Recommend bringing binoculars?

[cruz_happy]

We are getting ready to board our ship next week to Alaska.  Wondering if we should bring some binoculars?  (Of course we won't pack them but have to carry them on due to optics.). Those who've been to Alaska before, would you recommend to others to bring binoculars on this cruise?  Thanks.  

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, I would suggest you bring them.

[Northern Aurora]

Definitely bring your own binoculars.

[Sailin Gal]

Definitely.

[cruz_happy]

Thank you all.  I knew I could count on our Cruise Critic friends to have the answer.  Thanks again. 

[Wink87]

Hands down, yes!

[donaldsc]

What nobody has specifically suggested is that each one of you should have their own binoculars so you don't have to share.  Also don't buy really cheap ones and try them before you buy them.  There are lots of good WEB binocular sites and I have recommended several of them on the Photography board on CC.

 

DON

[quack2]

Absolutely

 

[Heidi13]

Haven't boarded a ship without binoculars in about 45 yrs. Also agree with having 1 pair per person. You will find lots of topics and great information on which binoculars to bring.

[Kate-in-Canada]

Gonna disagree.  I bought some just for my trip last week based o. Advice here, and never found them Useful.  I tired a few times, but I had a better view of everything with just my eyeballs. And I had my phone in hands for pics and videos.  It was a hassle having the binoculars hanging around my neck.

I donated them to my hotel in Seward. Waste of money. 

[donaldsc]

52 minutes ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

Gonna disagree.  I bought some just for my trip last week based o. Advice here, and never found them Useful.  I tired a few times, but I had a better view of everything with just my eyeballs. And I had my phone in hands for pics and videos.  It was a hassle having the binoculars hanging around my neck.

I donated them to my hotel in Seward. Waste of money. 

 

Just as a matter of interest - how much did you spend for them and what were the specs for the binoculars.

 

DON

[Kate-in-Canada]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Just as a matter of interest - how much did you spend for them and what were the specs for the binoculars.

 

DON

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07VZZ1M6N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

[don't-use-real-name]

If you are multi-tasking using a cell phone - video - still camera - AND BINOCULARS -

you will just have to adjust your visual priorities

With binocular viewing it is a one time one instant no replay no redo while the other

modes offer the opportunity to take that one time with you for later viewing.

Never the less having the binoculars can be a great addition to your travel gear -

while one in your party is taking video/photos the other can direct where to look

and perhaps zoom in for the saving detail. Telephoto lens excepted - binoculars

can be great for zeroing in on something in the distance that would not be 

captured on a memory card device

One certainly would not bring one of those pedestal mounted optics or opera 

glass models but size can be an issue as well as quality power and viewing area.

[Crew News]

Definitely bring compact binoculars.  It is my experience that you have to spot wildlife before you can zero in with a camera telephoto lens to take a photo. 

 

[Ashland]

If you're in a suite they might be included. We usually take ours in our checked luggage (no need to carry them) however on our recent RCI Jewel the ones in our OS we're much better than ours.

[Heidi13]

17 hours ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07VZZ1M6N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Unfortunately, these were a poor choice of binocular for use at sea. The prisms and FoV are good, but at 12X they are way too high power, especially for inexperienced users.

 

There is a very good reason that most Bridges I worked on had 7x50 binoculars. You can safely go 8x or even 10x, but 12x was a very poor choice. 

[Heidi13]

20 hours ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

Gonna disagree.  I bought some just for my trip last week based o. Advice here, and never found them Useful.  I tired a few times, but I had a better view of everything with just my eyeballs. And I had my phone in hands for pics and videos.  It was a hassle having the binoculars hanging around my neck.

I donated them to my hotel in Seward. Waste of money. 

 

Based on my experience using binoculars on ship's bridges for too many years, and also understanding the theory, I have written a number of posts on binoculars, in the Alaska Board.

 

I always recommend 7x or 8x for novice users at sea, and further recommend that you should not go above 10x. With higher magnification the images are blurred due to ship movement and vibration. Not sure why anyone would recommend the binoculars in the link you posted.

[old man 1010]

Do they provide binoculars in the suite on the Ovation for Alaska cruises?? 

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, old man 1010 said:

Do they provide binoculars in the suite on the Ovation for Alaska cruises?? 

