Let’s Talk Binoculars

Years ago I bought a Fujinon TechnoStabi 14x40, more because I found it on sale at a (relatively) reasonable price, than out of any real need.
And I can confirm that it's outstanding for watching anything very far away, with a stabilization system which imho is even better than the highly praised Canon 15x50.

But I've got also a lower magnification and non-stabilized Steiner 7x50 Navigator, which in practice I use much more frequently.
In fact, its image quality is even superior, particularly in low light, and superfast (no need to fiddle with focus).
Besides, it's much less bulky than any stabilized binos, and needs no batteries.
Unless you need more than 7x magnification (which is what makes stabilization almost necessary), I can safely recommend it.

Canon 10x30 IS II, light, stabilized, uses 2xAA batteries that last a long time. Very happy with them.
Never use my hi powered binocs any more. I'm looking at stuff 500yds away or closer.

I have the West Marine version of the Steiner. Works great. Adjust to your eyes once. Looks very similar to the Steiner. I wonder what the Steiner has for the extra cost.

I remember dropping my 2 year old West Marine binoculars 15 years ago. One mono went straight, the other to Mars.
Store replaced them with the last of the same model.

These have lasted 15 years fine. Lens covers have long dissolved but the glasses still work great.
Just used them an hour ago coming in St Augustine inlet.
Not a clue who made them but has worked so well these very many years.

Mine were not the bottom of the money line, near the top, just no compass.
Still cheaper than the big name brands.

Did you ever try a Steiner side to side with a WM or any other chinese binos?
Any binos does its job decently, it's only when you compare them with the really good ones that you can see (literally!) the difference.
And by good ones I don't mean only Steiner, there are also others equally good if not even better - but proportionally expensive, of course.

I'm not saying they are worth the extra cost in absolute terms, mind.
For anyone who is happy with the quality of something less expensive, obviously they aren't.
But quality differences do exist for good, and then it's up to you to decide if it's worth paying.

To me, the most important feature of good binoculars is low light function. I've used quite a few boat-owned binoculars, and the top contenders are Fujinon and Steiner. I've found the WM useful, when nothing else is available. I don't know if it's my pupil dilation or the binoculars themselves, but the Fujinons have always been best at light-gathering for me. A client was outfitting his new-to-him yacht in WM with me one day, and asked why he should spend $750 on Fujinons when there were less expensive options. It was around dusk, so I suggested he take them outside. He looked around with them, and focused on some sparrows perched on a telephone wire across the street. When he lowered the binos, he couldn't see the birds. He bought the Fujinons.
I've always found the Fujinons better for me at night than the Steiners. So much so that I bought my own.
Here's an interesting and informative article on binocular light-gathering :
https://www.astronomics.com/info-library/how-to-pick-a-binocular/some-binocular-specifications/

Good article. I feel the important issue on a boat is weight.
Quoting the article;
While big binoculars have advantages, they usually have
a big drawback - weight. In general, the bigger the binocular, the heavier it is.
A binocular that's too heavy to carry comfortably all day long is not a good binocular,
no matter how sharp its optics.

Higher priced/quality spec's are heavier also.

Coming into St Augustine yesterday, it was choppy. I was still able to study the inlet holding my light weights up AND STEADY with one hand.
Even stabilized glasses need a steady hold, sometimes with one hand during a choppy water observation. Your eyeball(s) have to become steady together with the viewer.
This may also be important in determining the choice, in a boating environment.