Boating New Zealand — December 2017

he underlying design has changed little

since the patent for the prism binocular

was registered in 1854, with continuous

but incremental improvements in optical

elements and lens coatings over the past

150 years. While new models may now

include electronics – which change at a rapid pace – a good pair

of binos should last you for decades.

Like most things in life, you get what you pay for, and given

you can reasonably expect them to outlast your boat, it’s worth

spending a bit more and getting a quality pair. On the other

hand, a quality image can be sourced on a surprisingly modest

budget, and this is one item where you can easily judge the

product by merely looking through it.

So – what features should you should look for?

AUTOFOCUS & FAST-FOCUS

Many marine binoculars are of a fixed-focus type, sometimes

called autofocus or fast-focus. This is slightly misleading, since

they are, in fact, permanently focussed with a very long depth

of field. So everything from about 15m to infinity will be in

focus, with your eyes adjusting slightly to accommodate objects

at the closer end of that range.

This works pretty well when you have flexible eye muscles (i.e.

for those with fewer years under the belt) but as you get older you

may struggle to get a clear picture or start to get eye strain after

using them for a period of time. In that case, you might want to

go to a model with a conventional focussing mechanism.

A decent pair of binoculars is a wise

investment for every boatie – but do your

research before making a selection.

T

114 Boating New Zealand

WORDS BY

NORMAN HOLTZHAUSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY

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