Seeing better at sea – premium binoculars on test
Every sailor knows that anxious moment as you’re making a difficult entry into an unfamiliar port. The chances are there is quite a sea state, the light is poor and despite the best planning in advance, things don’t quite seem to be matching up. The crew are looking to you as the skipper to get them in safely. But what you see are crashing waves, lots of light clutter from shore and a picture you can’t yet tally with your entry plan.
This is when you need a serious pair of binoculars. That entry level £40 pair from the chandlery might serve you well in easy conditions, but when things get a little more serious, you’ll never regret having equipped yourself with a set that can cut through the tougher stuff and find that radio mast or buoy.
When choosing a set of binoculars, there are various factors to consider. First, for the maritime environment, they have to be waterproof and, as much as possible, shockproof.
A yacht is a harsh environment, and when you really need to see there’s nothing worse than trying to peer through a fogged lens.
Next, look for a decent magnification. We find on our expeditions that magnification between 7 and 10 is ideal (the first number on your binoculars). Any less than 7 and we struggle to find our target at range. Any more than 10 and they’re difficult to hold steady enough on your target. Just as important is the amount of light they capture. This is the second number and, in layman’s terms, the bigger the number, the bigger the front lens and the more light is captured. This is critical in poor light: we like to have a set with a front lens between 40 and 50.
Finally, the overall quality of the materials used is key. Without heading into technical detail, get the best quality lenses and prism you can afford (bearing in mind that binoculars do fall overboard now and again!).
For marine navigation, we have come to love binoculars with an built-in compass. These have improved so much in recent years, and they now provide an easy-to-view, stable gauge that allows you to take a bearing on anything you see. As you try to unpick your route through a mass of lights, buoys and breakwaters, or for checking collision probability in traffic, you’ll find this compass tool invaluable.
Here we’ve picked out and trialled three top quality sets of binoculars that are well worth considering.