 

The question you should really be asking is whether they supply binoculars and more important are they any good.  I always bring my own.  I have been on cruises where they did supply binoculars and I almost always find that they were absolutely awful and had the optical quality of the bottom of a coke bottle.  They were no-name $20 Walmart specials.  A bad pair of binoculars is worse than no binoculars at all.  Unless they can tell you exactly what brand and model binoculars they have and of course the won't even know to tell you, bring your own.  Also if there are 2 of you - you need 2 pair.

 

I just came back from an AK cruises and they supplied binoculars for every passenger and they were pretty decent Nikon binoculars that sold on Amazon for about $200.  I was really surprised.  We still used the ones we brought because mine were much better but I would have been happy with the supplied ones.

 

One other thing.  If there is any sporting foods store near you try to buy them there.  You shouldn't buy binoculars that you haven't tried yet.  This is especially true for low end binoculars where the QC is really marginal.

 

Hope this helps.

 

DON

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, old man 1010 said:

Do they provide binoculars in the suite on the Ovation for Alaska cruises?? 

 

Can't comment on RCCL, but our preferred cruise line does provide them in almost all cabins, but I always bring my own.

[Kate-in-Canada]

On 8/20/2022 at 10:35 AM, Heidi13 said:

 

Unfortunately, these were a poor choice of binocular for use at sea. The prisms and FoV are good, but at 12X they are way too high power, especially for inexperienced users.

 

There is a very good reason that most Bridges I worked on had 7x50 binoculars. You can safely go 8x or even 10x, but 12x was a very poor choice. 

Yes it was a poor choice.  That was the point of my post.  
I never needed them anyway.  We got up close to everything snd they were just in the way when trying to take photos. 
 

[Heidi13]

14 minutes ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

Yes it was a poor choice.  That was the point of my post.  
I never needed them anyway.  We got up close to everything snd they were just in the way when trying to take photos. 
 

 

If you are happy only seeing what was close, then not having binoculars clearly works for you. However, there is an abundance of wildlife out there, especially in Alaska, which is not readily visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, without binoculars or long reach lenses, you aren't aware of what you are missing.

 

Personally, I use good Perma-Focus binoculars to identify distant wildlife and then use 1 of the 2 DSLR/mirrorless cameras I normally carry. Don't have any problems using multiple cameras and binoculars.

[tetleytea]

This is an amazingly good thread for binocular advice.  Whenever I help people plan their Alaska trips, I always say, if there is one thing you actually remember from all this, it's this:  remember to pack binoculars.  

 

Where we were not so successful was in getting the cell phone camera magnifying lenses.  I wish we could make that work out.  

[Sundiego]

Could someone recommend a specific pair of binoculars (Amazon link?) We are headed to Alaska next month (have been multiple times before but always enjoy). Our binoculars are old and clunky so would love to upgrade with something lightweight and reasonably priced if there is such a thing! Thanks!

 

Denise

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Sundiego said:

Could someone recommend a specific pair of binoculars (Amazon link?) We are headed to Alaska next month (have been multiple times before but always enjoy). Our binoculars are old and clunky so would love to upgrade with something lightweight and reasonably priced if there is such a thing! Thanks!

 

Denise

 

Recommended magnification for marine environments is 7x or 8x. This is the first number on binocular specs. The 2nd number dictates the amount of light, so larger is better. However, x50, which are an excellent choice are also much bigger and heavier than lower 2nd numbers, which let in less light.

 

Field of View should also be a consideration, with 350-370' being what I prefer.

 

Next choice is price, with Swarovski making some of the best and virtually indestructible binoculars, but at astronomical price. If money was no option, Swarovski would be my choice. However, I am accepting that travel and life aboard ship are tough on binocular optics, so I prefer cheaper options which I replace, as required.

 

Having spent 40+ yrs on ship's bridges, we mostly had Bushnells. Definitely not the quality of Swarovski, but based on price and performance, they are hard to beat. My preference would be 7x50 Marine Binocular or 8x50 Marine Binocular. If they have Perma-focus that is a worthwhile option, as they have a huge depth of field, so are focused from a few feet to infinity.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Marine-7x50-Waterproof-Binocular/dp/B0000A0ADQ/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=bushnell+permafocus&qid=1661354824&refinements=p_89%3ABushnell&rnid=2528832011&s=electronics&sr=1-5

 

Here is a review for them

 

https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Bushnell7x50Marine-19.htm