Image stabilized binoculars?

[danielamartindm]

Originally Posted by Steadman Uhlich

I won't go into details into technical specs and reasons here, but do want to provide a few short observations, based on very recent comparisons of binoculars at sea.

I was recently (May and June 2018) on two 50+ foot sailboats, voyaging a total of 1,800nm offshore. One was a 53' monohull, the other a 52' catamaran.

On both boats I had access to use the binoculars aboard (and in one case convinced the Captain/Owner to purchase a new set). I tried six binoculars while on these boats, including two brand new marine binoculars (one being a Steiner Navigator Pro model).

When on watch I use binoculars frequently. I keep a vigilant watch for debris in the water, and possible hazards such as ship traffic and fishing boats. On one of these voyages (Florida to Maine, 1200nm) the most observed hazard was lobster pot buoys, of which there were thousands. In addition I use the binoculars to observe ATONs and boats seen (day or night). I also look at marine life (sea turtles, birds, dolphins, whales, sharks, etc.). I like to look at the stars and planets too.

Now a few quick points:

1. The lens glass matters!
Tip: Look for BAK4 Prisms and higher light transmission percentage.

2. The condition matters!
On one boat the best binoculars (Nikon marine) were out of whack (creating double vision) and this was due to them being damaged, probably by someone dropping them earlier. Good glass has to be aligned properly.

3. Good 7x50 binoculars should provide a brighter view of the scene, especially at night. This means that when you look at something like a buoy at dusk or in darkness (starlight, moonlight) it should appear brighter than when seen using just your naked eyes. This depends on a mix of technical things, but the final effect is part of what you want to see, a magnified, brighter image of something distant.
______________________

What about using IS binoculars?
I have used IS binoculars before, and closely compared them to very high quality (very expensive) Zeiss binoculars. The difference was striking! My conclusion of my side-by-side tests? I would rather see the image using the IS binoculars. No question.

On these two voyages, at night I noticed several planets in the sky (Mars, Saturn, Venus). I was able to look at them using new marine binoculars on these two boats. Unfortunately, due to the motion on the ocean, the planets "bounced around" in the binocular view, making observations tiring and fruitless. In each case, I thought to myself: "I sure wish I had a pair of IS binoculars instead!"

On these two voyages I noticed several interesting lighthouses (Maine) and marine life. Despite using nice, new marine binoculars, because of the motion of the ocean, I could not easily see details on the ships, lights, and other things I wanted to see. I thought to myself: "I sure wish I had a pair of IS binoculars instead!"

If you have not used good IS binoculars at sea, and have only used good marine binoculars (typical 7x50) you will probably not miss them. But that is probably just a case of "not knowing what you are missing."

If you ever have the chance to use IS binoculars to observe things like planets or distant buoys or marine life while on a moving boat, I think you will come to the same conclusion I have:

IS is amazing and much more preferable. It makes it much easier to see things clearly, with less eye fatigue and allows one to observe small details like buoy numbers, etc.

Put another way, if given a choice to observe things I like to see while sailing, I would always choose the IS binoculars over a standard (even a good brand or expensive pair) marine binocular.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for this information.

[Group9]

We had stabilized binoculars where I worked, and if you have unlimited funds, by all means get them. I would characterize them as nice to have, but far from necessary.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by skipmac

However I made a trip down the ICW and some spots, like the ICW crossing a harbor with markers on the inlet, markers for side channels, etc it was really handy to be able to read the numbers on the marker as far off as possible. I found that even in relatively calm water the 7X50s were almost useless. By the time I could read the marker number with the binoculars I could read them with my bare eyes. Switch to stabilized and the difference was dramatic.

We have a Canon 10X32 that is pretty good but I read that the Fuji's are the best. I probably wouldn't go more than 10-12X on a boat, even with stabilization.

That was our experience too. We both use Steiners with compasses (me 7x50s, wifey 7x30s), but we couldn't read the markers as early as we hoped for.

