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Binoculars

teaach

By teaach,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Mysticks1

Mysticks1

Posted
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Are binoculars of any use on a cruise? My husband would love to see some large fish. Does anyone have any experience? I'm leaving on Saturday, 2/18 on the Triumph. I can't sleep! This si my first cruise.

 

That is one thing that I wished we had packed and didn't. I have added it to my packing list so I won't forget them again. There were many times I would have liked to have used them especially on port days. The only fish I saw were the small flying fish and I wished I had the binoculars to take a closer look at them. We saw dolphins but only at the dock before leaving Galveston.

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Mysticks1

Mysticks1

Posted
Posted
i cant imagine they would be very useful for viewing fish?:confused: they are either under water or only briefly in the air. i bring a pair to look at other ships in port, the port area itself, and the occasional ship at sea.:D

 

Actually there were times during the day that you could continuously see the flying fish alongside that were stirred up by the ship. Some of them seemed to be in schools. I could even see some at night from the 3rd deck under the lifeboats on the Conquest.

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excalwop

excalwop

Posted
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Pack them, have been on three cruises and used them on all three. In Alaska view two pods of orcas for over an hour, got free drinks from others who wanted to use them. They handing me drinks, al they had to do was ask and I would have let them use it. But who say no to free drinks. Also saw Eagles ,otters, seals, and tons of other animals and birds.

On our carib. tours seen groups of fish jumping even saw two whale sharks. Even saw a sailboat with a nude crew.:o You just don't what will pop up.

Paul

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Starz723

Starz723

Posted
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Being that I am a birder, I travel everywhere with my binoculars.

 

You can spot pelagic birds, which are birds (gulls) that do not go on land (except to breed) at all and can only be seen out at sea.

 

If your going to the carribean, you can spot some really gorgeous birds. Look for the Magnificent Frigate Bird. They are the largest bird you will see in the sky with an amazing wingspan.

 

Its fun to look at the flying fish and try to spot dolphins.

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cobo

cobo

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We used binoculars alot on our cruise last June. Used them on the balcony or went to the front of the ship. Only problem was bringing them from the A/C in the room to outside hot and humid. They would fog up and it would take a few minutes for them to clear.

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derf5585

derf5585

Posted
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What would be a good number for binoculars on a cruise? 10X25? 8X22? I'd like to buy a pair for my mom who is going in March to Europe. Want something compact, lightweight but strong enough to see the shore and towns.

 

OK here is the story. Light gathering (able to see in the dark) is related to pupil size. Which is 7MM in the dark in a 10X25 (25/10) it is 2.5mm. Sailors use a 7X50 (50/7) which give a 7MM which equals pupil size.

 

I hope I make some sense. If not I'll try again

 

PS The Navy also has 20X120 binoculars on a mount.

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Astronomer

Astronomer

Posted
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Oops, something I know something about.

I use a pair of 15X70's but these are considered light astronomic binoculars, I still find them useful for terrestrial viewing although at 15X they are a tad powerful and have to be held steady.

For most terrestrial viewing I would recommend 7 or 10 power tops. A standard pair of 7X30's or better 10X50s are really good for most applications, the latter especially at night.

The first number is the power of the binoculars, that is magnification power, the second number is how large in millimeters the main objective lenses ( the big lenses in front ) are. The larger the objective lenses the more light gathering ( good for astronomy ) the higher the power the higher the magnification of the instrument, however the higher the magnification the more difficult they are to keep steady.

Mine as 15X70's are actually pretty small for astronomical use, but can double as terrestrial use with a steady hand.

Still if anyone asked me, for recreational use, I would recommend 10X50's almost every time. Powerful enough and easy to use.

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gamecockvic

gamecockvic

Posted
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What would be a good number for binoculars on a cruise? 10X25? 8X22? I'd like to buy a pair for my mom who is going in March to Europe. Want something compact, lightweight but strong enough to see the shore and towns.

 

I cruised Canada/New England last year. My question inpurchasing binoculars was the same as yours. I chose a pair of Nikon 8 X 36 over 10 X 36 because of a larger "field of vision". They are "Buckmaster" hunting binoculars, but were excellent for whale watching! The sales person took me outside to compare, using an "Applebees" sign. The 8 power had almost as much magnification, but showed much more of the building and sign. Because I wanted to scan a larger area of water for whales, dolphins, etc., I chose the 8 power.

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