Binoculars

[Ready]

I’ve never owned a pair of binoculars that cost more than $50. Now that we are spending a fair amount of time sailing, I would like to invest in a good all around pair. The more I research the more confused I get. There are literally hundreds of models out there, and each website claims a different pair is “the best”.

I’d like to own a set that will give me a really clear view looking out at the ocean, the mountains, and for general travel purposes. I don’t really want to spend $1,500 on a set, but I don’t want a $99 pair either. What price range should I be looking at for the best value - meaning a reasonably good quality set that is not quite top of the line but very good and at a good price point?

If you have a pair you are happy with, could you share your experiences with them?

Ideally, I’d like to purchase them from either Amazon or Costco since they have good prices and a good return policy. But I’m open to suggestions if there are better places to shop.

 

[street]

I have owned a few different brands and powers. I like the 12x50 and the more you pay the better the product. Vortex is an excellent choice, and their warranty and service is the best in the business. I have their spotting scopes and are top notch and aren't as expensive as others.
Other top bino's are Steiner and Swarovski and are top of the line for optics, but you pay a lot for their product.
I have had a couple of Bushnell 12x50 and are on the cheaper end, but have been excellent bino's. I use them everyday and they never leave the truck and are around my neck anytime I'm out and about which is almost everyday.

 

[Ronstar]

I have Vortex 10x42. I have them mounted on a tripod indoors looking through my window at birds on my bird feeder. Very clear - I'm happy with them. $149 on Amazon.

 

[mystang52]

I have Nikon Monarch and very happy with it. I use it for some bird watching, when I'm at football game, and looking out at ocean from my hotel balcony. Sorry, I don't recall which Monarch version, but it was NOT the top of the line model.

 

[skyking1]

I think for boating especially, I would keep it down to a price point that would not have you going overboard if you dropped them.
For me that would be in the sub $200 range. You might have a higher pain tolerance there.
REI has a nice guide.
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/binoculars.html

B&H has one too.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/outdoors/buying-guide/binocular

I have a bushnell 10x42 for general knocking around in the camper, car etc. They were about $80 and no longer offered.
They work OK. On a boat I would want the 50's mentioned above.

 

[Ready]

I like the idea of the lifetime Vortex warranty. This looks like the most popular Vortex model on Amazon. Any thoughts on this one?

https://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Optic...lja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

I’m thinking 10x42 unless there is a reason to go 10x50.

 

[Ready]

The German Optics brand also has a lifetime warranty and very good reviews. Costco has one model that cost $400 but seems to be a very good set. Not sure how this compares to the Vortex model above though.

https://www.costco.com/german-precision-optics-spectra-binoculars.product.100455425.html

 

[street]

Vortex is an excellent choice. As for power I like the higher power for long range viewing. My son will pick up the 12x50 every time I lay them down. Lol More power is better for long distant viewing.

I have a friend that uses Vortex also. Some years back, he dropped his pair of bino's and cracked a lens. He call them and ask if they could fix them. He was going to be heading out of state on a hunting trip soon. They sent him a new pair no questions ask. It was an older pair glasses and they didn't care.

 

[audreyh1]

I’m afraid I’m ruined by the top of the line, but no one would invest in these unless they were serious birders - years of birding.

Swarovski

 

[Ramen]

$50 binoculars can be just fine for daytime terrestrial viewing. For $100 to $200, you should be able to get some very good ones. Most I've ever spent was $500 (20 years ago) for jumbo Fujinon astronomy binoculars. For your boating needs, consider water resistance.

https://www.telescope.com/mobileCategory/Binoculars/Waterproof-Binoculars/pc/5/69.uts

 

[street]

I’m afraid I’m ruined by the top of the line, but no one would invest in these unless they were serious birders - years of birding.

Swarovski

True! I never have owned a pair but been on hunting trips with a guide and a friend of mine that has their optics. They are like night and day from a 400 dollar optic. Can count the eye lashes on a mountain goat, they are that clear clean. Amazing quality. Lol

 

[travelover]

I have Nikon Monarch and very happy with it. I use it for some bird watching, when I'm at football game, and looking out at ocean from my hotel balcony. Sorry, I don't recall which Monarch version, but it was NOT the top of the line model.

