I have joined this forum to discuss my optic situation.
Recently I started a new job as a harbor pilot which consists of guiding ships in and out of port. I deal with a 12 mile straight section in the channel every trip where I need to look as far down a buoy line as possible to aid in keeping the ships in the middle of the channel. Of course there are electronic navigation tools that are used and relied upon, but I will always verify with my eyes and in case the electronics ever go out, I want to be brisk with using the terrestrial bodies solely for navigation.
Every ship carries binoculars on the bridge for pilots to use. Steiner 7x50 seem to be a common choice and are a good standard. However, this is not always the case. Many times there isn't a pair of binos on the bridge that don't make you go cross-eyed when looking through them. I also fear contracting conjunctivitis from sharing binos between so many people.
I brought my own pair of Swarovski SLC 15x56's for one trip. They were way too high in magnification power. I could not see the whole width of the channel from left to right at closer distances with their 236' FOV. The buoys are 450 ft apart. In addition, the 15x SLC's weight will not work for me. I have to climb a rope ladder from a moving pilot boat for every ship. My backpack needs to be as light as possible.
I am presently borrowing my fathers Swarovski 8x20B pocket binoculars. Way better size for tossing in a backpack and carrying with me every day. Beautiful picture and perfect magnification. 357' FOV worked pretty well. They are crisp enough from edge to edge so the buoys appear straight, which is extremely important. I need the buoys to appear like straight lines /\ when looking down the channel and not like curves or fuzzy edges. i.e the buoy lines cannot look like this ().
My dislike about these little pocket binos is that they have two hinges and a small sweet spot for pupil placement. About half the time I needed to make a quick glance I'd get a blackout picture in one eye or extreme tunnel vision. So during several occasions I found myself wasting time to readjust to my eye spacing and having to hold them perfectly to my eyes. No glasses.
For this reason I have been looking into the Swarovski CL companion 8x30's. Their 396' FOV should only be an improvement. And the single hinge will handle better for a snappy look, check, then put them back down. Coming in at just at a pound+ an ounce will still be okay for weight and size should work. I'll need to find a more compact case though; might even make my own out of neoprene or leather. Their price is high, but I know swaro is good glass.
I looked into the Zeiss Victory 8x25 pockets as they are single hinged. Hinge is offset though. Is that an annoyance, or do you just get used to it? Will my pupil placement need to be spot on like with the 8x20 swaros I'm using now? Size is smaller than the CL's, and weight is less than a lb., so that's a plus. The 394' FOV will work, but is that realistic? Will I get the needed crisp clear picture from edge to edge as I do with Swarovski?
Or the cheapest option but heaviest set I looked at are the Zeiss Terra 8x32. 404' FOV weighing 18 oz. I like the price, but will I like the glass?
I ask this about the Zeiss binos because I researched Vortex 8x32 Diamondback binos and I really liked the paper specs, but I came to understand that their 425' FOV comes with a sacrifice. They are crisp in the middle (small sweet spot) with heavy field curvature happening at the edges. I cannot have that. So I'll pass on those $150 bins.
Apologies this is not a bird discussion, so FWIW there are millions of pelicans and seagulls I look at from time to time while transiting the ship channel. Thanks for all your help.
Recently I started a new job as a harbor pilot which consists of guiding ships in and out of port. I deal with a 12 mile straight section in the channel every trip where I need to look as far down a buoy line as possible to aid in keeping the ships in the middle of the channel. Of course there are electronic navigation tools that are used and relied upon, but I will always verify with my eyes and in case the electronics ever go out, I want to be brisk with using the terrestrial bodies solely for navigation.
Every ship carries binoculars on the bridge for pilots to use. Steiner 7x50 seem to be a common choice and are a good standard. However, this is not always the case. Many times there isn't a pair of binos on the bridge that don't make you go cross-eyed when looking through them. I also fear contracting conjunctivitis from sharing binos between so many people.
I brought my own pair of Swarovski SLC 15x56's for one trip. They were way too high in magnification power. I could not see the whole width of the channel from left to right at closer distances with their 236' FOV. The buoys are 450 ft apart. In addition, the 15x SLC's weight will not work for me. I have to climb a rope ladder from a moving pilot boat for every ship. My backpack needs to be as light as possible.
I am presently borrowing my fathers Swarovski 8x20B pocket binoculars. Way better size for tossing in a backpack and carrying with me every day. Beautiful picture and perfect magnification. 357' FOV worked pretty well. They are crisp enough from edge to edge so the buoys appear straight, which is extremely important. I need the buoys to appear like straight lines /\ when looking down the channel and not like curves or fuzzy edges. i.e the buoy lines cannot look like this ().
My dislike about these little pocket binos is that they have two hinges and a small sweet spot for pupil placement. About half the time I needed to make a quick glance I'd get a blackout picture in one eye or extreme tunnel vision. So during several occasions I found myself wasting time to readjust to my eye spacing and having to hold them perfectly to my eyes. No glasses.
For this reason I have been looking into the Swarovski CL companion 8x30's. Their 396' FOV should only be an improvement. And the single hinge will handle better for a snappy look, check, then put them back down. Coming in at just at a pound+ an ounce will still be okay for weight and size should work. I'll need to find a more compact case though; might even make my own out of neoprene or leather. Their price is high, but I know swaro is good glass.
I looked into the Zeiss Victory 8x25 pockets as they are single hinged. Hinge is offset though. Is that an annoyance, or do you just get used to it? Will my pupil placement need to be spot on like with the 8x20 swaros I'm using now? Size is smaller than the CL's, and weight is less than a lb., so that's a plus. The 394' FOV will work, but is that realistic? Will I get the needed crisp clear picture from edge to edge as I do with Swarovski?
Or the cheapest option but heaviest set I looked at are the Zeiss Terra 8x32. 404' FOV weighing 18 oz. I like the price, but will I like the glass?
I ask this about the Zeiss binos because I researched Vortex 8x32 Diamondback binos and I really liked the paper specs, but I came to understand that their 425' FOV comes with a sacrifice. They are crisp in the middle (small sweet spot) with heavy field curvature happening at the edges. I cannot have that. So I'll pass on those $150 bins.
Apologies this is not a bird discussion, so FWIW there are millions of pelicans and seagulls I look at from time to time while transiting the ship channel. Thanks for all your help.
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