help: binoculars 10x or 8x?

[plenox]

I only know for sure about a photography excursion (combined with a whale watching excursion) in Juneau thru Harv and Marv's. I know they take you out to a lighthouse there. Check their website - I think its harvandmarvs.com. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the information. How about along the inside passage route? I remember seeing one on our way to Ketchikan just by a random chance.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Sorry, can't help you there. Maybe google "lighthouses in Alaska" and see what comes up? Good luck in your mission!:D

[knorrisb07]

Is there a guide book covering light houses along the Alaska cruise route? My brother's kid is really into seeing and photographing the old light house along the coast. It seems to be a project for him during our South bound cruise this Aug.

 

I am aware of any. But this website will get you started.

 

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/maps.html

[plenox]

Assateague Island Princes and Knorrisb07, thank you very much for your help

[Assateague Island Princes]

You're very welcome. Isn't this planning stuff fun????

[dreamalaska]

I am aware of any. But this website will get you started.

 

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/maps.html

 

Thanks for the link. Not sure how many can be actually spotted on the cruise ship.

[qiangf2]

I have both 10x and 8x binoculars. But my personal favorite is 8x42. Again, it is just my personal preference. Many other people have found 10x42 more comfortable to use. I use Bushnell Elite2 and zen-ray summit. They are both excellent binoculars with waterproof capability. There are several discussion threads on this board. It is worthy the time to read them before you understand how to choose a binoculars for your trip.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=789940

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=550923

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=659210

 

How do you like your E2? My wife's monarch was scratched on the lens when it fell off from the trunk. We are researching for a replacement.

[tulips*n*truffles]

I just purchased (and received - fastest shipping ever!) a pair of 8x40 Nikon Action binoculars from binoculars dot com. They're GREAT! Lighter weight than I was expecting, and they come with lens caps, a strap, and a great case - for $70 and free shipping. I really love them and I'm so so glad I found them! I don't know if I'm allowed to post a URL, but I'll try:

 

http://www.binoculars.com/binoculars/bird-watching-binoculars/8x40nikonactionultrawideview.cfm

[knorrisb07]

How do you like your E2? My wife's monarch was scratched on the lens when it fell off from the trunk. We are researching for a replacement.

 

E2 is a very good pair. We like it a lot. It is quite sharp. But edge is little blurry when you looked through the center. It does not bother me too much. Plenty of eyerelief. Comparing it to zenray summit I have, their brightness is about the same, with less distortion on summit. The difference is really subtle and I had to look hard.

[qiangf2]

Thanks for the reply.

[knorrisb07]

This place has E2 for sale at $400 now in case you are still looking at this.

[qiangf2]

This place has E2 for sale at $400 now in case you are still looking at this.

 

Thanks for the link. That's certainly a very good price for E2. I was reading another thread about ZEN. My options now narrow down to E2, and ZEN ED for $370.

[mzredhead]

I just purchased (and received - fastest shipping ever!) a pair of 8x40 Nikon Action binoculars from binoculars dot com. They're GREAT! Lighter weight than I was expecting, and they come with lens caps, a strap, and a great case - for $70 and free shipping. I really love them and I'm so so glad I found them! I don't know if I'm allowed to post a URL, but I'll try:

 

http://www.binoculars.com/binoculars/bird-watching-binoculars/8x40nikonactionultrawideview.cfm

These are not waterproof. Is that a major issue when buying binoculars?

[qiangf2]

These are not waterproof. Is that a major issue when buying binoculars?

 

You might be fine if you can stay out of rain. The only concern is that when the rain droplets make their way into the binoculars body, they will stay there and cause internal fogging. There is nothing you can do to wipe off the internal fogging. During our previous cruise, I have seen someone got his binoculars fogged up because of leak.

 

Most newer binoculars should be waterproof. They are sealed with O-ring. I have used my Nikon monarch and zenray summit under different weather condition: rain, below dew point in the morning. They never failed upon me over the years.

 

Oh, weatherproof is not waterproof. It is just a buzzword used by the retailers to hide the deficiency of the binoculars.

[mzredhead]

This will be my first trip to Alaska. I have never used binoculars before and I wear glasses. After reading almost all of the threads on binoculars, I have narrowed my choice down to the Zen-Ray Vista model mainly because of price. However, I am not sure whether to get the 8x42 or 10x42 model. I want them for use on the ship, the White Pass Summit train trip and a Prince William Sound tour we are taking. We are not going to Denali. I really do not understand the difference between the 2. Please advise. Thanks.

