Up until about 3 years ago, the higher end West Marine glasses were made by Fujinon and were the Mariner WP-XL and WPC-XL models. The WM binoculars are now made by Barska. I have a pair of Barskas that I keep on the boat for guests, and they are decent - but nowhere near as good as the Fujinon Mariners I personally use.
When I was binocular shopping, PS rated the Steiner Commanders as the best marine binoculars, followed by the Fujinon Polaris. The Fujinon Mariners were the "best buy" recommended in the review. Which is why I bought the pair I use. Ditto your comment about using red LEDs. I have a red LED over the nav station to light up the companionway. A red LED mounted under the step into the v berth to light up the floor on the way to the head. And Alpenglow overhead fixtures with high and low power red LEDs for general illumination below when sailing at night with guests below. I also have a couple of tiny red LED flashlights on lanyards that go around the helmsman's and trimmer's necks so they can light up the telltales and Windex when sailing at night. I keep the wind instrument and depth displays(which are mounted on the cabin bulkhead) set to the minimum backlight level, and my plotter is set to go to night mode and minimum brightness at sunset. Though I wish I could figure out how to make the transition 15 or 20 minutes after sunset. The display is hard to see before it becomes completely dark. But, hey (paying homage to the original subject) l'm getting old and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. So I still value having a good bright pencil beam spotlight to use when it's really dark outside. Rick Brass Washington, NC From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Della Barba, Joe Sent: Friday, March 14, 2014 7:42 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Stus-List Handheld spotlights + binocs I'll have to look. They were a birthday present and were whatever the top line West Marine binoculars were at the time. Any high quality 7x50 set with good coated lenses will make something you can just maybe barely see stand out plain as day. Obviously rain, fog, pitch dark, and looking into moonlight will defeat them. Some people think "moonlight = good", but only if it is from behind you! What I need to do is train my dogs to point and bark at unlit markers. I asked our vet why they can run full speed in the woods in the dark and he said dogs and cats see about as well as a human with night vision goggles on. Speaking off night vision, I rarely use any kind of spotlight. I do much better with making sure my night vision stays sharp. I have red LED lights for everything - there is NO white light allowed after dark. Something I learned when I was flying out of an unlit grass field is to look "off center" and kind of scan besides what you are looking for. Human vision is much more light sensitive off-center than straight ahead. PS - Another night vision killer is the various plotter-computer video displays. Make sure you can turn it down! I have seen powerboats go by at night with the helmsman's face lit up bright as day by all the screens that he was looking at. I doubt he could see the bow! Joe Della Barba Coquina C&C 35 MK I From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of dwight Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2014 3:13 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Stus-List Handheld spotlights Joe Those glasses must have very good light capturing capability.what brand do you have?
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