Quote:
Originally Posted by BIboater
I'm in the market for a new pair of quality binoculars. What have you had success with? which brands should I avoid and why? |
There was a recent thread on this with lots of recommendations. A search using
binoculars should turn up lots of specific recommendations.
Generally, for marine use you want large objectives with medium magnification. 7X50 seems to be the standard. Second you want waterproof and nitrogen filled optics, to avoid issues with fogging.
After that the features are personal preference. Center focus or individual eyepiece?
Compass or no? Compact or full size? All depends on the users preferences.
Brands that have favorable mentions include the West Marine Tahiti's, Nikons marine series, Stieners Marine etc. I'm sure I'm missing some good ones, but if you check the other thread you should have a good few to check out.
I went with Nikons because I found a good deal on them, otherwise I probably would have opted for the WM. Higher priced optics did rate higher in Practical Sailor tests but the lower-mid range models I mentioned are good values.