On 13 Dec 2003 at 14:32, Blankibr_at_aol.com wrote: > For basic kayaking (looking at landmarks, birds, nav aids, finding the > way in/out of waterways...) should I worry about getting BAK-4 prisms > vice Bak7? Would a less expensive pair like the Fujinon's do well > enough or should I spring for the Bruntons or Steiners? Previous discussions on binocs have had folks divide into two groups - those that prefer the best hi-end brands and get the quality therein (they tend to emphasize things like nature watching and such) and those that prefer the cheaper and therefore less-painful-to-lose-or- damage brands. Personally, I prefer the latter. I don't want to have to baby an expensive pair. I have a basic pair of waterproof Bushnells (8x24) and find they give adequate performance in most conditions. Not as sharp as the fancy ones, but adequate. I tend to use them primarily as a navigation aid and occasionally for nature watch. They are small and stuff into my knee tube easily. With the neoprene neck strap, they float. Last week I noticed a new(?) model in an outdoor shop - 8x42 waterproof. Either Brunton or Bushnell (a B name, can't remember exactly, probably Bushnell). These looked like a pair to investigate if you want a larger pair. With a 42mm objective, it starts to be useable as a low-light or astronomy binocular. Not a bad price (C$150 or about US$115) - however, given the disarray in the display case, the model and price may not have been correctly associated. If you consider Fujinon to be "less-expensive", you probably prefer the higher-end stuff. For basic navigation, the difference between BAK4 or 7 or even no-name prisms is largely irrelevant. You'll only worry about these things for serious birding, astronomy etc IMHO. For the latter, BAK4 has been the standard for a while - if I were paying this kind of price, I wouldn't accept anything less. My personal shopping list would be, in order of preference: - waterproof - no more than 8x magnification (unless image stabilized). - no clipped or vignetted images (common with BAK7 or no-name) - Coated optics - Largest aperature objective without being too bulky. - rubberized or similarly toughened, so I don't worry about cosmetic scratches and stuff. - high res optics. Mike PS - I also don't like monoculars. PPS - this response has been un-crossposted, since I don't subscribe to the other list. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Dec 13 2003 - 12:33:09 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:31:11 PDT