which binoculars ??

[outbound]

My Admiral gave me a pair of Steiners with the compass last year. They are a blessing. Quick and easy to see if you're dragging at anchor. Seeing marks a snap and if you pick up a point on your boat and land easy to see if you're being set. Quick and dirty way for judging intercept courses. Yes the compass is definitely worth every penny. Be careful about how much magnification you get. More magnification less light coming in the binocs. Less light coming in harder to use at night etc. Find no chromatic or other distortion with the Steiners so no trouble keeping my eyeglasses on when using them.

[shanedennis]

Anyone tried the Bushnell Marine Binoculars?

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[tdw]

btw .... image stabilised are not as good at night compared with non IC.

[kellysails]

I have a decent set of Fugi's, mid level, nice pair and rugged. But, what I love are my image stabilized Canon bino's. They are nice but NOT rugged at all. I would not use these when it is nasty out. But 90% of the time they are awesome. Very easy to pick up bouy numbers from very far off.

[SchockT]

Originally Posted by shanedennis

Anyone tried the Bushnell Marine Binoculars?

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I shopped around very carefully, and compared a lot of different pairs. I was prepared to shell out the money for some Steiners, but I ended up going with the Bushnell 7x50 with built in illuminated compass. They are fantastic binocs for the money. They are waterproof, rubberized for shock resistance, and have excellent coated optics, for half the price of the Steiners. The only thing I wish they had is the attached rubber lens caps instead of the cheapo loose plastic ones, but for under $200 I guess you cant have everything!

[Sanduskysailor]

I have an older high end mil-spec Fujinons with the illuminated compass. Bought from a friend getting out of sailing for $100. Best $100 I have ever spent on the boat. Optics are spectacular and low light capability is great. I have a back up pair of Canons. Never use them.

Fujinon Polaris 7x50 FMTR-SX (Mil-Spec) Armored Binoculars - Optics4Birding.com

[tdw]

Schock .... ref the lens caps .... I cannot believe that any pair of binos have those stupid loose caps. Our cheapos have captive yet the Canon ISed don't. Price doesn't seem to come into it.

[shanedennis]

Originally Posted by SchockT

They are fantastic binocs for the money.

Thanks Schock. You've sold me. A dollar saved is a dollar earned.

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[copacabana]

I have a pair of Steiner Commander binoculars with the compass. They came with the boat. They are excellent quality and the optics are nothing less than spectacular, but at USD900 for a new pair, I'd be reluctant to buy them. They have stood up well to abuse though.

[SailingJackson]

Originally Posted by JohnnyChristo

Hi any advice about suitable binoculars ? Are the ones with built in compasses any value?
Thanks

If you go night sailing at all, transmission is a big deal. The all look fine in broad daylight, but I've learned that there is a good way to compare transmission in a store or boat show. Find a store cabinet or closet far away, at least 60 feet. Open the door and make sure it's dark inside. The difference between a 95% transmission and 92% transmission is quite evident, as long as the thing you're looking at is really quite dark.

Compass is good, but in my experience the usability depends a lot on your dominant eye. If you shoot a rifle, do you shoot left handed or right handed? If the compass is on the correct side for you, it works great. If it's on the wrong side it's just sort of distraction and very difficult to read.

GJ