binoculars?

[Mickey12810]

We would like to purchase binoculars before our cruise to the canal. We don't want to spend a lot but would like to get something decent and not too big. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[bouhunter]

I definitely recommend a pair of binoc's! I used them on the balcony all the time to look at islands, ships, ports, etc:)

 

When it comes to optics, you get what you pay for, so don't buy anything cheap. If you want a good pair for all around use, look at a pair of 8X40/42's. In the 250.00-300.00 range Leupold Wind River, Nikon, and Burris are good choices. They'll be good for any use anywhere. For the cruise I wanted something smaller to fit in my carry-on bag and not in the checked luggage. So I bought a pair of Steiner Merlin's, 8X28 I think. Am very happy with them for a pair of compacts. I think they were about 200.00 at Cabela's.

 

Porro prisms are the traditional "style" with the wide objectives and narrow eye piece. They're less expensive but bulky. Roof prisms are slimmer, lighter and a little more expensive but in my opinion worth it.

 

Go to a Gander Mountain, Bass Pro, etc. and find a pair that feel and look good to you. Better yet a small local store who will let you take them outside to check them out.

 

I can't stress enough that you get what you pay for. Good optics will last a lifetime and be a pleasure to use. Cheap ones will frustrate, be a pain to use, and end up in the garage sale:D

[jlp20]

OK, the way you ask the question, you’re not looking for a ten pound thousand dollar pair.

 

Go to your local Target, Kmart or Wal-Mart. In the camera area there will be binoculars, both in boxes and encased in plastic on hooks. Look for a pair that will be small enough to pack but big enough to actually use (do not even look at something that folds up). Your decision will be on, how much would I spend on something that may get lost or knocked off the rail into the ocean.

 

If you’re down to a couple of different choices, go with the ones with the red “coating” on the lens. You will see what I’m talking about when you start shopping.

[bouhunter]

OK, the way you ask the question, you’re not looking for a ten pound thousand dollar pair.

 

Go to your local Target, Kmart or Wal-Mart. In the camera area there will be binoculars, both in boxes and encased in plastic on hooks. Look for a pair that will be small enough to pack but big enough to actually use (do not even look at something that folds up). Your decision will be on, how much would I spend on something that may get lost or knocked off the rail into the ocean.

 

If you’re down to a couple of different choices, go with the ones with the red “coating” on the lens. You will see what I’m talking about when you start shopping.

 

If they want to spend 50.00 I guess Walmart and bubble wrap is the way to go:rolleyes: . If the possibility of something getting lost was a deciding factor I'd buy cheap sunglasses, cheap camera's, cheap watches, cheap jewelry, etc etc etc. Binoc's all come with neckstraps to prevent the "falling off the railing" issue:)

 

As for the "red coating", all lenses are coated, red is not better. It's the formulation of the coating, the number of layers, and the number of lense surfaces coated that make a difference in both quality and price.

[WrenchHeadCruiser]

I can't stress enough that you get what you pay for. Good optics will last a lifetime and be a pleasure to use. Cheap ones will frustrate, be a pain to use, and end up in the garage sale:D

 

I could not agree more, and the way I look at it is... buy good binocs for $300 and have them for life, or buy 5 or 6 cheap ones through the years, spend more money and be less happy.

 

Binoculars - $300

An upgraded strap - $7

Never having to be frustrated that you can't see through them...

Priceless

 

I would also venture to bet you could find several more reasons to use them other than cruising.

[agabbymama]

I would do without binoculars before I would think of paying $300 for a pair. I bought a really nice pair for $99 at K-mart years ago. They went with me to Alaska, many ballgames, and they will be with me on my Canada/New England cruise. I think they are 10x50. Of course, because I have a pair, I haven't shopped lately, maybe the prices have risen drastically. Good luck on finding something you are looking for without having to sell your house.:D

[JanineM]

We have a small pair of Bushnells that are waterproof. I bought them just for water activities where they may get dunked. I paid about $100 for them 9 years ago and they have held up well.

 

I also bought a second pair at Tuesday Morning a while ago, and they are EXCELLENT quality. They are in our kayak bag somewhere around here, so I can't tell you the exact brand, but you may want to check out some different sources.

 

Finally, Target online has all kinds of binoculars and telescopes - a far better selection than you will find at the stores. If you don't like what you get, then it can be returned to the store.

 

Good luck!

[jlp20]

....buy good binocs for $300 and have them for life, or buy 5 or 6 cheap ones through the years, spend more money and be less happy.

 

Binoculars - $300

An upgraded strap - $7

Never having to be frustrated that you can't see through them...

Priceless

 

I would also venture to bet you could find several more reasons to use them other than cruising.

 

 

Read the OP, they did not want to spend a lot of money. I guess your out of my league, $300 is a lot.

 

By the way, the "ruby" or red coating on the optics is to cut out blue haze, which is most prevalent at sea. More expensive binocs have their coatings on the inner optics for protection. Lower priced binoculars will only change the outer lens and have a whole new model they can charge another $10 for.

[WrenchHeadCruiser]

Read the OP, they did not want to spend a lot of money. I guess your out of my league, $300 is a lot.

 

By the way, the "ruby" or red coating on the optics is to cut out blue haze, which is most prevalent at sea. More expensive binocs have their coatings on the inner optics for protection. Lower priced binoculars will only change the outer lens and have a whole new model they can charge another $10 for.

