Varis wrote:
Chuck Gould wrote:

I can't image why the typical boater would really need something beyond
this medium price range. I'd get some good quality, genuine marine
binoculars and not worry about stepping up to the diamond studded
stuff.

Binoculars are mostly needed in bad visibility conditions - in moist
weather (with risk of fogging for binoculars) or at night/twilight.
They aid in safe navigation as one wouldn't be able to pick up all
navigation buyos in those conditions. I figure eventually I might be
boating a lot during night or in rainy conditions, too.

Very good optics mean you will enjoy using the binocs more, and so you
will end up with more and better hours with the binocs, so you get more
from your investment. The Steiners are said to have optics that make
the $500 difference in price seem small, a really worthwhile investment
for a regular boater.

If the nitrogen leaks out, the binoculars won't really be so useful any
more. If you drop the cheaper binoculars and they break, you have just
wasted $200. This consideration really makes the markup seem less.

But well, maybe you can get these features with the $200 Fujinons? This
is the original question of this thread :-) And if you invest well the
$500 saved you could get any semi-reasonably priced binoculars in a few
years...


The Steiner Commnder V and the Fujinon's have the following things in
common:

Both are are 7 power magnification with a 50mm diameter objective lens.
Both will magnify the image the same amount, and should gather about
the same amount of light. Both use
barium crown glass "porro" prisms.

A major difference between the two is the field of view at 1000 yards.
The Commander V has a 385' field of view, and the Fujinon's have a 125'
field of view. While the objective diameters are the same, obviously
the Fujinon's have a longer focal length. You would have to "scan" a
little more to pick up a nav light, etc, with the Fujinons- but when
you find it the image will fill a larger section of the lens.

Another major difference is the warranty. 30 years limited warranty on
the Steiners, 5 years parts/labor on the Fujinon products.

How important, to you, is the bearing compass? If you have a hand held
bearing compass available, and don't need the bearing down to the
gnat's tush (or if your electronics are functioning), you "could get
by" without the bearing compass in the binocs.
If distance off of a mark is an important consideration for you, you
are most likely going to be inolved in coastal navigation. I'd
definitely prioritize the compasss over the range finder. Unless you're
taking a running fix, it's probably faster to
shoot a couple of bearings (three if possible) than it is to screw
around looking up or guessing the height of something that doesn't have
a height noted on the chart, and then trying to line up the circular
slide rules on the outside of the case- particularly in the dark.

I use the bearing compass, but not the range finder, on mine.

If you don't absolutely need a built in bearing compass, consider the
West Marine model
267755 binocs. If Steiner optics are important to you; these are built
by Steiner. They are $299.99 US without a bearing compass, and about
$500 with.