best binoculars for on a boat - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Raider Ronnie · 01-30-2005, 04:54 PM

I'm looking to get a high quality pair of binoculars to keep on my boat.
Other than buying a very high price pair that are image stabilizing,
anyone with some suggestion on the best pair I can get?

Thanks,

BigFish · 01-30-2005, 05:13 PM

Fishchick bought me a nice pair of Minolta binoculars a couple years ago and they are awesome! They have a nice rubberized coating on them so the salt does not wreck them!

She says they were about $120.00. Well worth the money!

Raider Ronnie · 01-30-2005, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BigFish
Fishchick bought me a nice pair of Minolta binoculars a couple years ago and they are awesome! They have a nice rubberized coating on them so the salt does not wreck them! She says they were about $120.00. Well worth the money!

But how would they be on a boat and all the movement you get on a boat?

BigFish · 01-30-2005, 05:41 PM

I don't know....what is image stabilizing?

BEETLE · 01-30-2005, 05:58 PM

ron spend the extra dough and get the image stabilizers. The amount of time you spend out there you'd be glad you did.
It's always a PITA getting a fix on something (like is someone on a fish or not in a faraway boat) on a rockin boat.

quick decision · 01-30-2005, 07:17 PM

i had a nice bright yellow pair, high impact rubber...think they came from west marine. Lens busted off.SOAB!

Pete F. · 01-30-2005, 07:54 PM

7x50 You can almost see in the dark, and if you get the ones with a builtin compass it's easy to take bearings. But they do run from 2 to 6 hundred.

Raven · 01-30-2005, 08:21 PM

since we're here to learn :
although i basically knew what image stablization was i wanted the exact definition.....
quote:
Image stabilizers work to give you sharper pictures by counteracting camera shake. Image stabilized lenses and cameras use two tiny gyros that precess with camera movement and send a signal via a servomotor to move lens elements, a prism, or the sensor plane in the opposite direction of your camera's movement. You shake one way, it shakes the other way. Larger gyroscopic stabilizers can steady your entire camera, whether it is optically stabilized or not. For handheld shots with slower shutter speeds or aerial photography, image stabilization is an invaluable tool for damping vibration to minimize motion blur.

gyros....servormotors.....sensor plane.......hello moto

would be cool to have in a boat though......

Slipknot · 01-30-2005, 09:30 PM

Raven is back

Mike P · 01-30-2005, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bluefishercat
7x50 You can almost see in the dark, and if you get the ones with a builtin compass it's easy to take bearings. But they do run from 2 to 6 hundred.

I have a pair of Nikons that went for about $150. No built in compass, tho.

With just a little moonlight, you could almost read a newspaper at 200 yards.

Van · 01-31-2005, 09:26 AM

In my experience, Binoculars don't work for SHIET on a boat.
Maybe stabilizing, but I doubt it unless its calm. REALLY calm...

Who you figuring on spying on anyway !!!!!

I painting my boat ocean color for camo.

and I'm leaving Tom home from now on !!!!!

Raven · 01-31-2005, 10:09 AM

HI slipnot

i'm living the "good Life" again...

now, i just wanna fish....

it's good to be back....

have come full circle

to start again.

zacs · 01-31-2005, 10:17 AM

I have used image stabilizers on a sailboat I race on. They are awesome. You are looking through the binocs bouncing around, then you press the image stabilizing button on top, and POW! The world around is calm. I don't know how they do it, but they are SWEET!!!!!

Unfortuantely, though, this pair ran about $800, so I only have the $50 Ruberized 7x50 that was on sale at Job Lot before the holidays.

_Z_

beamie · 01-31-2005, 01:47 PM

Size wise, 7x50 is definately what you want for not only a small boat but the biggest ships too.

Go with something that has the rubberized cover to take a little beating. Stay with the familiar names.

But I personally would not go and spend more than $250 for a good pair. The image stabilizer ones I sure am nice but they will sink just as fast as the Job lot ones. Not enough people actually use the "strap" enough, whoops sorry.

Raider Ronnie · 01-31-2005, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Van
In my experience, Binoculars don't work for SHIET on a boat.
Maybe stabilizing, but I doubt it unless its calm. REALLY calm...

Who you figuring on spying on anyway !!!!!

I painting my boat ocean color for camo.

and I'm leaving Tom home from now on !!!!!

Tired of Mike making fun of the crappy pair that I have!!!
He's got a much better pair on his boat and they make a world of difference from mine!!!

pete santini · 02-01-2005, 08:20 AM

Those image stabilizing binocs are awesome for spotting crashing bluefin or birds from a long distance. I forget the namebrand i used but the're well worth the money