What is the Difference Between Marine Binoculars and Regular Binoculars?

While the differences between marine and "regular" binoculars are not vast, they do exist and depending on the application, can be very important.

  1. Design Differences

    • The biggest difference between marine binoculars and regular binoculars is marine binoculars need to have a number of indispensable characteristics that make them specifically suitable for nautical use. For this reason, they tend to be specifically designed for nautical use, whereas regular binoculars come in many more varieties and can be designed for things like hunting, birding, sporting events or general use.

    Marine Binoculars

    • The characteristics needed in a pair of marine binoculars include the following: It should not have any more than seven times magnification---any more makes it difficult to keep distant objects in view while standing on a rocking boat or ship; it should be waterproof and fog proof; and they should float or be attached to some kind of flotation device so that it will not sink if dropped in the water. In addition, many come with a built-in bearing compass that helps take bearings on distant objects for navigational purposes.

    Regular Binoculars

    • Regular binoculars can and often do share features with marine binoculars, but depending on their intended use, often do not. Moreover, they do not require "must-have" features like the marine version.