Binoculars

[Speedy55]

What size binoculars are good for viewing wild life in Alaska.

[martincath]

What size binoculars are good for viewing wild life in Alaska.

Depends how far away, how stable your location will be, how heavy a pair you can handle easily enough to actually use, if you have a tripod etc. but in general a wide field of view (the second number, e.g. the 50 in a pair of 7x50 binocs) is better than a really high magnification (the first number).

 

Especially when onboard the ship, a high-zoom but narrow field (e.g. I have a tiny pair of 12x25s that I took on my first trip) is a real hassle to use - the ship may have very little movement but it gets exaggerated while using the binocs and finding the eagle, bear, whale or whatever you're looking for can be really hard with a narrow field of view.

 

Now I take a pair of 8x40s which are light enough that my wife and I can both hold them stable for extended periods. Don't spend a ton on really good glass unless you know you'll be using them for many years - Celestron make several very affordable (well under $50) binocs.

[Putterdude]

This question probably gets asked at least twice each season. Before attempting to answer the question, are you looking for binoculars that you are going to hike with or something that you are going to use aboard the ship?

[BratDet]

we don't need binoculars, we have them. He pulled them out and the lense fell out. They were really bad anyway- so they go tossed.

 

We bought two different brands of 8x42. His & hers. I've wanted them for a long time, so I am glad we bought them....I'd have to look up the brands and model...

 

Bernadette

[brentp]

As Putterdude said, this gets asked a lot. And, there are lots of different opinions as there is no straight forward answer to what will be best for a particular need or person.

 

There are lots of different numbers that one needs to know about, as well as different design techniques, manufacturing quality, and each can make binoculars unique and different. Here is a tutorial that might help understand things (magnification, objective lens, exit pupil, field of view, minimum focal distance, design types, etc.). It starts on page 2, so keep paging around to get the full info.

 

Behind Binocular Numbers (Page 2)

 

I would start there, and then typically with binoculars, the more you pay, the better the quality of the optics. Figure out what you want to do, figure out what your budget is, find some that fit within that budget, and then highly recommend if possible, go try them locally so you can find what works best for you. I like this website for reviews of mid to high end Binoculars.

 

Best Binocular Reviews

 

For handheld use, typically most people can only use 8x or 10x, and a smaller number are OK with 12x. Higher power than that the shake gets annoying. Larger field of view and objective lens (exit pupil) can offset this a bit, but not much.

 

For us, we set a lower budget as our use outside of travel is limited. We selected a set of binoculars from Celestron, the Nature DX 10x32 and the Outland X 10x42. A good compromise on size, cost, quality, etc. and each have slight differences that should allow us to view most everything we hope for.

 

Good Luck!

Edited May 25, 2015 by brentp

[donaldsc]

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=2674

 

DON

[lovetotraveltx]

We are doing a pre cruise land tour do you recommend binoculars for portage cruise, Denali...

 

Our cruise starts on our 7th day in Alaska and we get them free to use in our cabin!

 

Thank you

[Northern Aurora]

We are doing a pre cruise land tour do you recommend binoculars for portage cruise, Denali...

 

Our cruise starts on our 7th day in Alaska and we get them free to use in our cabin!

 

Thank you

 

Your signature indicates that you will be on a Celebrity cruise. We are Elite+ on X and so are very familiar with the product, The binoculars available in the staterooms are totally inadequate. Actually, I am not aware of any cruise line which provides good binoculars in their staterooms. You will definitely need to purchase adequate binoculars for Denali and the remaining portions of the trip if wildlife viewing is of any interest.

[lovetotraveltx]

Your signature indicates that you will be on a Celebrity cruise. We are Elite+ on X and so are very familiar with the product, The binoculars available in the staterooms are totally inadequate. Actually, I am not aware of any cruise line which provides good binoculars in their staterooms. You will definitely need to purchase adequate binoculars for Denali and the remaining portions of the trip if wildlife viewing is of any interest.

 

Thank you for your help! We will pack our own!

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi guys, got to lookin at the binoculars that I have. They are: Nash Kelvinator Corp, 1942, HMR, the lens M3 6X30. My dad brought them home from WW2.

