Which Binoculars

[5th Tuition]

Don't need stabilizers; just good pair of regular noc's.

A friend had a pair of 10x50's on the boat today, they seemed nice.

How does the number system work? Do 10's have a wider view than say 7's? And I suppose 50's bring things closer than say 35's? Do I have this right?

Thanks
5th

[Spot77]

Originally Posted by 5th Tuition

Don't need stabilizers; just good pair of regular noc's.

A friend had a pair of 10x50's on the boat today, they seemed nice.

How does the number system work? Do 10's have a wider view than say 7's? And I suppose 50's bring things closer than say 35's? Do I have this right?

Thanks
5th

I think that's right. It was my impression that the numbers represent the amount of magnification.

[Abter]

The first # is the magnification (power), the second is the diameter of the objective lens (the big lens). So your friend's binoculars were 10 power with a 50 mm lens

The naked eye has a magnification of 1x; a 10x lens will make objects appear to be 10 times closer.

The advantage of a big lens is more light is let in, making the scene look brighter. That is especially important under low light conditions. But lens quality also matters; coatings and the lens material itself also block some light, making the scene appear darker. The downside of a big lens is the whole thing ends up weighing more.

The usual "rule of thumb" is that a 7x or 8x is good for a handheld pair. By the time you get above 10x the shaking of your hands makes the image jump around a lot. Add in the rocking of a boat and it is hard to see an object, especially one at a distance. This is where stabilizing binoculars help out.

[5th Tuition]

Ahh; now that makes sense. We had a pair of 7x35 on the boat and a pair of 10x50. I kept reaching for the 50's. They were not huge (weight) and picked up birds slightly better than the 35's.
I think they were TASCO, the smaller pair were BUSHNELL. Both would be better than none on the boat.
I guess I'll head to BPS to compare a few.
5th (Marty)

[dances_with_fish]

All of the research I have done has reccomended 7x42 for nautical use. I bought mine at West Marine (also West Marine brand) on close out for half price for around a $100.00. They have been great so far and the ease of focusing s far better than the 10 x 50 s that I had before.

[5th Tuition]

Looked online and they had Nikon Action 10x40 $78.98 (not waterproof or fogproof). Then I found Bushnell H2O 10x42 $84.99 (Waterproof and fogproof). Looks like a no brainer.
5th (Marty)

[drichitt]

Marty - Without image stabilization, they recommend that you don't use anything over 7 power. A 10x might be hard to use on a boat unless real calm.

[5th Tuition]

Well it certainly was calm last Wed. I guess that's why the 10's worked well. Had I been out today, I might have needed stabilizers for my own eyes.

Thanks for that input Don.
5th

[Spot77]

My parents used to have a very cool pair of binos that would actually take a digital picture of what you were viewing.


I wonder if they still have them......

[240 LTS]

Here is an interesting article on digital binoculars.
http://www.squidoo.com/binoculars-digital-camera


Not to derail too far but to keep it on the binocular subject:
I have a pair of zoom binoculars that one of the lens(s) is loose inside.
Is there a way I can take it apart or is there someone that can fit it.
The repair cost may not be worth it though.



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