masterdrago

Prior to our Alaska cruise 2 years ago, I went over budget and bought image stabilized Canon 10 x 30 IS II (about $400), 2 years out I think this is one of the best purchases I have ever made. The image stabilization is a game changer in my opinion. I have since used them for birding, football, more cruises, etc. The image stabilization works like magic, and I am on the same set of batteries (AA) 2 years out with lots of use.

 

Only drawback, is you are going to want to handle them more carefully than a cheap set obviously. They do have electronics inside so it is something you are going to want to care for a little more than others. However, I have had them in all kinds of outdoor situations with no issues.

Those are great binoculars. I have several friends that use the 42 and 50mm size mostly for astronomy. I've never owned a pair mostly because my collection grew b4 they came up with the much more efficient battery life. Canon IS binos are extremely tough. I've seen them get knocked off tables in the dark and fall onto concrete pads and come up totally unharmed. They have even gotten the weight lower now. I checked your 30mm - only ~1.3lb - still heavy 30mm. You are right about them being perfect for any daytime use.

I had not even considered the cost to do the ferry crossing. Trip would be rent in Vancouver, ferry to Victoria, do Butchart Gardens, poke around Victoria, Maybe stay overnight there, back over ferry, drive to Seattle, drop at air port or closeby, then fly out. I'll check ferry prices b4 we plan this end cruise excursion. Might get expensive but we'll most likely only be there one time.

Also, thanks for the customs links. Sent them a message.

I will not use the cards. I have one, only use it as my ID. You should be ok in canada but never use it for caribbean. I keep it in the safe and use id card for everything else. If for any reason it gets stolen the card will get you thru.

 

 

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We had to have the passport cards on disembarkation from Belize back to Galveston at customs.

Can you rent a car in Canada and return it in US?

Yes you can. At least when I looked up the pricing and filled out the forms online. $164/day. But here is the biggy! Our airfare drops dramatically and we can get a non stop flight Seattle to Houston - not so from Vancouver to Houston. So that will cover a one day car rental and we'll get to explore Victoria, Vancouver & Seattle a bit. Some nice Bed&Breakfast in a very historic area.

We have passport cards. Read that we need to renew to passport book ($131/each). Our cruise ends at Vancouver, Canada from a start in Fairbanks. Looking to rent a car and explore Victoria, Vancouver, & Seattle. If we are crossing to U.S. by car and will get a flight from Seattle to home (Texas), will not the passport cards be all we need? Having a difficult time finding this info online. Anybody share info on this and maybe a contact email for customs or border immigration?

Although I have never heard of Sightron Athlon Optics, those listed 8x42 as the best for everyone look like a good deal. If I had no binos and wanted a pair for a trip like the Alaska cruise and cruise land tour, I would most certainly take a chance. I would purchase early so as to have some time to shake them out. I would normally recommend buying in person from a shop like Land, Sea, & Sky (Texas Nautical) if possible.

And BTW, the 10x50 Bushnell Perma Focus have a FOV of 7.4 degrees. Also they are "fixed" focus (always focused at infinity). You cannot change them to focus at say, a hummingbird 13 feet away.

My Bushnell 10x50 Perma Focus worked great for my Alaska Cruise. It had a 65 degree wide field of view, in which you could scan the ocean or land and quickly pick up whales, marine life and animals on shore and also you get a closeup view of the Glaciers. Having a 10X binocular vs a 7X, you will be able to see the animals, whales and the glaciers much better. I have never had a problem with the image shaking. I also have a Nikon Aculon 7X35 which is a good Binocular, but prefer the Busnell 10X50 as your view is 30% closer and image is 30% larger. This 10X power is very important for viewing in Alaska.

Here's the deal. Been using 10x50 since 1968. Have a large collection of binoculars including 6x30, 7x35, 10x50, 8x42, 10x42, & 10x70. I'm now 66 years old. Back when I was 25, I'm sure I had no issues supporting and holding a pair 10x50 binos for long viewing. As I have gotten older, I've discovered that the advantage of ten power over 7 or 8 power is negated by the shaking of the image. On a moving ship, that might come into play even more. I tried several of the image stabilized binoculars but found them fairly heavy. Also back when I tried them - the Canon had just come out, the battery life was sub par. My long camera lenses have IS and that comes in very handy. A good pair of 7 or 8x binos will give fantastic results, tripods not necessary. Many birders do use a mono-pod under their binos for the utmost in stability. That way, they CAN take advantage of the 12-18 power heavy units available. Do yourself a favoe, get a small light weight pair that is waterproof and rugged.

As for sunset being at 10pm in Anchorage in May, Also consider that twilight is extremely extended due to the latitude. Check times of sunset/twilight at https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/anchorage

For years I've used the Nikon Action 7x35. Lightweight, very wide field of view, water proof sealed. They are very rugged and low cost with a good warranty. I recommend to avoid anything higher power than 8 because hand holding becomes an issue. Unless of course you want to spring for a stabilized pair with their battery life, weight and cost issues. Because of the wide field of view, objects spotted can quickly be found in the binoculars. They are not the sharpest at the edge of the field but I've never found myself spending any time analyzing what is at the edge. If you want something similar but having best edge sharpness, consider Swarovski or Leica.

I'm going to suggest the 7 Glaciers Restaurant in Girdwood. We are planning the Grand Mountain Marvel cruise tour with RCI but have not been able to find out how much free time we will have in Anchorage to do a late lunch or dinner there. It would be a 30 mile drive east on highway 1/I-3. Don't know yet what rent car or cab ride would cost.