I can't seem to find my binoculars so now I am in the market for a new pair. I am thinking about something like 8X32 and of course they must be waterproof. I have looked at lots of pairs and done a little research. So now my question: 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? Any opinions on the Bruntons? http://www.ems.com/products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442582376&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302160943&from Template=products%2Fproduct_comparison.jsp&bmUID=1070761784371 What about a monocular like the Brunton Eterna? http://www.binoculars.com/detail.asp?PID=12119 Thanks for any and all advice. Brian Blankinship *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- Brian Blankinship <Blankibr_at_aol.com> wrote: > > What about a monocular like the Brunton Eterna? > http://www.binoculars.com/detail.asp?PID=12119 > I, on the other hand, do not like binoculars, and use a $40 REI monocular to get close-ups of birds at the feeder or in the back yard. It's small, light, easy to use one-handed, and allows one to bring distant objects up close for the occasional view. I've not used it on the water, but if it were to deep-six or suffer water infiltration, the loss would not be that great. http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=2727&parent_category_rn=4500470 Erik Sprenne *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
My preference is for cheaper ones like Tasco etc. Good ones would be nice, but I would be concerned about how and when I use them. I find that in any chop at all my 7X50's are almost too powerful. Seems like 8X would be too powerful for me. It all depends on you and the conditions you use them in. FWIW: I pretty much never take them when in the kayak. I do find them very handy in the sailboat though. In the kayak they always wind up being more trouble than they are worth unless the specific purpose of the trip is wildlife watching. Of course YMMV. Pete Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
[Moderator's Note: Content unaltered. Excessive quoting (including headers/footers/sig lines/extraneous text from previous posts, etc.) have been removed. Please edit quoted material in addition to removing header/trailers when replying to posts.] I went through a number of different binoculars and sent back the Bruntons and eventually settled on compact Swarovski optics. I tested all the leading brands and found these to be easiest to use in a kayak, waterproof, rugged and extremely sharp. cu *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
[Moderator's Note: Content unaltered. Excessive quoting (including headers/footers/sig lines/extraneous text from previous posts, etc.) have been removed. Please edit quoted material in addition to removing header/trailers when replying to posts.] BTW here is a good comparison chart: http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/pockets_chart.html I went with the compacts so I could keep them in a PFD pocket. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
try this URL for good binoc reviews, of full size and compact, I believe it's more up to date than the URL below http://betterviewdesired.com/RefSet.html ted ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Denton" <bdenton_at_soytek.com> > BTW here is a good comparison chart: > > http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/pockets_chart.html *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
The most important parameter in an optics for kayaking is being sealer (waterproof, nitrogen filled) which is of little consequence to birders. I tested some excellent, yet inexpensive, optics that I rejected as they were not submersible. cu *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:36 PDT