Binoculars for an Alaska Cruise Aug 8

Originally posted on the Alaska board with my question....

I just received two pairs of these Bushnell binoculars from the Sportsmans Guide. They are fog proof and water proof, 10X42 power/objective. I just checked them out and they are great! $39.97, less with the buyers club discount. Check them out: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=436638[/quote]

 

Looks like a good deal to me, but I don't know anything about binoculars..So need someone who knows about them to advise me... :confused:

 

Leave for Alaska Aug 8 & want to keep luggage weight down...So need advice..Don't want to ask DH as these might be a good Birthday present for him...

 

The Bushnell's on this WEB site are: 10 X 42 power, Waterproof & only weigh 27 Oz. ...

 

However we already have two pair of old ones:

 

One pair is about 20 years old: Tasco Waterproof 7 X 50 power- weight almost three 3 lbs...We used these on our boat & they are still great, but heavy...

 

Another old pair is : Binolux Not Waterproof 7 X 35 power-weight almost 2 lbs..

 

In addition I have a very small pair which cost about $35.00 at Wal-mart a couple of years ago which I'll use, as can slip them into my fanny pack..

 

Here is my delima..Should get DH the Bushnell's, or stay with the ones we have..We don't belong to the Buyers club so our price would be $39.95..Thanks..:) Betty

 

[B]I'm still confused :confused: & need advice about what to do..

 

This was a post on the Alaska board but no one has answered me.., Am hoping someone here would know enough about binoculars to advise me..I can order a pair for DH for his Birthday if the others are no good or too heavy..

 

We are taking a land tour first then boarding HAL for the Inside passage..

 

Thanks for your help..:) Betty.[/b]

Any decent binoculars should do--we bring a fairly large pair--they just have more range than the "pocket" binoculars. But it's well-worth the space they take up to bring them.

I didn't regret taking our Binoculars to Alaska, worth the weight. Sorry I can't help with the Bushnell. That is a good price, and it is a brand name. What about checking Consumers Reports?

I'm sure those will do fine. No need to get a fancy expensive pair.

I'm not a technical expert either......I let my dh (a mechanical engineer) choose a new pair of binoculars when we went to Alaska. He picked a larger, more powerful set. But I ended up using a smaller, lighter set that we'd had for awhile. Personally, I think it's more important to have a pair that fits your hands and your face and is comfortable for you to quickly adjust and carry and store. And be sure you take a pair for each of you - you will not want to share! :)

I don't see that particular model on bushnell's website. I have bought Bushnell Elite2 last year and they are great. Having tried different bushnell models before, anything less than their trophy or legend models is not that good. There is a good bargain for some quality Vista waterproof binoculars. I bought a pair last year and they are quite good

I would definitley take a pair of binoculars with me to Alaska but would not rush out to purchase a new pair with what you already have. I would lean towards the 7x50 Tascos if they still are ok only because a 7X35 or 7X50 is the correct power for marine use and they are waterproof.

I had similar Tasco 7x50 binoculars many years ago. It was good quality. Too bad, Tasco' quality started going downhill about 10 years ago until they no longer in business (maybe bought by Bushnell). Yes, it is heavy at 3lb, which prompted me to switch to more agile and light weight roofprism binoculars. The ones we use now are half of that weight. I don't think the $30 bushnell is worthy the money. I would agree with Putterdude that you will be better off keeping your Tasco binoculars. Make sure you take a lot of mini-breaks, which is true even you use lighter binoculars.

Before I forgot, I believe the Tasco I had before uses individual focus(you have to adjust focus individually on both eyes), which is good to view distant object that does not need much re-focusing. You may want to check yours as well. But to view things within 200 yards (which is what I use binoculars for most of the time), you probably want to get a good pair of center focus binoculars.

Hope this helps. enjoy your cruising.

