Re: [Paddlewise] Q: Waterproof Binoculars

I've been using a pair of Swarovski 8x20 compacts for several years. 
First, on the positive side, they are compact (duh), very sharp, very
bright, free from flare, rugged, and waterproof (so far, at least).  I
wash them off in the sink when I return from sea kayaking, and they have
not leaked or fogged. I also use them on river trips.  

On the down side, the compacts (as opposed to the somewhat larger 8x30s)
have relatively limited eye relief, which means that you have to hold
them quite close to your eyeballs to get a full field of view.  This
doesn't bother me (much), but it would be a problem for eyeglass
wearers.  The short eye relief also makes it a bit more difficult to
hold them properly aligned with your eyes.  Again, this bothers some
folks more than others. As always, you should try before you buy.  The
Swarovski 8x30 SLC have much longer eye relief, but they are larger,
heavier, and more expensive. A potential problem with both the 8x20s and
the 8x30s is that 8-power binoculars are harder to hold steady than
binoculars with 6 (or even 7) power. Again this is more of a problem for
some folks than for others.  (Some folks can even use 10-power
binoculars while kayaking without any problems.)  

If you want lower-power binoculars, Steiner makes waterproof 6x30
binoculars in two configurations: "Military/Marine" (or something like
that) and "Hunter".  That latter are more expensive, but are brighter
(due to superior coatings and/or prisms, as I recall).  The rubber armor
on the Steiners tends to break down as the result of exposure to sun and
saltwater, but this can be mitigated through the use of 303
(water-based) protectant.  The rubber armor can be replaced once it
disintegrates.  

If you want to go a cheaper route, there are a number of options.  The
one with which I have some familiarity is Nikon.  I used to have a pair
of Nikon compacts that were *very* sharp, although they were not as
bright or as free from flare as the Swarovskis.  They broke on me during
a river trip, but it was not the fault of the binoculars--I smashed them
into a large piece of granite while swinging them on the end of their
strap (ouch!), which I'm sure would have messed up even the best made
binoculars.  To their credit, the glass did not shatter, but they were
knocked out of alignment.  I fixed them myself when I got home (I had to
breach the seal to do this), and they worked fine after that.
Unfortunately they were stolen out of the glove compartment of my car,
which I took as a sign that I should buy some Swarovskis. (Well, it made
sense at the time...)  Anyway, there are lots of excellent designs out
there.  Enjoy whatever you buy--binoculars are great fun!

Dan Hagen
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