 

In my opinion $300 is not a lot of money, and is a far cry from the 10 pound $1,000 pair you mentioned. And by the way, I never mentioned coatings of any kind; that was BouHunter, but since you brought it up, with good binoculars you can get interchangeable outer lenses with coatings for the specific situation in which they will be used making them an even better buy.

 

My point was good optics come at a price, and at an even higher price if you want them to be compact. Again, you can spend it once and be done or go cheap and replace them often... In the long run the former is the cheap way to purchase.

 

Happy Cruising

[Vampire Parrot]

Good binoculars are, alas, not cheap to buy, but in the long run they are much better value for money than cheap binoculars. They will last almost forever if not abused, and the image quality will be excellent.

 

I'd suggest spending around $300 on some good quality 8x20s, (e.g. Zeiss Conquest Compact) and for that money you'll get excellent optics, they will be robust, and they will be light enough to carry everywhere (important when on an excursion!) And what is $300 compared to the cost of cruising?

 

You'll see things with high-quality 8x20s that you haven't a hope of seeing with cheaper binocs.

[kaykay51]

I am thinking about getting my DH a pair of binoculars for Xmas. I was looking at the ones that also contain a digital camera. Any experience with one of these?

Thanks

Kay

[Vampire Parrot]

You'll see things with high-quality 8x20s that you haven't a hope of seeing with cheaper binocs.

 

So true!

 

I've usually got my Zeiss Compact 8x20s with me, they live in a small pouch attached to my belt. Light, compact and robust, I can usually see things with them that just can't be seen with large (7x50, 10x50) "budget" binocs that are four times the size and six times the weight.

 

Yes, they are not cheap - but I'll still be using them in 10, 20, 40 years, whereas (from experience) I know that cheaper binoculars last maybe 5 years if I'm lucky.

 

Go to a store that has a wide range of good quality binoculars... including such makes as Zeiss, Leica and Swarovski. In my opinion, if you can afford to go on a cruise and you enjoy using binoculars, don't skimp!

[SeaScout]

Looks like I'm going to offer a slightly different viewpoint than some other folks. I bought a "cheap" pair of Binocs at a local discount store about 8 years ago. paid about $30 for them. Tasco brand 8 x 21 with a red coating on the lens. They are ultra compact, light weight, and they work fine for our purposes. I have brought them on 6 cruises and never had a problem with them.

 

300 bucks for binoculars just wasn't in my budget at the time so I bought the cheap ones. Never felt the need to upgrade since then.

 

A hint with binoculars in the tropics. Don't keep them in your room if you can help it. We always leave them on the balcony. If you keep them in the air conditioned room and then grab them for a quick look off the balcony, they are going to fog up. The fog clears after the binocs adjust to the ambient temp and humidity but by then whatever it is you wanted to see might be gone. Leaving them on the balcony eliminates that situation. Don't know if I would want to leave a $300 set of anything unattended on the balcony.

[Genessa]

Looks like I'm going to offer a slightly different viewpoint than some other folks. I bought a "cheap" pair of Binocs at a local discount store about 8 years ago. paid about $30 for them. Tasco brand 8 x 21 with a red coating on the lens. They are ultra compact, light weight, and they work fine for our purposes. I have brought them on 6 cruises and never had a problem with them.

 

300 bucks for binoculars just wasn't in my budget at the time so I bought the cheap ones. Never felt the need to upgrade since then.

 

A hint with binoculars in the tropics. Don't keep them in your room if you can help it. We always leave them on the balcony. If you keep them in the air conditioned room and then grab them for a quick look off the balcony, they are going to fog up. The fog clears after the binocs adjust to the ambient temp and humidity but by then whatever it is you wanted to see might be gone. Leaving them on the balcony eliminates that situation. Don't know if I would want to leave a $300 set of anything unattended on the balcony.

 

My dh was salivating after a fantastic pair of binocs (he's on the sea alot), so I scrimped and saved one Christmas, and bargain hunted on the web, and found a place that had them. They are image stabilizing and I wouldn't recommend them to someone looking for a pair of their first binocs...but everyone who wrote that you get what you pay for is absolutely right.

 

The difference is, if you've never looked through a great pair of binoculars, you don't know what you are missing, so you are perfectly happy with what you have. When we went to Alaska, we brought two pair. My f-i-l's decent pair and dh's fantastic pair. Our friends each brought their own okay binocs. The five of us were perfectly happy and content until we looked through dh's and, with the help of the is and better lenses, could see the individiual specks on the eagles' wings, not just see, that yes, that was an eagle. Out on the open deck, complete strangers who we could see/hear weren't seeing what dh was seeing, were offered the opportunity to look through his binocs and were all amazed.

 

My f-i-l, who has been away with us, loves dh's binoculars, but would never, ever spend the money on a pair like them and won't even borrow them. He is happy with his, even though he knows there are better ones out there.

 

As for my dh, he will never have another pair of binoculars. There are better, but these are great for him and they come with us on every trip.

 

Also, along with image stabilizing, they have other wonderful features that I am technically not able to explain or remember, but, they don't fog up like the cheaper pairs, so we keep them in the cabin.

I did have fun carrying them through airport security, though. The TSA agent never saw binoculars that use batteries before ;).

 

So, spend the most money you are willing to spend or it makes sense for your budget to spend and be happy with what you get.

[GCurry]

Do you have any ports before the canal?

Binoculars like watches are one of the things you can get at a very good price in the Caribbean, particularly the high-end glasses, European or Japanese made and duty free. I have some excellent Pentax I've used for years we bought in ST. Thomas.

 

Research and shop on line and see what you find.