Best Marine Binoculars – I See You Looking At Me
I spy, with my little eye. An ICEBERG coming toward me! Don’t make a Titanic mistake. Choose the best marine binoculars for the job.
On the water, it is imperative to have good visibility of your surroundings and other vessels, markers, and obstacles.
Movement on the water is far quicker than one may think. For your safety and the safety of others make sure you have the best binoculars to see danger, and have time to react.
Read next: Check out our review of the best Marine Battery Charger, Marine VHF Radio, and Marine Stereo.
Please note: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy something through the links on this page you won't pay a penny, but we'll get a small commission.
Best Marine Binoculars - (Comparison Table)
Best Overall 
Best Budget
Brand & Model
Steiner Military-Marine Binoculars
Celestron – Nature DX 8x4
Steiner Navigator Pro 7×30
Bushnell H2O
Aomekie 7X50
Weight
1000g (35.3 oz)
623g (22.2 oz)
567g (20 oz)
1048g (37 oz)
964g (34 oz)
Magnification Level
10 x 50
8 x 42
7 x 50
7 x 50
7 x 50
Field of View
92m (302 feet)
914.4m (1000 yards)
123 m (369 ft) at 1000 m (1000 yards)
114 m (367) ft at 1000 m (1000 yards)
119m (390ft)
Lens Size
50mm (1.96 in)
42mm (1.65 in)
30mm (1.18 in)
42mm (1.65 in)
50mm (1.96 in)
Best Overall
Brand & Model
Steiner Military-Marine Binoculars
Weight
1000g (35.3 oz)
Magnification Level
10 x 50
Field of View
92m (302 feet)
Lens Size
50mm (1.96 in)
Brand & Model
Celestron – Nature DX 8x4
Weight
623g (22.2 oz)
Magnification Level
8 x 42
Field of View
914.4m (1000 yards)
Lens Size
42mm (1.65 in)
Brand & Model
Steiner Navigator Pro 7×30
Weight
567g (20 oz)
Magnification Level
7 x 50
Field of View
123 m (369 ft) at 1000 m (1000 yards)
Lens Size
30mm (1.18 in)
Brand & Model
Bushnell H2O
Weight
1048g (37 oz)
Magnification Level
7 x 50
Field of View
114 m (367) ft at 1000 m (1000 yards)
Lens Size
42mm (1.65 in)
Best Budget
Brand & Model
Aomekie 7X50
Weight
964g (34 oz)
Magnification Level
7 x 50
Field of View
119m (390ft)
Lens Size
50mm (1.96 in)
Quick Navigation
Top Marine Binoculars
Best Marine Binoculars Overall
Steiner Military-Marine Binoculars
The Steiner patent nano protection ensures that the lenses of these binoculars are totally waterproof and the 50mm (1.96 in) objective lens offers an amazing field of view
As you may expect with these top of the line binoculars the 7 x 50 optics are truly stunning and offer crisp image quality.
As the name suggests the magnification is 10 times and offers a wide field of view. Even at 914.4m (1000 yards), the field of view is 92m (302 feet).
The Steiner binoculars support those who ware glasses with full adjustable eyecups. For those who don’t need glasses, the cups are designed to leave no gap between the user and the lens.
- Weight: 1000g (35.3 oz)
- Magnification Level: 10 x 50
- Field of View: 92m (302 feet) at 914.4m (1000 yards)
- Bullet Point: 50mm (1.96 in)
What we like
What we don't like
Best Binoculars For Beginners
Celestron – Nature DX
Celestron has designed the Nature DX for users that are looking for a full-featured but affordable pair of binoculars.
These binoculars are fully waterproof and feature a wide field of view914.4m (1000 yards). The body of this unit is made from highly durable polycarbonate as is typical with binoculars of this quality. It is encased in thin and very hard rubber for extra protection and grip.
These binoculars don’t have an autofocus feature, but the manual dial is easy to move when needed, whilst keeping its position when desired.
