could be more important things to consider?
 
I've got the Fujinon for several years and I'm absolutely happy with them. Lightweight, floats even without neckstrap,
The error / deviation of 5 degrees is no problem. as Lioness already said, using it near an engine or in different places on a steel boat will give you much greater deviations.

Cheers
Christoph
 
Skipper_Christoph said:
I've got the Fujinon for several years and I'm absolutely happy with them. Lightweight, floats even without neckstrap,
The error / deviation of 5 degrees is no problem. as Lioness already said, using it near an engine or in different places on a steel boat will give you much greater deviations.

Cheers
Christoph
Click to expand...
Big +1
 
Another vote for the Fujis, totally adequate lenses and compass, plus,being lighter, they stand up to being kicked around the cockpit without getting bent..
 
I have a pair of Steiners, very good but I knocked the light off the side and they wanted £140 to replace it. Didn't bother, would get Fujinon nest time.
 
I have superb ones bought from West Marine USA as own brand but made by Fujinon, they replaced previous ones bought from Monk Optics in the UK, also believed to be Fujinon when compass lighting failed after 15 years or so of excellent service. Try before you buy, however, because I bought Steiner's first after an in store test, then found in real life conditions the compass was unreadable for me. I returned them, tried the own brand ones and found them perfect, both day and night, plus saved me a fortune too and came with better lens covers and a muchbetter carry case too..
 
My Fujinons are well over 20 years old now and still perfect in terms of optical and compass usage. The coating is starting to look a bit tattered but that just adds to the character. If I had to replace I'd definitely go for the same again.
 
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