I've got Monarchs, too, and have been very happy with them. Fully waterproof, excellent optics for the money and focus very close, thus the name. Mine are the 10X42

 

[Ready]

Vortex is an excellent choice. As for power I like the higher power for long range viewing. My son will pick up the 12x50 every time I lay them down. Lol More power is better for long distant viewing.

I’ve read that anything over 10X magnification could need a tripod if you don’t have steady hands. Have you had any issues with keeping the image stable at 12X?

 

[RobbieB]

I agree, keep the magnification 10 or below (especially on a boat) if you can't prop your arm on something steady.

 

[street]

I’ve read that anything over 10X magnification could need a tripod if you don’t have steady hands. Have you had any issues with keeping the image stable at 12X?

No I haven't and do know that is what they say. I have no problem and neither does the people that have that power or have used mine when we are hunting or hiking with me.

The best is if you can try a pair and see for yourself. I just like a powerful pair for good close up looks at animals and horn hunting. They might not be for everyone and people that I know that have them haven't ever said they had that trouble either.

Yes, boat my be different experience. I can tell you that being on the water and using mine on a boat but not traveling isn't any issue for me but it might be for others.

 

[MichaelB]

We were first time binocular buyers for our travel to Dubai and Alaska. The Wirecutter product review convinced me, and it remains their recommendation.

To find the best binoculars, we had a professional ornithologist spend over 100 hours field-testing 17 pairs against his own $2,500 Leica Ultravids. After using our test pairs in the mountains and hills of Southern California, then on a research trip to the rain forests of southern Mexico, he found that the Athlon Optics Midas ED 8x42 pair was the best of the group, offering performance comparable to his Leicas for a fraction of the price and the widest field of view out of all the binoculars tested.

The Athlon Optics Midas ED 8x42—along with nearly all of the other binoculars we tested—are the beneficiaries of a revolution in optical quality caused by the falling costs of precision manufacturing and optical treatments. For just over $300 you can get a pair of binoculars that matches—that’s matches, not comes close to—products that cost hundreds, or even thousands, more. The Athlon Midas ED pair’s optics aren’t its only strong suit: These are exceptionally durable binoculars that easily withstood the humid, dusty, and hostile environment of the Mexican rain forest and harsh sun of the Californian desert. And their focus dial adjusts reliably and smoothly across a wide range of depths, making it easy to focus on what you’re trying to see, no matter where it is.

 

[Midpack]

Unfortunately you’ve gotten some good general advice that’s misguided for binoculars used on a (sail)boat. Unless you own a mega yacht or supertanker, 10x or 12x are useless on a pleasure boat underway - your target image will be bouncing in and out of frame, those are not for marine use. And if you're trying to read signs or markings, forget it. Note posts above suggesting a tripod or something to brace against on land for 10x or 12x - and think about the platform of a moving boat...

You don’t want to go longer than 7x50 for boat binoculars, and it will still be very difficult to get a good image because you’re on a moving platform, sometimes trying to lock in a moving target. Beyond good lens quality, the only reason to spend more is image stabilization which does make a noticeable difference but it’s not a silver bullet. I’ve sailed for 40+ years, including distance racing where binoculars are essential for navigation, tactics, etc. And I’ve used basic $200 binoculars from West Marine 7x50’s to $1500 (now even more) top of the line Steiner 7x50’s with active image stabilization and several others hundreds of times. Get decent 7x50’s, up to you if you want all the $$$ bells and whistles. Top of the line lenses are a waste on a boat, what good is perfect resolution when your target is bouncing all over the place?

And if you wear prescription glasses, I think you’ll want binoculars with diopter adjustment. Way easier to look without glasses and diopter adjusted versus using binoculars with prescription glasses IME.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

My go to binoculars would be my Swarovski 7x30. They are a nice size and serve me well.

They're on the lower end power wise, but I think they'd serve your needs just fine.

