Recommend bringing binoculars?

[don't-use-real-name]

And if you suffer a case of fumble-itis highly recommend a lanyard or device to prevent

the errant giving of Davy Jones another set of optics.

You are watching that fantastic moment and oops you get bumped or set them down on

a balcony - deck railing and one second the binoculars are there and the next - there is

only one conclusion to where they went - same applies with your cell phone camera or

anything else be careful out there - bring you memories back don't leave them there ! 

[PACD_JG]

8 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

My preference would be 7x50 Marine Binocular or 8x50 Marine Binocular. If they have Perma-focus that is a worthwhile option, as they have a huge depth of field, so are focused from a few feet to infinity.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Marine-7x50-Waterproof-Binocular/dp/B0000A0ADQ/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=bushnell+permafocus&qid=1661354824&refinements=p_89%3ABushnell&rnid=2528832011&s=electronics&sr=1-5

 

Here is a review for them

 

https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Bushnell7x50Marine-19.htm

I have these and I've used them on an Alaskan cruise - I second the recommendation.  Based on this - listen to Heidi...and ignore anybody who says not to bring binoculars on an Alaska cruise!

[christygobar]

We had 3 pair for 4 of us on our trip and absolutely.  We even had a pair of the inexpensive Amazon ones and they worked for our needs.  Agreed that you need to spot something before trying to locate it with zooming in!  We were able to scan trees for eagles and got great close-ups of the spotted seals swimming around and near our docked ship.

 

RCCL does not seem to provide them for suites (we had a JS on Quantum).

[Kate-in-Canada]

On 8/23/2022 at 9:11 AM, Heidi13 said:

 

If you are happy only seeing what was close, then not having binoculars clearly works for you. However, there is an abundance of wildlife out there, especially in Alaska, which is not readily visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, without binoculars or long reach lenses, you aren't aware of what you are missing.

 

Personally, I use good Perma-Focus binoculars to identify distant wildlife and then use 1 of the 2 DSLR/mirrorless cameras I normally carry. Don't have any problems using multiple cameras and binoculars.

I was happy with what I saw period.   I’m not sure why you continue to post to tell me I missed something.  I don’t feel I missed anything and I think it’s rude to push that.
 

it’s just my opinion that binoculars weren’t needed to see and enjoy, and I regretted wasting money and packing space.  You love yours, great.  You don’t need to keep pushing that to me.  

[Heidi13]

44 minutes ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

I was happy with what I saw period.   I’m not sure why you continue to post to tell me I missed something.  I don’t feel I missed anything and I think it’s rude to push that.
 

it’s just my opinion that binoculars weren’t needed to see and enjoy, and I regretted wasting money and packing space.  You love yours, great.  You don’t need to keep pushing that to me.  

 

It is unfortunate that you consider my posts as being rude, as that was never the intent.

 

Those of us with extensive experience are more than happy to share our knowledge and experiences, with most members appreciating the information provided. With 2 seasons of looking out the Bridge windows for at least 8 hrs per day, I clearly have sufficient experience in Alaska.

[pdmlynek]

On 8/20/2022 at 12:35 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

Unfortunately, these were a poor choice of binocular for use at sea. The prisms and FoV are good, but at 12X they are way too high power, especially for inexperienced users.

 

There is a very good reason that most Bridges I worked on had 7x50 binoculars. You can safely go 8x or even 10x, but 12x was a very poor choice. 

I think that it is important to be very comfortable in using binoculars.  By the time you go on a cruise, you should have spend many hours hiking with them and using them.

 

Aside from the magnification, I believe that binocular users in Alaska should have have huge objective lenses like on a 7x50.  These are great if you are observing stars or at dusk, but if you are using the binoculars during the day like most passengers, then the objective can be just 3 or 4 times the magnification.  7x30 or 10x42 are fine. 

 

Having large objective lenses yields expensive and unnecessarily large binoculars.  Large binoculars are heavier, thus more difficult to hold for longer periods of time.

 

[donaldsc]

On 8/23/2022 at 9:11 AM, Heidi13 said:

 

If you are happy only seeing what was close, then not having binoculars clearly works for you. However, there is an abundance of wildlife out there, especially in Alaska, which is not readily visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, without binoculars or long reach lenses, you aren't aware of what you are missing.

 

Personally, I use good Perma-Focus binoculars to identify distant wildlife and then use 1 of the 2 DSLR/mirrorless cameras I normally carry. Don't have any problems using multiple cameras and binoculars.

 

I basically agree with everything that you say about binocs but I sort of disagree w this part of your post.  If you are buying the binoculars only for cruising and even more if only for AK it is probably correct since most of the stuff you will be looking at will be within the depth of field of the binoculars.  

 

If you plan to use them for close up stuff like maybe birding or other nature stuff your recommendation is not so good as stuff that is close will be out of focus.  I have a pair of pretty good binoculars that I bought many years ago that don't focus any closer than maybe 10 or 15 feet.  Good binoculars but not good for what I want to do w them so I had to go out and buy new ones a few years ago.  

 

I am also glad that you added the adjective "good" to the recommendation for Perma-Focus binoculars as we both know that there a lot of really cheap really lousy fixed focus binoculars out there.  I did a quick search on one of the WEB binocular store sites and I found fixed focus binocs ranging in price from $35 to $1200.  Want to bet that there is a difference between them.

 

DON

 

[Heidi13]

18 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

I basically agree with everything that you say about binocs but I sort of disagree w this part of your post.  If you are buying the binoculars only for cruising and even more if only for AK it is probably correct since most of the stuff you will be looking at will be within the depth of field of the binoculars.  

 

If you plan to use them for close up stuff like maybe birding or other nature stuff your recommendation is not so good as stuff that is close will be out of focus.  I have a pair of pretty good binoculars that I bought many years ago that don't focus any closer than maybe 10 or 15 feet.  Good binoculars but not good for what I want to do w them so I had to go out and buy new ones a few years ago.  

 

I am also glad that you added the adjective "good" to the recommendation for Perma-Focus binoculars as we both know that there a lot of really cheap really lousy fixed focus binoculars out there.  I did a quick search on one of the WEB binocular store sites and I found fixed focus binocs ranging in price from $35 to $1200.  Want to bet that there is a difference between them.

 

DON

 

 

Don,

 

Good points.

 

I mainly use binoculars in the marine environment and nearly always for distance. I tested the minimum DoF when I first picked up a pair of Perma-Focus, after reading and understanding the technology, and they are about 30-40 ft. I rarely use binocular for distances less than this.

 

Totally agree with requiring at least a minimum quality. While the Bushnells aren't of the quality of Swarovski, they are a reasonable quality and price. I normally don't consider any binoculars under about $100, but also prefer not to spend over $200. I can purchase many Bushnells for the price of a single Swarovski, which 15 yrs ago was $2,000.

 

I don't go out birding or nature walks, so I have no experience with that use. Consequently, I would not make any recommendations for binoculars in that environment.