Marine Binoculars

Here is quick guide to reference when you are deciding to buy a pair of Marine Binoculars. Here is a rundown of the topics that will be covered:

Marine Binoculars

• How they are measured

Features of marine binoculars

• Magnification
• Waterproof construction
• Light transmission efficiency
• Relative Brightness
• Field of view
• Eye relief
• Focus
• Bearing compasses
• Rangefinder reticule

How do you measure or gauge the power of marine binoculars?To start with there are two numbers that you use when you describe Marine Binoculars and example would 7 x 50 or 8 x 25. When you look at the first number you are looking at the magnification of the binoculars, while the second number represents the diameter of the front lens (objective lens) in millimeters.

The magnification power simply tells you how much closer objects look when you look at them. The 7 x 50 example is magnifying the object seven times. Keep in mind that increasing the magnification limits that amount of light that’s entering the lens making the object appear darker, this is where that second measurement comes into play. The larger the second number is, the more light that is going to be let in since it is a bigger lens.

Here are some main features that come with most Marine Binoculars.

-Magnification

There is a big difference between binoculars used for bird watching and ones that are meant to be used on a boat. First off, the more magnified you have an object that harder it is to keep in view. It is recommended that if you have a boat under 50 feet that you cap the magnifying power at x7. If you have a auto-stabilizing binocular set then you can go up to 18x as they will automatically compensate for any movement.

-Waterproof Construction

This is essential to any pair of Marine Binoculars. Because of the wet environment that marine binoculars are used in they need to be waterproof with a sealed interior o-ring and filled (a.k.a charged) with dry nitrogen. These main features coupled with a strap that contains a flotation device makes sure that you can retrieve the binoculars if they happen to fall overboard.

-Light Transmission Efficiency

This is one of the most important factors to look at when buying marine binoculars. If you buy binoculars with cheap glasses odds are only half the light is getting to your eyes making the images look dark and fuzzy or out of focus. Top binocular manufactures such as Fujinon and Steiner produce glasses that let at least 93-97% of light pass to your eyes. The more light you have the brighter the image will look when magnified and the more crisp of an image you will have. This will cause less fatigue and strain on your eye when used for extended amount of time.

These are just some of the main features to look for when purchasing Marine Binoculars. If you would like to know some more of the basics then scroll back up to the top of this article and refer to the list mentioned and use those key-points for your research.