Boating Binoculars

No matter what the price is ($250 or $2,000) a pair of good regular-sized (i.e. not “mini”) 7 or 8 power binoculars, all have the same function – magnifying a distant image. The most expensive claim exceptional optics in low light, but the function is basically the same.

This 7x50 Nautical Binoculars is different and astonishingly very affordable. First, it is filled with inert Argon gas (better for the interior seals), is waterproof, fog proof and has independent focusing.

Second, there is an interior built-in lighted compass with a fitted red light (for night vision) and an interior reticle scale for distance calculation from an object of known height – for example, a lighthouse. (The inset photo shows the Statue of Liberty calculated at 2½ miles away, measured from the Salt Marsh in Brooklyn Bridge Park.)

And third, because the body is a very high quality polycarbonate, it weighs less than 2 lbs and therefore it floats. Of course, lens covers, a case, a neck strap and ultra sensitive low-light optics are standard, as are batteries for the compass light.