The optics are fantastic, offering highly reflective prism coating as well as a phase correction coating that makes the image extra crisp, and improves visibility in poor light.
- Weight: 623g (22.2 oz)
- Magnification Level: 8 x 42
- Field of View: 118m (388 feet) at 914.4m (1000 yards)
- Bullet Point: 42mm (1.65 in)
What we like
What we don't like
Best Compact Marine Binoculars
Navigator Pro 7×30
Steiner has come up with an amazingly light, small, yet feature-packed set of binoculars. Image stabilization, electronic compass with 7 x 50 magnification, in a pair of bino’s that can fit easily into a pocket.
Steiner has included their autofocus technology along with CAT optics. This means that images are crisp, sharp and always in focus in bright or dim light.
This compact unit also boasts a range finder! This is especially useful when identifying hazards or waypoints. This feature is not absolutely accurate and does need some mental arithmetic. Take the known height of an object you are looking at
E.g. a lighthouse (150 feet high) and appears to be 15 points in the range finder. So you divide the height of the lighthouse by the points (150 / 10) and get 10. This means the lighthouse is 100000 feet from your current position.
- Weight: 567g (20 oz)
- Magnification Level: 7 x 50
- Field of View: 123 m (369 ft) at 1000 m (1000 yards)
- Bullet Point: 30mm (1.18 in)
What we like
What we don't like
Best Value Marine Binoculars
Bushnell H2O
Weighing in at 37oz the Bushnell H20 is a little on the heavy side, but its image clarity and field of view more than makeup for the extra weight. Bushnell have been in the business for more than 60 years and have put all their experience into this unit.
These bino's are fully waterproof, fog resistant and have been treated to resist the corrosive effects of saltwater…
The optics are coated to prevent glare, whilst still allowing enough light in to provide good visibility in low light conditions.
The rubber housing protects these binoculars against accidental drops and provides a degree of buoyancy if they fall into the water.
- Weight: 1048g (37 oz)
- Magnification Level: 7 x 50
- Field of View: 114 m (367) ft at 1000 m (1000 yards)
- Bullet Point: 42mm (1.65 in)
What we like
What we don't like
Best Budget Marine Binoculars
Aomekie 7 x 50
These binoculars are great if you operate in a busy environment where accidents could result in your binos hitting the water. Yes, they can float”
As you would expect this unit is fully waterproof with anti-fog technology and has a magnification of 7 x 50, with 119m (390 ft) field of view at 914.4m (1000 yards)
At the lower end of the price scale, you may expect the image quality to be lacking, but surprisingly this is not the case. The lenses are coated to increase quality both in bright and low light and have the added compass and range finder features too.
- Weight: 964g (34 oz)
- Magnification Level: 7 x 50
- Field of View: 914.4m (1000 yards)
- Bullet Point: 50mm (1.96 in)
What we like
What we don't like
Buyer's Guide for Marine Binoculars
Choosing the right magnification level
Most people think that the greater the magnification a pair of binoculars have, the better they are. In actual fact, this is not necessarily the case.
Unless your binoculars are mounted on a tripod, or other stable platforms, every jiggle of your hands will be magnified in proportion to your binoculars magnification.
Choosing a magnification level between 7x and 10 x is a good range. This will ensure that even if your platform is not stable your image will remain crisp and in focus.
Lens size
This is one of the rare cases where bigger is actually better. Larger lenses allow more light in and as such increase the sharpness and clarity of the image. This is especially important in marine environments where you have to contend with fog, rain, dawn, and dusk.
If you choose a compact pair of binoculars, this will limit the lens size and have a significant impact on the image quality you can expect in trying conditions, so make sure the space saving advantage is worth the trade off.
About the Author Brad Pickering-Dunn
Hey, I'm Brad - the founder and editor of Watercraft Watch. My love for boating is what prompted me to start WatercraftWatch.com – helping people find the right equipment and supplies so they can enjoy their time on the water. I hope you find the articles on the site useful, and share in my love for boating.