I do not know a lot about binoculars but I do know that the first number should be as big as you can afford. It means how many times what you are looking at is multiplied i.e. The eagle would be 7 X's bigger or 10x's bigger. That is what I have always been told. Please correct me if I am wrong. The second number has to do with light and I get lost every time someone explains it to me :o

I do not know a lot about binoculars but I do know that the first number should be as big as you can afford. It means how many times what you are looking at is multiplied i.e. The eagle would be 7 X's bigger or 10x's bigger. That is what I have always been told. Please correct me if I am wrong. The second number has to do with light and I get lost every time someone explains it to me :o

You are almost right. :) The first number is the magnification power. It is not simply a case of bigger being better. For handheld binoculars, 8x or 10x will be ideal. 12x is little pushing it because of too much handshake. Anything beyond that cannot be managed. There are a lot of cheap binoculars out there, claiming for 20x, up to 140x power. They are not worthy it. The brightness is determined by the ratio of objective lens diameter (2nd number) to the magnification power. That's called exit pupil. Of course, the lens coating will play a very important role here. Check this link for detailed information on binoculars.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=550923

I do not know a lot about binoculars but I do know that the first number should be as big as you can afford. It means how many times what you are looking at is multiplied i.e. The eagle would be 7 X's bigger or 10x's bigger. That is what I have always been told. Please correct me if I am wrong. The second number has to do with light and I get lost every time someone explains it to me :o

With binocualrs for the marine industry you will find that they tend to be 7X35 or 7X50 so that the motion of the ship is taken out of the equation. Higher powered binoculars can make people ill aboard a ship. I personally have a pair of 7X50 Fujinon's Polaris which cost about $600 a copy. They are a hold over from the days that I sailed a lot but even today I use them a lot because we are close to the water and I watch the ships sailing to Alaska and other marine traffic. DW and have within the year purchased pair for a son who is working towards is mates papers but frankly they are overkill for the casual cruiser.

Putterdude, forensic & qiangf2....Thank you all so much..This info. is exactly what I was looking for..Don't think I understand the explanation of the second number though, but think that DH is fine with our large Tasco's..

The Tasco's are too heavy for me to use & I never seem to get them focused properly as yes, they must be individually focused...DH is much better at focusing so think he can the Tasco's (we also used them on our Sailboat)...All I have to do is cut down on my Shoes which everyone kids me about..:o :o :) LOL

I copied & pasted all your suggestions to WORD, so that if & when DH questions why we are taking such heavy ones, will have your posts handy..

OK Now for me...My very small light weight ones are:

Waterproof, Tasco 10 X 25 weight is about 12 oz...Would I be OK with these

or should I get the Bushnells- 10 X 42 power, Waterproof, for $39.97 plus shipping, weights is 27 oz. which are on this WEB site:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=436638[/quote]

Thanks again everyone ...Happy Cruising..:) Betty

I had similar Tasco 7x50 binoculars many years ago. It was good quality. Too bad, Tasco' quality started going downhill about 10 years ago until they no longer in business (maybe bought by Bushnell). Yes, it is heavy at 3lb, which prompted me to switch to more agile and light weight roofprism binoculars. The ones we use now are half of that weight. I don't think the $30 bushnell is worthy the money. I would agree with Putterdude that you will be better off keeping your Tasco binoculars. Make sure you take a lot of mini-breaks, which is true even you use lighter binoculars.

 

Before I forgot, I believe the Tasco I had before uses individual focus(you have to adjust focus individually on both eyes), which is good to view distant object that does not need much re-focusing. You may want to check yours as well. But to view things within 200 yards (which is what I use binoculars for most of the time), you probably want to get a good pair of center focus binoculars.

 

Hope this helps. enjoy your cruising.

Hi I've been reading about binoculars. We are in Australia and haven't used binoculars much. We both wear glasses so what would you suggest what type. Have friend with Fuijinon 7X50 FMTRC-SX but they were pretty expensive. Any other brands you would suggest would be of help.

