Best binoculars for Alaska?

[maggieworkman]

The one I got is very secure. It uses a screw to set the tension on the camera holder. Even with some force, I cannot take the phone out of holder without loosing the screw first. The whole thing is made of aluminum, which seems well made.

 

Thanks.

 

Did you buy the version that was linked here or another version?

 

Maggie

[knittingGal]

Thanks.

 

Did you buy the version that was linked here or another version?

 

Maggie

 

we bought the one in the link above. Just received it yesterday. My DH took it out to try it out this morning. It IS quite easy to use. After spending a couple of minutes to set it up (he is not the best person playing with those gadgets, LOL), he held the binos with one hand, and tapped the phone screen to take pictures. The image quality looks pretty good.

[kennicott]

Don't make the mistake I just did. We got back yesterday from a two weeker on the Caribbean and I forgot to pack my binoculars. I even looked for a new set on the ship and on shore, but nobody carried them. Drove me nuts not having any, at least half a dozen times a day. My brows have permanent creases as a result of squinting all the time. Like leaving the house and forgetting to put your pants on.

 

I have a set my mother-in-law left me, they work better than any I've had over the years that I'm content with. 7 X 35 Adams. Every once in a while I get the urge to buy a real quality set. Don't know why Budget Queen hasn't posted on this subject right now, probably on a cruise. Every time I think about another pair I look up her posts, she is the foremost authority, in my opinion, on the subject. Should write a book.

[dhmom99]

Thanks.

 

Did you buy the version that was linked here or another version?

 

Maggie

 

This is the one we got. Exactly what we are looking for.

 

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/smartphone-adapter-s.html

[zqvol]

I have been trying to take pictures through the binoculars with my phones with some success. But it is a pain to align them together. Can someone recommend a setup so the camera is always aiming at the binoculars' eyepiece?

 

 

If you really want to do that I would suggest binoculars with a built in camera. My wife has a pair of them that she likes. I don't care for them but they work for her.

[alaska_planner]

We have a pair of these (as well as some 8x42 Bushnell H2Os). How did they work for you when on the ship? We use them primarily for backyard bird viewing --they are a lovely weight and size for my hands.

 

i took a pair of those as well....to be specific, this pair...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006U0Z0O0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s03

 

they're of course very good and i used them on our stateroom balcony...

but on excursions, and when i was walking around the ship, i used my compact pair that i had in my backpack at all times...

 

since the compact pair are so amazingly lightweight, it was easy to have them with me no matter where i was...

and i thought they were great...

i hadn't had a compact pair before, but i'd bought two of them for my daughter when she went to alaska 5 years ago...

she and her husband were so happy with them, and continued to use them at home for birdwatching, that i bought these for us for our alaska cruise..

 

i thought they were just as good as the regular H20 binoculars.

 

i've continued to use both the regular and compact for birdwatching here at home (we live in israel, with the second biggest bird migration in the world - half a billion birds each season...amazing)...

 

anyway, i highly recommend the compacts for the alaska cruise.....these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JNWCDE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages03

 

happy sails :)

Edited February 28, 2016 by alaska_planner

[dhmom99]

If you really want to do that I would suggest binoculars with a built in camera. My wife has a pair of them that she likes. I don't care for them but they work for her.

 

Yes, we had one of them before, a few years ago. Neither the binoculars nor the camera really produce any good image or picture. That was before we invested in a pair of good binoculars

[donaldsc]

If you really want to do that I would suggest binoculars with a built in camera. My wife has a pair of them that she likes. I don't care for them but they work for her.

 

I looked at one of these a while back. In my opinion, they combined a lousy set of binoculars with an extremely lousy camera.

 

DON

[dhmom99]

I looked at one of these a while back. In my opinion, they combined a lousy set of binoculars with an extremely lousy camera.

 

DON

 

That was our problem too.:)

[Firecracker63]

Hi,

I'm new to Cruise Critic and cruising and I have a Binocular question. Is a Bushnell 7 x 35 Wide Angle Spectator Series 13-7735 OK for inside passage cruise for Alaska?

499 feet at 1000 yards.

Thank you!

[martincath]

Haven't got a scooby about that specific pair in terms of relative quality/value, but the basic specs (7x35) should work well for use on the ship. Anything 'zoomier' and it tends to be hard to compensate for ship movement, and while a larger objective lens will give a brighter image and a wider field of view, 35mm is a perfectly functional combo with a 7x zoom.

 

Really the biggest deal with binocs though (other than, obviously, whether they actually work!) is whether they're comfy for you to use them - wear 'em around your neck for an hour or two while walking around, hold them up to your face for a few minutes, think about how they feel in your hand. If you're a spectacle wearer then adjustable eye cups/focus can be crucially important too.

 

A quick Googling shows these are a cheap pair - so I'd definitely buy them from somewhere with a good return policy, e.g. Amazon, rather than a random eBay seller as Quality Control on cheap glass can be sloppy.

 

We're really happy with our similarly-priced 8x42 Celestrons from Amazon - out of the box they focused well, no distortion, and they've been used MUCH more than our more compact 12x25s which were of minimal use on a ship and worthless on small boat tours. Despite being over twice as heavy, they're also more comfortable in hand because of the shape and more comfortable eye cups.

 

I do know folks who got less lucky than us and had to send back a couple of pairs of various low-price brands before they got a set that was properly-built with decent glass - so buy 'em early and test 'em as soon as they arrive if you are ordering by mail rather than going into a store in person.

[Firecracker63]

Thank you so much!!!

[Eaglecw]

I’ve got a pair of Nikon MONARCH 3 8x42 Binoculars that I’ve used on a lot of cruises and I really like them, they work well for me. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Nikon-MONARCH-x-Binoculars/1275151.uts?searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FCQ_page%3D100%26CQ_sort%3DnameAz%26CQ_search%3Dbinoculars%26CQ_st%3Db%26categoryId%3D734095080#tabsCollection

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi guys, the binoculars I use, were made in 1942. My dad brought them home and they are better than the binoculars today.

[donaldsc]

There are lots of really good binocular review sites on Google covering all price ranges. Check them out. The people who review them know their stuff and the compare many different sets. Any of the responses you get here will be essentially "I bought brand X and I like them". Without comparing several sets, an answer like this is not very meaningful.

 

If you don't want to bother going on Google. go to a good sporting goods store where you can try out several pairs to compare them. The last time I bought binoculars, I spent several hours in the store before I chose the ones that I wanted. The fact that one set might be a more expensive set does not mean that they will be best for you. You have to compare them instead of buying what someone else says are good as everyone has different need which might require a different interocular distance, different eye relief, and many other parameters. Binoculars are not a one size fits all purchase.

 

One other thing. If you are going to buy cheap binoculars and by that I mean ones that cost less than a couple of hundred dollars, you will find that factor QC on the cheap ones is often sadly lacking. If you are forced to buy them on the WEB without trying them out, make sure that they can be exchanged w/o a restocking fee if they do not work for you.

 

One last comment. Optics is one purchase where you generally get what you pay for. Cheap ones are generally lousy.

 

DON