Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

binoculars necessary?

plenox

By plenox,
in Alaska

Recommended Posts

plenox

plenox

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I got a chance to look through the new zen-ray ZEN binoculars yesterday. All I can say is "wow". My friend has his Leica Ultravid with him too. I brought summit for the trip. It is slightly brighter than my summit. The difference is small, but obvious when they are put together side by side. It is as good as ultravid for clarity. Very ergonomically constructed with thumb recess in the back. It is little heavy, but feels about the same weight as much lighter summit. My friend commented that it is as good, if not better, as his ultravid. That's quite a statement considering their price is off by 6 times. If I don't already have summit, I may just go ahead and get a ZEN. But I am just as happy with half price with summit binoculars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
knorrisb07

knorrisb07

Posted
Posted
I got a chance to look through the new zen-ray ZEN binoculars yesterday. All I can say is "wow". My friend has his Leica Ultravid with him too. I brought summit for the trip. It is slightly brighter than my summit. The difference is small, but obvious when they are put together side by side. It is as good as ultravid for clarity. Very ergonomically constructed with thumb recess in the back. It is little heavy, but feels about the same weight as much lighter summit. My friend commented that it is as good, if not better, as his ultravid. That's quite a statement considering their price is off by 6 times. If I don't already have summit, I may just go ahead and get a ZEN. But I am just as happy with half price with summit binoculars.

 

It is probably one of the best binoculars out there. There are some reviews on them already

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ivysoul

ivysoul

Posted
Posted

These have been recommended highly (ZenRay Summit model 10x42) I live in the UK and cannot find them anywhere, any idea what a good comparison inder £100.

We are going on the Rhapsody of the seas on the 8th May from Vancouver to Seattle and supposed be seeing Sawyer Glacier, fingers crossed

 

Thanks for any help

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Grannycb

Grannycb

Posted
Posted
I am planning our very first Alaska cruise trip for the next year. From some of the extensive trip reports by many cruisers, it seems that almost everyone brought their binoculars with them. We have a very old pair of bushnell that we have for years. My eyes get tired even after a brief moment of usage, which is why it mostly stays in our closest for the past several years. I have been cruising in Hawaii and Caribbean in the past, never thought of having a binoculars for a cruise trip before. Can we still see wild life without it? Do we need one for each person? thanks

 

IMHO, the wildlife and landscape were impressive enough without binoculars. Every time we used binoculars we ended up missing something else interesting. Ours are staying home this time around. Now a camera with a good zoom is another story. That is a must.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruiseej

cruiseej

Posted
Posted
These have been recommended highly (ZenRay Summit model 10x42) I live in the UK and cannot find them anywhere, any idea what a good comparison inder £100.

 

Zen Ray mostly sells directly; you won't find them in stores, or on many other web sites. One web site which sells the Zen Rays at a slightly lower cost than the Zen Ray site itself is Agena AstroProducts. I recently ordered my Zen Ray Summit binoculars from them, and they shipped directly form Zen Ray within 24 hours. I don't know about shipping to the UK, but I'm sure you could email Zen Ray or Agena AstroProducts to find out if they do.

 

We are going on the Rhapsody of the seas on the 8th May from Vancouver to Seattle and supposed be seeing Sawyer Glacier, fingers crossed

 

From everything I've read, it's almost certain that large cruise ships won't make it all the way down Tracy Arm to Sawyer Glacier that early in the year. Enjoy the scenery of Tracy Arm, but don't set your sites on seeing the glacier here.

 

-- Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mountainhouse

mountainhouse

Posted
Posted
It is probably one of the best binoculars out there. There are some reviews on them already

 

Here's another. Do keep in mind that these reviews refer to the ED model, which is currently $449 on the Zen-Ray site. I think for the average person, any binoc over $200 can look pretty darn good.

 

Keep in mind that porro-prism binoculars, though a bit bulkier get you more bang for the buck.

 

Roof prism binocs are straight:

venturer_tiny.jpg

 

Porro prism binocs have a "dog leg" between eyepiece and front:

nikon_superior10x42_82.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
knorrisb07

knorrisb07

Posted
Posted
Here's another. Do keep in mind that these reviews refer to the ED model, which is currently $449 on the Zen-Ray site. I think for the average person, any binoc over $200 can look pretty darn good.

 

I got mine for $359 after coupon. It is a pretty good deal. But I agree that mid-priced binoculars should be sufficient for most people.I have their summit for over 2 years and are pretty happy with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
plenox

plenox

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Here's another. Do keep in mind that these reviews refer to the ED model, which is currently $449 on the Zen-Ray site. I think for the average person, any binoc over $200 can look pretty darn good.