Marg

We have Celestron 15X70 giant binoculars for viewing the stars. Granted we would probably not want to lug them on a shore excursion -- but could we use them from the ship? I think a previous post mentioned people feeling ill from high magnification.

Hi I've been reading about binoculars. We are in Australia and haven't used binoculars much. We both wear glasses so what would you suggest what type. Have friend with Fuijinon 7X50 FMTRC-SX but they were pretty expensive. Any other brands you would suggest would be of help.

Marg

If you wear glasses, then you should look for binoculars with long eye relief (the optimal viewing distance between eyes and ocular lens). a minimal of 11mm is needed. It will be better if it is between 14mm and 20mm so you don't have to take off glasses. I would look for coating of the glasses. High quality binoculars always use fully multi-coating to reduce reflection at each glass/air surface. The light reflected off the glass will be lost and causes dimmer viewing field. My favorite binoculars so far are Nikon Monarch and Zen-ray summit. Both have great clarify and image field. Bushnell Legend is also very good.

If you wear glasses, then you should look for binoculars with long eye relief (the optimal viewing distance between eyes and ocular lens). a minimal of 11mm is needed. It will be better if it is between 14mm and 20mm so you don't have to take off glasses. I would look for coating of the glasses. High quality binoculars always use fully multi-coating to reduce reflection at each glass/air surface. The light reflected off the glass will be lost and causes dimmer viewing field. My favorite binoculars so far are Nikon Monarch and Zen-ray summit. Both have great clarify and image field. Bushnell Legend is also very good.

Thanks for your post. Do you know of a good place to get these. I presume you are in the US we're in Australia. What you suggest I will look for are they equivalent to Fijinon, Are any self focuing? As you can see a bit dumb about all this but appreciate your help so much

Marg

If you buy new ones, regardless of what you buy - do not buy them mail order. Binocs are one piece of optical equipment that you should try before you buy. Also, QC being the way it is today, you want top try the actual binocs that you will be buying, not a floor sample.

DON

We have Celestron 15X70 giant binoculars for viewing the stars. Granted we would probably not want to lug them on a shore excursion -- but could we use them from the ship? I think a previous post mentioned people feeling ill from high magnification.

15x70 Celestron (skymaster?) is good for skygazing since you use it on a tripod and don't have to deal with focusing once it is set at infinity. In general, the cruiseship sails very smoothly, I don't think you will feel dizzy with 8x or 10x, even 15x binoculars. But with 15x, you are limited by narrow field of view (less than 200ft at 1000 yard, I think). It is very hard to keep track of an object on a moving vessel. It's heavy too, almost impossible to handhold it.

Thanks for your post. Do you know of a good place to get these. I presume you are in the US we're in Australia. What you suggest I will look for are they equivalent to Fijinon, Are any self focuing? As you can see a bit dumb about all this but appreciate your help so much

Marg

Marg, if you have your mind set on 7x50, I would try Steiner Observer 7x50 for $500. It is individual focus too. None of the high quality binoculars use "self focusing' or permafocusing. Those binoculars with so called self-focusing basically tune their optics to stay relatively focused from 30 yards to infinity. That comes at a great compromise as the image is not as sharp those binoculars using focusing wheel.

Marg, if you have your mind set on 7x50, I would try Steiner Observer 7x50 for $500. It is individual focus too. None of the high quality binoculars use "self focusing' or permafocusing. Those binoculars with so called self-focusing basically tune their optics to stay relatively focused from 30 yards to infinity. That comes at a great compromise as the image is not as sharp those binoculars using focusing wheel.[

 

Hi Dave thanks again for help and all other people. No Dave I'm not set on 7X50 thought that was the size. However see Nikon Monach has two sizes 10X42 and 12X42 and Zen has a couple of sizes. Now which one do you think is suitable if you were going for these. Sorri for not understanding properly. Regards Marg but do appreciate help.