[plenox]

From our experience learnt from the forum, take 8x42 or 10x42 waterproof binoculars. The roof binoculars with streamlined shape is lighter than Porro binoculars with zigzagged shape. Waterproof is important feature as we had 4 raining days out of 7 during our cruise. We use them primarily for whale watching. We bought several pairs of VISTA 8x42 and Zen-Ray ZRS 10x42 so everyone can have his or her own pair.

[newbie_mke]

Experts please provide feedback on the below 3 I have narrowed down to,

 

http://www.amazon.com/Weaver-10x42-mm-Binoculars/dp/B005N7E81M/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=APCD325Q5U7IK

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Powerview-Roof-Prism-Binocular/dp/B00192GS04/ref=sr_1_29?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1433111554&sr=1-29&keywords=10x42+binoculars+waterproof

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P1IMFA/ref=psdc_297842_t3_B00192GS04

 

Thanks

Edited May 31, 2015 by newbie_mke

[Budget Queen]

I watch a lot of wildlife with my preference 10 power along with wide angle necessary for marine wildlife.

 

I want my spotting further out so I have the opportunity for extended viewing. The lessor power binoculars just don't work for me.

 

Best is to go to a sporting type store and try out several, looking at various points. But realize- a store's view is going to be closer than most wildlife.

[diane.in.ny]

Good advice about trying out several pair at a sporting goods store.

 

I know from past experience that I prefer a wide angle pair. As much as I would love to have better magnification, I have trouble 'finding' that I want to see without the wide angle

 

That said, I have a pair of 7 x 35 and just returned from Alaska. They were perfect for me.

[newbie_mke]

Thanks! Celestron Outland seems to have good wide-angle. If I need to choose between the Celestron Outland and the Weaver, which would be a better choice? I have read good reviews for both.

[Putterdude]

The OP has never come back to say how he intends to use the binoculars so here goes, I have 4 pairs of binoculars and one nautical scope on a tripod and each have a different purpose. The ones I cruise with are a holdover from a previous life, they are a Fujinon marine product, fully rubberized, nitrogen filled, 7X50 but at over $500 a copy they are far more then the average cruisers needs. I have a pair of plain old 10X50 Bushnells that are good for spotting things on land but may make you ill if using them on a ship with its movement. I have another old pair of 8X35's in the car for just general use. The best glasses to purchase for use on the ship are 7X or 8X which is the marine standard they are stable on a ship and should not contribute to seasickness; with anything stronger it may contribute to motion sickness and tends to be an unstable platform for viewing.

 

For most people they purchase a pair of binoculars for their Alaska cruise then put them in the closet to gather dust for ages. So the message is don't mortgage the farm to buy binoculars, there is lots of products under a $100 that will work just fine. Try some and see what right for you and my advice would be to stick with something that is 7X or 8X.

[Speedy55]

Thank you for all your help. We went with the Bushnell 7x35. We head to Seattle in 13 days for our first cruise and first time to Alaska.

[Putterdude]

They are a general purpose product and I am sure will be just fine for your cruise....have a great time.:)

[knorrisb07]

we took 10x42 ZRS binoculars for the last several trips for Alaska cruise. They work well for both low light and rainy conditions.

[dhmom99]

we took 10x42 ZRS binoculars for the last several trips for Alaska cruise. They work well for both low light and rainy conditions.

 

We also use 10x42 binoculars. just came back from a September cruise. Still bummed out for not seeing the northern light like some posters did.

[donaldsc]

Regardless of what you buy and how much you are planning to spend, do not buy them off the internet unless you can return them w/o a return fee. In fact, my recommendation is to never buy any optics (camera, binoculars, spotting scope, etc) without checking the actual product. In addition, it is even more important if you buy a cheaper product where manufacturer QC is lax.

 

A good place to go to buy binoculars is a good sporting goods store or maybe REI if there is one close to you. They will have a good selection at different price point before you buy.

 

Hope this helps.

 

DON

[pmcglothen]

Hi, I had read on another post that I can't seem to find now...that Carnival Legend offers rental binoculars for Alaska...Does anyone know if this is correct and if so how much do they cost?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!

 

Thanks,

Patti

[diane.in.ny]

Hi, I had read on another post that I can't seem to find now...that Carnival Legend offers rental binoculars for Alaska...Does anyone know if this is correct and if so how much do they cost?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!

 

Thanks,

Patti

 

You might get some better answers if you posted this under the Carnival thread.