The Fuji 12x28 Compacts that we just got seem like a start, but our verdict is still out. Smaller and lighter weight, good. Slightly longer eye relief, good. 12x, possibly adequate but not overwhemlingly perfect (only seems slightly more magnification than our Steiners). Field of view, tiny (no surprise there). Degree of IS, in between Canon and the larger Fujis, may be adequate, but we need further experience. Pupillary eye distance adjustment, awkward.

-Chris

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

. 12x, possibly adequate but not overwhemlingly perfect (only seems slightly more magnification than our Steiners).

I've noticed this comparing my 7X50 Nikons with my wife's 10X32 stabilized Canons. The image appears only slightly larger in the Canons. The main difference is reading numbers on a marker which is dramatically better with IS.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Group9

We had stabilized binoculars where I worked, and if you have unlimited funds, by all means get them. I would characterize them as nice to have, but far from necessary.

Certainly not necessary but like lots of boaty things it comes down to prioritizing. A lot will depend on where and what kind of boating one does. I would put IS binoculars far down on the list but definitely not at the bottom.

[Hartleyg]

Another voice in appreciation of IS binoculars - when my mom & dad got too old for bird-watching trips, they gave us their pair of Canon 10X30s. We have a pair of WM 7X50s on board, but they NEVER get used, while I'm putting new batteries (2 X AA) in the IS binocs every couple of weeks. The ability to read marker numbers, boat names, etc. is simply wonderful. If they ever quit, we will replace them immediately (and I may buy a higher-magnification pair one day anyway!).


Hartley
S/V Atsa

[eyschulman]

I own both stabilized(Fuji and Nicon) and non. The high power stabilized units are good for reading #s and names the 7/x50 with compass I find a better all around go to first unit and if I have to see more(rarely) I follow up with stabilized unit. With radar and plotters and AIS seeing what's out there from a distance not as important as it used to be and in fog binocs not very useful.

[Big Leap]

We have several pairs of the Canon image stabilizer binocs. Could not love them more. Life changing.

[Helia 44]

Well,
This Thread sucked me in... !

I have had many good binoculars, and now have Mil Spec Steiners on the boat, and a knocked about set of Fujinons with compass on board, but they are out of whack a bit.. 40 years old and been dropped a few too many times, a gift because they were out of whack and I have banged them a bit back into proper paralax.. hehe..

Anyway after reading this Thread, on impulse I made the mistake of surfing the Internet, and a Company had a huge special on Fujinon Image Stabilized 14x40... What grabbed me was they were a very good deal, and also if something went wrong they reverted to just a standard pair of high powered binoculars, 14 power, 40mm objective lens... So I bought them... Just arrived this morning.. And further I am very impressed. It is a much bigger affect than I would have thought, and it would have saved a bad mistake just last year:

Example: My Son 29yo was playing with the normal binoculars, looking at beaches on really remote rough islands outside the normal Whitsundays for beach combing. He was scanning the islands for buoys and goodies, and spotted a dead whale in the eddy current behind a ten story high 100 meter wide, big rock of an island. He thought he was looking at a big shark that was eating the whale around the edges so we had to motor my Cat over for a closer look. Inadvertently, we did a big no no and disturbed a Mother Humpback whale lying perfectly still, with a baby splashing around the edges. The Fujinons would have prevented this. Money well spent, and they will be kept in reserve for when we just cannot quite make something out with the regular binoculars.

You Blokes and Sheilas just cost me a lot of money... He he

Good job of it...

[jsakovits]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

I was lent a pair of IS binoculars, can't remember what brand, but I immediatle bought a pair of Canon 10x42 IS WP, (The instructions tell you to wash them in a bucket of H2O!! I also now have an amazingly small pair of Fujinon 12x28. I also have a number of non stabilized binos including a Pair of Leica 10x something; only ever use the IS binos now, If you don't want IS you dont need to turn them on. Once you use IS you will never go back. PS The Canons use AA batteries and tend to use them fairly quickly, so buy rechargeables.

If you had a choice between the canon 10x42 and Fujinon 14x40 which one would you pick ?

Thanks!