marine binoculars

[ariel182]

I''ve got the Tasco copy of the Steiner Commanders. I''m sure they won''t last as long but in the meantime the image is indistinguishable from the Steiners at about half the price. I think about $300.

[swimnfit]

Jackhag,
I too wanted a decnt pair of binoculars with a compass but was afraid to break the bank for the purchase. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised when the Admiral got a pair fro me from WM. They are 7X50's with an internal compass and range finder. They also have a small internal red illumination light for the compass bearings at night. $200 well spent... And waterproof.

[Liquorice]

West Marine currently has 7x50 Tahiti's (sp) with internal compass on sale for $199 US.
I've had these for about 4 years now - great optics / great price!
sam :-)

[PalmettoSailor]

Originally Posted by catamount

I got the Nikon Ocean Pro with compass and so far have been very happy with them.

+1 Rated well in PS tests of mid priced bino's.

Steiner Commanders can be considered the bottom of the high end and are about 3.5 times the price of the Nikons.

[eherlihy]

Originally Posted by Liquorice

West Marine currently has 7x50 Tahiti's (sp) with internal compass on sale for $199 US.
I've had these for about 4 years now - great optics / great price!
sam :-)

+1 - And, I believe* that they float!

*-I haven't had the guts to chuck them in the soup to test this theory...

[mdbee]

Got mine here. Got the Fujinon mariner with compass

Binoculars.com

[PalmettoSailor]

Originally Posted by Liquorice

West Marine currently has 7x50 Tahiti's (sp) with internal compass on sale for $199 US.
I've had these for about 4 years now - great optics / great price!
sam :-)

I intended to mention this model in my previous post. They were rated best buy alongside the Nikon Ocean Pro.

These two are so similar I wondered if the WM brand were Nikon's with Blue rubber and WM logo's.

As far as features/traits of suitable marine bino's you want no more magnification that 7x, large objectives for light gathering (50mm is typical) and nitrogen filled to prevent fogging. Some of the lower end models of WM (and many other brands) are not nitrogen filled and more succeptable to humid environments. The rest of the features are more personal preference like w/ compass or without, center focus or individual, size shape etc.

There is no doubt that the true high end bino's have superior light gathering and clarity, but I don't think they make much sense on a boat for most of us. If you're made of money or you boat is 90+ feet with a wheel house maybe, but for most of us a pair of WM Tahitis, Nikon Ocean Pro's or other similar brand will do all we need, and we could carry a spare pair and still not have spend half the price of a pair of Lecia or Swarovski bino's. Steiners can sometimes be found at decent discounts but would still be more than twice the price of the mid priced brands.

PS re: the WM's floating, I think they depend on the "PFD strap" and would sink like a stone with out it. Like you, I'm a skeptic and have not tested the strap.

[davmarwood]

For the last two seasons on the Chesapeake we have been using Celestron Oceana 7/50 binocs with compass & range scale. No complaints and they are a bargain compared with the pricey Steiners, etc.. Recent internet price approx. $180.00 which is more in line with my budget. We paid about $225 in 2007.