[Suprano]

This will be my first trip to Alaska. I have never used binoculars before and I wear glasses. After reading almost all of the threads on binoculars, I have narrowed my choice down to the Zen-Ray Vista model mainly because of price. However, I am not sure whether to get the 8x42 or 10x42 model. I want them for use on the ship, the White Pass Summit train trip and a Prince William Sound tour we are taking. We are not going to Denali. I really do not understand the difference between the 2. Please advise. Thanks.

 

I just got the Vista in the mail this week. I also wear glasses and ordered the 8x42 simply because the eye relief was greater. I think I'm really going to like them.

[mzredhead]

I just got the Vista in the mail this week. I also wear glasses and ordered the 8x42 simply because the eye relief was greater. I think I'm really going to like them.

Did you order them from the Zen-Ray website?

[Suprano]

Did you order them from the Zen-Ray website?

 

Yes I did. They had $20 off, but I had to pay for shipping. It came to around $118.

[qiangf2]

This will be my first trip to Alaska. I have never used binoculars before and I wear glasses. After reading almost all of the threads on binoculars, I have narrowed my choice down to the Zen-Ray Vista model mainly because of price. However, I am not sure whether to get the 8x42 or 10x42 model. I want them for use on the ship, the White Pass Summit train trip and a Prince William Sound tour we are taking. We are not going to Denali. I really do not understand the difference between the 2. Please advise. Thanks.

 

The first number is the magnification power. 8x brings things 8 times closer than naked eyes. 10x is 10 times closer. The second number tells you how big the object lens is in mm. Objective lens is the one away from your eyes. Although my personal favorite is 10x, some people like 8x better. It is an area that more is not necessarily better. One trade off between 10x and 8x is that 8x has wider field of view and a little brighter than 10x. Of course, 10x has higher magnification power. Since you are taking a train ride and boat ride, I believe 8x probably works out better on those moving platform (less vibration with lower power). Hope I am not confusing you. :)

[dhmom99]

Our 8x42 VISTA is great. We used it almost on a daily basis. They also have it as refurbished for $99. But a brand new one is only $5 more with $20 discount.

[Kestre]

I saw that Zen Rays aren't sold in stores, but I'd like to take a look at some binoculars first-hand. How much do people worry about getting poor lenses when they purchase online? What stores should I check out locally? I'm in Worcester, MA if anyone knows something near. My boyfriend and I are planning on getting two binoculars, unknown combination of quality/distance.

[dhmom99]

zenray has 30 day return policy, which is very generous in my view. The binoculars we got are in very high quality. Although I never had to return anything to them, I believe they have very good customer service based on the prompt email response I got.

[Stellaglide]

Kestre

 

I was wondering the same thing. Not only are they not sold in stores but can't find them listed on Ebay or through binocular websites like binoculars.com.

 

I have a problem in that I like good quality but I'm cheap. If push comes to shove I'll pay more for quality. In terms of binoculars, the Zen Rays come highly recommended here but here is the only place I've heard of them. I have a very nice pair of Pentax Marine 7x35 binoculars that I bought 20 years ago for about $350. Dad purchased a pair of top of the line Swarovski for $2000 and my Pentax have better optics. I want to pick up a second pair before our cruise and I'm looking hard at the Pentax 8x40 PCF WP II and the Nikon 8x40 Action Extreme ATB - both of which can be purchased for less than the Zen-Ray Summit 8x42. Not discounting the Zen-Ray, just reluctant to buy something sight unseen that isn't sold through independent online binocular retailers.

[plenox]

Their top of line ZEN ED has been extensively discussed on several optics forums. Here is one example. It was compared to the most expensive European binoculars. I tried one when my friend bought a pair. It is quite impressive. But I am not so serious into birding, don't think i need another pair. Instead of going to their most expensive model, I found I get more out of their less expensive models.

[qiangf2]

Kestre

 

I was wondering the same thing. Not only are they not sold in stores but can't find them listed on Ebay or through binocular websites like binoculars.com.

 

I have a problem in that I like good quality but I'm cheap. If push comes to shove I'll pay more for quality. In terms of binoculars, the Zen Rays come highly recommended here but here is the only place I've heard of them. I have a very nice pair of Pentax Marine 7x35 binoculars that I bought 20 years ago for about $350. Dad purchased a pair of top of the line Swarovski for $2000 and my Pentax have better optics. I want to pick up a second pair before our cruise and I'm looking hard at the Pentax 8x40 PCF WP II and the Nikon 8x40 Action Extreme ATB - both of which can be purchased for less than the Zen-Ray Summit 8x42. Not discounting the Zen-Ray, just reluctant to buy something sight unseen that isn't sold through independent online binocular retailers.

 

I had similar 7x35 Pentax binoculars for many years and I liked it a lot. Too bad, I sold it to a birding buddy 10 years ago. I am surprised that you like it better than Swarovski. At $2000, Swaro is definitely out of my reach, especially with a cruise coming up.