Binoculars

[boater3500]

Any recommendation on a good 7x50 binoculars?

Thanks!

 

[Capt. Art]

Steiner Commander V

 

[Another Toy]

Make sure you try out the pair you will buy. It is easy for the prisms to be knocked out of alligment through rough handling or shipping. I have the built-in compass w/red light. It works great at night. It has been about 7 years & still the battery is orginal & works great.

"Another Toy" 27 ft. express cruiser

 

[Capt. Art]

If you're considering the Commander V - be careful you don't fall for the West Marine knock offs or any other name that even Steiner gives these type using the word Commander or adding more to the Commander V like a 2 3 4?

Commander V is the real top of the line. It comes with or without a compass but this is the best available. I think I paid about $800?

 

[yzer]

If you don't want to pay Steiner and Fujinon prices for the best binos available (at any price), try these. Oberwerk binos are the highest quality Chinese binos made. They may look very similar to the marine and department store Chinese binos, but the optical quality is extremely high. Oberwerk makes it's bread and butter by selling binos to universities and the astronomy market.

Marine 7x50. Waterproof, but not nitrogen filled. You probably don't need the nitro fill in this climate anyway.
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/mseries.htm

15x70 Amazing binos that work better at night than Gen 1 night vision. This has been my main bino for five years. I use these on the boat a lot, but too much magnification to use on bumpy water. Everyone agrees these Oberwerks are about 99% as good as the $600 Fujinon 15x70.
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/1570.htm

8x40 I'm ordering pair of these to supplement my 15x70s later in the season. Should be excellent for use on choppy water.
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/mseries.htm

 

[Another Toy]

Yzer

Thanks for links and advise. I keep three sets of binos in my boat for the different condition. Yes, I also use my 10x50 for astromony, night use and airplanes. Also 8x30 for day use when I'm driving the boat. All these binos also work good for checking out attractive deck ornaments on boats during the summer time.

Another Toy 27 ft. express cruiser

 

[yzer]

Heh, heh. The 15x70's are great for that.

normal view:

The Oberwerk 15x70:

 

[Flutterby]

quote:

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Originally posted by Another Toy

All these binos also work good for checking out attractive deck ornaments on boats during the summer time.

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For shame! And your wife thinks you are making sure she is safe while underway! LOL

 

[caltexfla]

I swear by my Fujinon FMTRC-SX mine have the compass option, which I use a lot. Built like a tank and weigh about as much. Fabulous low light capability and optics. Whenever someone new takes a look through them , the response is always a "oooh these are great!" Shop around for price, you can get them for about $500 if you do. Don't bother with the case, they don't need it. My opinion is that THESE are the best available,but try before you buy, the Steiners are also spectacular and may fit "you" better.

Actually some of the West Marines are pretty good. Haven't tried the Chinese ones Yzer mentioned, so can't comment.

A little NorCal story about Fujinons: My Dad lives across from Jenner at the mouth of the Russian River. After one of the big floods several years ago, he found an old pair of Fujinon Mariners with the strap tangled in a tree that had washed up. One of the eye cups was busted off, but other than that they work great. That kind of sold me.

George

 

[westdelta]

After not knowing how bad I had it with my Big 5 $50 binoculars, I tried out some from West Marine. I eventually bought the 7x50 with compass. I'm sure they're not as good as binoculars costing 4x as much, but I love em.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...ue&storeNum=5003&subdeptNum=14&classNum=12363

 

[yzer]

Those will be very good binos for you. They are Chinese binos and look like they have all the right features for you. 7x50 is hard to beat for an all-round boat bino.

This thread got me thinking about new binos again and I got to lusting about these 10x50's again instead of the 8x40s.

http://www.bigbinoculars.com/ultra50.htm

But since I've used the "lightweight" 15x70s for five years and they are still going strong, I may want 8x40s for my second boat binos. I'm still thinking that might be the most useful bino for bouncing around on a 27' boat on choppy water. Heck, maybe I'm talking myself into both. Or getting 8x40's and these for tripod use at home.

http://www.bigbinoculars.com/25100m.htm

I've always liked binos since I messed around with my Dad's WW2 Navy Bausch & Lomb 7x50's when I was a kid.

 

[Big Bliss]

7x50 Commander XP

http://www.steiner-binoculars.com/binoculars/marine/295.html

I have the Commander with compass for almost 20 years. First and only thing I bought when I started boating on my own and still own. Nothing comes close in clarity and sharpnes.