Vortex are becoming more popular and would be worth looking into. I've heard they have the best warranty of all major brands.

From my experience Swarovski seems to be the most popular brand among hunting guides and serious bird watchers. FWIW they have the best resale value too.

 

[Ready]

Unfortunately you’ve gotten some good general advice that’s misguided for binoculars used on a (sail)boat. Unless you own a mega yacht or supertanker, 10x or 12x are useless on a pleasure boat underway - your target image will be bouncing in and out of frame, those are not for marine use.

Thanks Midpack. That was my experience with the basic Bushnell binoculars I tried to use on our sailboat. I could not lock onto an image and found the binoculars to be completely useless while the boat was moving. Sounds like I need to stick to 7x50’s for sailing and consider a separate pair for land adventures.

 

[Car-Guy]

I didn't know (still don't) much about binoculars. But I bought a pair of Ziess rangefinder/binoculars some years ago becasue I used their rifle scopes and found them to be outstanding. IIRC, the list price was $999 but I got them on a sales promotion for about ~$700... I rarely used them but they worked well. Easy to adjust, no fogging, sharp focus.

 

[CaptTom]

Unfortunately you’ve gotten some good general advice that’s misguided for binoculars used on a (sail)boat.

...And we have a winner!


Everything Midpack said is spot on. I could only add the option of taking the "extra" money left over from not buying something expensive that won't really work anyway, and maybe getting a night vision monocular in addition to binoculars.

 

[sengsational]

I agree on the winner. I tell the story about when I went on a sailing course and the other students spent a good amount of time using binoculars while not finding a landmark for navigation. I showed up with my 12x optical zoom point and shoot camera and found it in a few seconds. I've been leaving the binoculars at home during travel for years now, as the optical zoom camera and LCD screen is good enough, and a lot easier to pack. If they had binoculars that weren't too magnified, but had the ability to take a picture, and also the ability to digitally zoom a still photo, that would be a nice device!

 

[OldShooter]

Several have mentioned, and I agree, that 7x or 8x is magnification that is relatively easy to hand-hold. When I first shopped binos, I assumed that 10x was better than 8x. It's not, at least for us.

Something that has not been mentioned I think, is exit pupil. The important background for this crowd is that the size of our old eyes' pupils at maximum dilation is smaller than it used to be. This is why many notice that it seems darker at night than it used to

Binos have something called an "exit pupil." Divide the objective lens diameter (the second number) by the magnification to get this number. Classic "night glasses" at 7x50 have about a 7mm exit pupil. That is very good for youngsters whose eye pupils are 7mm or bigger. For those of us who may be down to 5mm or so, anything over that 5mm is wasted. All we get with the unnecessarily bigger objective lenses is more cost, more bulk, and more weight.

On the other end, exit pupils that are too small make the binos hard to use as good alignment between the exit pupil and the eye pupil in bright light is harder to achieve. We have a very nice pair of Zeiss 10x20 binos that are so fussy to use that we don't bother with them any more. (For sale! PM me with an offer. )

So, long story short, our binos of choice are Leupold Katmai 8x32, now discontinued. [FONT=&quot]These are very similar to the current model Leupold “BX-4 Pro Guide HD 8x32mm.” (https://www.leupold.com/binoculars/hd-binoculars/bx-4-pro-guide-hd-8x32mm) The Katmais do show up on eBay from time to time. An important claim to fame is that they are extremely compact.

Birder web pages are great for education and shopping. (https://www.audubon.org/gear/binocular-guide)
[/FONT]

 

[audreyh1]

True! I never have owned a pair but been on hunting trips with a guide and a friend of mine that has their optics. They are like night and day from a 400 dollar optic. Can count the eye lashes on a mountain goat, they are that clear clean. Amazing quality. Lol

It’s incredibly rewarding to look through top notch optics.

 

[audreyh1]

I agree, keep the magnification 10 or below (especially on a boat) if you can't prop your arm on something steady.

Even for birding we use 8x or 8.5x - brighter (more light gathering), wider field of view, not as bulky/heavy, and most importantly hand shake is not nearly as noticeable.