 

 

agree. Although having a binoculars is essential, there is really no need to go over board with expensive ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
floridacruisegirl

floridacruisegirl

Posted
Posted

I just got back from Alaska and used the Zen-Ray Vista 8X42:

 

http://www.zen-ray.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=206

 

Zen-Ray is offering it at a reduced price of $130 (from $199), as well as an additional discount of 20% off the $130 using the code SAVE20, so with shipping, my total was about $116.

 

I purchased the binoculars just for the trip and agree that it was an extremely worthwhile purchase! :) I used binoculars for whale watching (some companies provide them, but it's nice to have your own, too) and also in Glacier Bay (especially great for seeing waterfalls up close and the calving of a glacier up, up, up close with binoculars). I forgot my binoculars for the Kenai Fjords (6 hour boat trip), as this is where the binoculars would have been most handy. I still had a great time on the boat trip, but the binoculars would have enhanced wildlife viewing. I have a newfound love for binoculars and will be using them on many future trips to come.

 

Enjoy your trip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BarbaraM

BarbaraM

Posted
Posted

Amazon's pricing on the Nikon Monarchs is very good. If Zen-ray did not offer the "special" on their waterproof/fogproof. I bought the 10x42 monarchs, and ordered the 8x42 Summit's -- Review to follow after our cruise in a couple of weeks.

 

Gotta say, I was surprised how light the Monarchs were -- I have bad eyes, and without glasses very sharp viewing just at home bird watching.

 

 

I'm looking for a fairly inexpensive compact pair to stick in a pocket or purse -- any recommendations from this board?? I see tons of review for the other type.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
dhmom99

dhmom99

Posted
Posted
just saw a comparison between ZRS and Monarch. It is very technical. I got confused sometimes when reading it. But it seems the author likes the ZRS.

 

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/3203819/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

 

Thanks. We decided to get two pairs of zenray ZRS for in-laws instead of the more expensive ZEN so they each can have their own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
NMLady

NMLady

Posted
Posted

We have ancient Tasco binoculars (one pair each) that are 16x50.

 

Will these do or should we splurge and buy new ones?

 

Our budget is already tight but since we're not leaving until May I could tweak the budget if necessary. :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sandytoes03

sandytoes03

Posted
Posted
I am planning our very first Alaska cruise trip for the next year. From some of the extensive trip reports by many cruisers, it seems that almost everyone brought their binoculars with them. We have a very old pair of bushnell that we have for years. My eyes get tired even after a brief moment of usage, which is why it mostly stays in our closest for the past several years. I have been cruising in Hawaii and Caribbean in the past, never thought of having a binoculars for a cruise trip before. Can we still see wild life without it? Do we need one for each person? thanks

 

My Dh and I had a pair between us. But, very glad we had them. It made wildlife viewing all that much better.;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
knorrisb07

knorrisb07

Posted
Posted
We have ancient Tasco binoculars (one pair each) that are 16x50.

 

Will these do or should we splurge and buy new ones?

 

Our budget is already tight but since we're not leaving until May I could tweak the budget if necessary. :o

 

having binoculars with you is better than nothing. The only problems with 16x50 binoculars are (1) too much magnification power that makes it difficult to hold steady on the cruiseship; (2) 50mm binoculars are also much heavier. Most people on this board recommend 8x42 or 10x42 for cruise travel.

 

The refurbished vista is a very good deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jimbo

Jimbo

Posted
Posted
having binoculars with you is better than nothing. The only problems with 16x50 binoculars are (1) too much magnification power that makes it difficult to hold steady on the cruiseship; (2) 50mm binoculars are also much heavier. Most people on this board recommend 8x42 or 10x42 for cruise travel.

 

The refurbished vista is a very good deal.

 

 

What are your opinions of these 2 pair?

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190337079321&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp3907.m38.l1313%26_nkw%3D190337079321%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150374573473&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

 

Jimbo:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NMLady

NMLady

Posted
Posted
having binoculars with you is better than nothing. The only problems with 16x50 binoculars are (1) too much magnification power that makes it difficult to hold steady on the cruiseship; (2) 50mm binoculars are also much heavier. Most people on this board recommend 8x42 or 10x42 for cruise travel.

 

The refurbished vista is a very good deal.

 

THANKS for your input. I have thought of the heaviness, especially since the neck straps were lost years ago so we'd need to make/purchase new ones. I'd also wondered about the steadiness since even here at home when watching birds that is a problem.

We do have one pair of smaller binoculars. I'll have to check size so will definitely bring those. Meanwhile I'll watch prices of 8x42 binoculars online. We live 25 miles from nearest town and that Walmart has no binoculars, and there are no dept stores, camera shops, electronic stores so online is where we do must of our purchasing.

The prices I've seen so far, though, are more than we want to pay. But it might be time to buy new binoculars that would also be handy for more easily viewing our desert birds and critters. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
knorrisb07

knorrisb07

Posted
Posted

 

bushnell has too many models. I will regard Excursion and above as acceptable quality. The Elite2 is an excellent binoculars, which I had for more than 2 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...