Telescopes???

[infohunter]

My husband was wondering if HAL has telescopes onboard? He has been thinking of purchasing one for a while and I think he is looking for justification for his purchase.

 

I've already agreed that he could splurge on new binoculars with image stabilization.

 

I guess I just call them an early holiday gift :D

[Gonzo70]

No telescopes that I saw on the Noordam. A good set of binoculars would definitely be nice, espcially for Alaska cruises!

 

Have fun :cool:

[hammybee]

If you have a deluxe suite, there are binoculars in your cabin. No telescope, though.

[advocado]

I have a telescope and Canon image stabilizing binoculars. I can say, hands down, the binoculars are far and away superior for cruising. Especially for Alaska. We were in a suite on the Noordam. It had binoculars. Nice, but still they fall short compared to the image stabilizing binoculars. You cannot use a telescope for quick looks at flying eagles or breeching whales. While the magnification of the binoculars may well be far less than the telescope, the ease of use, small size and stabilization make up for it. They were a gift from my wife and I use them a lot. Great gift and great pleasure.

[LHC]

On the balcony outside the thermal suite in the spa area...I know because I frequently used in when were coming into or out of a port or to look for dolphins in our wake or while we traveled.

Linda

[jhannah]

I would think a telescope would be very hard to manage on a ship. I have a small binocular that I always bring. The one provided in the suite is very good, too. Binoculars with image stabilization would be fantastic for cruising. Hmmm. Early holiday gift, indeed! ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

If you are flying, I don't think you would want to take a telescope along.

 

Get new binoculars if you are not in a Delux Suite.

[CDRMark]

For terrestrial observation the binox will be superior. If he is doing astronomical, a telescope is preferred, but there is a lot of light pollution given off by the ship.

If he takes astronomical pix, please post them. Not cruise relaed, but neat!

Cheers, and have a great cruise.

Mark

[donaldsc]

I assume that you mean a spotting scope, not a true astronomical scope. I doubt if an astronomical scope would be useful on a ship because even if you had a really solid tripod, the ship would be moving.

 

I good spotting scope might be useful as an addition to your binocs but you would still face the moving ship and very narrow field of vision problems.

 

If you buy them, tell us how it goes.

 

DON

[infohunter]

For binoculars... What he is wanting are the Nikon stabileyes 14x40 as they have two different vibration reduction modes:

• LAND mode for when footing is secure, to compensate for vibration from hand-shake and binocular movement when user follows a moving subject while studying nature or watching sports
  
  
• ON BOARD mode for when footing is unstable due to strong vibration
  
  
  - for example, from an strong wind

Average pricing seems to be about $1199 with the lowest pricing I've spotted at $899 online. These are expensive but for the cruise they seem to be something that would be a great thing to have.

 

Anyone have these?

 

As to the telescope... he was considering a true scope not a spotting scope for looking at the skies. Forgot that there would be a lot of light from the ship. He doesn't own a telescope now he has just been wanting one. Our neighbor across the street has a brother who has a telescope that he travels with. Don't have the details on the model but let's just say it is still another suitcase ;)