Hi Dave thanks again for help and all other people. No Dave I'm not set on 7X50 thought that was the size. However see Nikon Monach has two sizes 10X42 and 12X42 and Zen has a couple of sizes. Now which one do you think is suitable if you were going for these. Sorri for not understanding properly. Regards Marg but do appreciate help.

Both of them have 8x42 and 10x42, which are great for general use. I would not choose 12x42. Higher power has limited field of view, more pronounced vibration from handshaking. The brightness of 12x is also worse than 10x or 8x. It is especially noticeable when you use under low light condition.

Putterdude, forensic & qiangf2....Thank you all so much..This info. is exactly what I was looking for..Don't think I understand the explanation of the second number though, but think that DH is fine with our large Tasco's..

 

 

OK Now for me...My very small light weight ones are:

Waterproof, Tasco 10 X 25 weight is about 12 oz...Would I be OK with these

 

Betty

The second number is the diameter of objective lens (the one away from your eyes) measured in millimeter. So 10x42 means a magnification of 10x with objective lens size of 42mm in diameter. I don't have first hand experience with that particular bushnell model and cannot comment on it. But I don't think Tasco 10x25 is really waterproof (I could be wrong). I have seen many binoculars are labeled as water-resistance or weatherproof. They don't have anything to prevent moisture from entering the binoculars. be sure to watch out for that.

The second number is the diameter of objective lens (the one away from your eyes) measured in millimeter. So 10x42 means a magnification of 10x with objective lens size of 42mm in diameter. I don't have first hand experience with that particular bushnell model and cannot comment on it. But I don't think Tasco 10x25 is really waterproof (I could be wrong). I have seen many binoculars are labeled as water-resistance or weatherproof. They don't have anything to prevent moisture from entering the binoculars. be sure to watch out for that.

OHHH believe you are right :o ..I think it did say water-resistant!..Of course, can't find the directions on them....I Used them when we went around the Horn in South Amer & was OK with them then...Really not happy using Binocs.. Since our big ones are OK for DH, will ask him to help me decide on the 10 x 42..

Thanks again for taking your time to help a neophyte ...

:) Betty

After months of reading on this board I went and bought a pair of 10 x42 zen ray summits with cameo finish for $170. After having them for two days I thought I would give my impression. Prior to ordering I went to some local sporting good stores and checked out various brands. All were priced at under $125, mostly around $50. And tonight I even went back to look at the cheaper pairs again to compare with my new zen rays. Comparing them to binoculars in the $50-$125 they are a lot smoother. By smoother I mean that they are easier to operate and all the controls are a lot better and easier to use. I also noticed that the images were sharper and brighter to an old pair of bushells that we have. Size wise they are equal or maybe smaller then some of the other ones I checked out. They are a nice size. They also have nice eye cups and covers to the lenses. The carrying case I thought was a little cheesy. It also came with a 8x25 portable pair which I think is kind of worthless and not good quality.

Overall I have decided after looking again at the less expensive binoculars that the Zen ray summits are a nice set of binoculars. They just seemed to be better built and easier to use. I also concluded that I wouldn't buy any pair greater than a 10 magnification. Beyond 10 its hard to hand hold. Even 10 may get you shaking. I also learned that if you wear glasses you should keep them on when you use the binoculars. At least for me it makes them easier to use and focus. Do you need a $170 pair of binoculars for Alaska? Probably not. But if you want a nice pair I would suggest checking our the Zen Ray summits.

We went to our Big 5 sporting goods store a few weeks ago for binoculars for our cruise in August. Both pair were on sale - we didn't see any point in paying really big bucks for something we may use only once. Tasco 10 x 42 - Waterproof/fogproof - fully coated lenses - roof prism - 25 oz. and Barska 8 x 42 - waterproof - no weight listed on the box but a little lighter than the Tasco. We tried them out in the store and both seemed to be clear and easy to focus. Both pair came with cases, carrying straps, lens covers, etc. I think they're going to work out fine. Thanks to all of the info I found on this site I knew pretty much what to look for - I finally understand what those numbers mean. ;)