All about binoculars

[CruisingSince2012]

After several people told me it is impossible to see whales from the ship without binoculars I started looking at them on Amazon. It's a PITB: Nobody uses "wide angle lenses" or "X zoom" to describe them; instead I have to look at jargon no first-time buyer can understand. Stuff like "8x42" means absolutely nothing if a shopper has never had binoculars before. Can someone help me?

 

:confused:

 

BTW the binoculars must be lightweight whether they fit in purses or not.

[shootr]

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/binoculars.html

 

This is a pretty good explanation for someone new to binocs.

 

Best advice I can give is don't go too powerful - the more power they have, the harder it is to keep them steady on a target - and a ship adds to the challenge.

 

To me, binoc's can be very difficult to find the"right" ones (feel, size, power, comfort of use). If there is any way possible, go to a sporting goods store (Bass Pro and Cabella's have a HUGE selection) and try them out, even if you fully intend to buy online. I'm amazed how different similar sized ones feel and perform.

[diane.in.ny]

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/binoculars.html

 

This is a pretty good explanation for someone new to binocs.

 

Best advice I can give is don't go too powerful - the more power they have, the harder it is to keep them steady on a target - and a ship adds to the challenge.

 

To me, binoc's can be very difficult to find the"right" ones (feel, size, power, comfort of use). If there is any way possible, go to a sporting goods store (Bass Pro and Cabella's have a HUGE selection) and try them out, even if you fully intend to buy online. I'm amazed how different similar sized ones feel and perform.

 

I agree with everything above. I had experience with wide-angle and loved them. Went and tried some of the new ones ... like the 8 x 42 mentioned ... and discovered I still love my wide angle 7 x 35

 

Used for all kind of wildlife watching on our Alaska trip. Easy to find and stay on the target.

[Kamloops50]

After several people told me it is impossible to see whales from the ship without binoculars I started looking at them on Amazon. It's a PITB: Nobody uses "wide angle lenses" or "X zoom" to describe them; instead I have to look at jargon no first-time buyer can understand. Stuff like "8x42" means absolutely nothing if a shopper has never had binoculars before. Can someone help me?

 

:confused:

 

BTW the binoculars must be lightweight whether they fit in purses or not.

 

We have seen whales and sea lions from the ship without any. Once the whale actually came up about 20 ft from the ship. We find sitting on the the promenade Deck and just starring out we see a fair number. By the time the bridge points them out. There long gone.

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi guys, have a Nash Kelvinator Corp binoculars, made in 1942. Binocular M3, 6X30 lenses. My dad brought them back from WW2. Anyone know about this brand?

 

Virginia

[Kelliinwanderlust]

We loved having binoculars in the ship. We could see light houses and other land areas we other wise wouldn't have been able to.

[JCJR]

I take a pair every cruise. I use them from my balcony when we see another ship in the distance or when we are in port. I bought the Bushnell Excursion HD 10X42 on Amazon last year and at the time was one of the best values for my specs of a not too expensive but not cheap set. Very happy with them.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[airheadfan]

I have three sets of excellent binoculars and given the choice between taking a camera or binoculars on a trip I would opt for binoculars, and I am a very enthusiastic photographer.

 

Go to a good camera/binocular store and try out image stabilized binoculars - they should cancel out both hand movement and ship movement and give you a very clear image. I tried a set of Canon stabilized and compared them with the very good Vortex that I own and the difference was amazing. If I did not need a waterproof set, I would have gone with the image stabilized. Not cheap but the results are impressive.

[TanTien]

I have three sets of excellent binoculars and given the choice between taking a camera or binoculars on a trip I would opt for binoculars, and I am a very enthusiastic photographer.

 

Go to a good camera/binocular store and try out image stabilized binoculars - they should cancel out both hand movement and ship movement and give you a very clear image. I tried a set of Canon stabilized and compared them with the very good Vortex that I own and the difference was amazing. If I did not need a waterproof set, I would have gone with the image stabilized. Not cheap but the results are impressive.

 

Let me second airheadfan's recommendation: I have the Canon 12x26 IS's and love them. That magic image stabilization button makes a HUGE difference in how you see things; makes for very happy eyes and terrific viewing.

 

My caveat's are: they are not waterproof, they are a bit bulky, and they are on the expensive side. But, of all the binoculars I own, they are the ones that really make my eyes less stressed when I look through them and I can spend time actually looking at the whale, goat, seal, otter, eagle, rather than trying to calm the jumpy image down.

[TanTien]

After several people told me it is impossible to see whales from the ship without binoculars I started looking at them on Amazon. It's a PITB: Nobody uses "wide angle lenses" or "X zoom" to describe them; instead I have to look at jargon no first-time buyer can understand. Stuff like "8x42" means absolutely nothing if a shopper has never had binoculars before. Can someone help me?

 

:confused:

 

BTW the binoculars must be lightweight whether they fit in purses or not.

Hi CruisingSince2012,

 

I hope this binocular thread may help that I started a while back:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=43661906

 

Wide angle lenses: means a wide field of view (less panning around trying to look for your target). If you can find a number on the specs, anything over 7 degrees is considered wide angle.

 

"X zoom": stay away from anything calling itself a Zoom binocular. they are all fragile and compromised optically in some way

 

"8x42" is sometimes called the "power" of the binocular, where the first number (8) is the magnification (how many times larger your image is over your naked eye) and the 42 is the measurement of the big light gathering end of the binocular (called the "objective") this means 42 mm in diameter.

 

When you go shopping, 7-10 is the range of magnification you should stay within, if you are just starting. 8 is more common now and will be less shaky when you're looking through them. Don't get a 10X unless you have very steady hands.

 

The Objectives should be 42 MM or below, and I recommend 32 MM to keep the overall size of the binoculars down. Remember that the smaller the objectives, the less light they will gather, so are less effective at dawn and dusk, but should make little difference in daytime for most.

 

Weight ranges anywhere from 29 ounces (heavy) to about 8 ounces (very light) and will depend of the quality of the glass inside as well as what the body is made from (polycarbonate or aluminum or magnesium will make them lighter)

 

For best size and portability and bang for the buck I recommend a waterproof reverse porro binocular like this one from Vortex(12.7 ounces).

 

If you can afford just a little more for some added brightness, this is one from Opticron (17.5 ounces) that I can also recommend.

 

Your budget will determine where you land. Let me know if this helps!

 

Happy viewing!

 

Glenn

[hm9912]

Hi guys, have a Nash Kelvinator Corp binoculars, made in 1942. Binocular M3, 6X30 lenses. My dad brought them back from WW2. Anyone know about this brand?

 

Virginia

 

I wonder if they came with the Nash automobile or the Kelvinator refrigerator?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvinator

 

Howard