Alaskan cruise.. carry the spotter?

[aggieland]

Leaving in a few days had another question. I have a set of swaro 15x56 and recently purchased the 95mm BTX. I want to bring the BTX along with the binos but I'm wondering if it is worth bringing them? I have two tripods etc any thoughts from your experiences on cruise ships? Thanks again

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Probably not.

 

[SWOHTR]

Binoculars yes. Spotter no. The ship will be moving too much. My career involves ships and I don’t recommend stationary or mounted optics unless they’re gyro stabilized.

 

[aggieland]

Well, I did just buy a new tripod for the btx and outdoorsmans head hoping to use it on the trip. But will admit it's going to be more and delicate to pack.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Binos yes, spotter no.

 

[darcytribe]

Well, for use on the ship I'd say your binos will work great and do what you need them to do. The spotter will be hard to use on the ship. BUT, if you are doing shore excursions that involve hiking around You might consider bringing it. We saw some wildlife in the distance on the mountains while hiking where I would have liked to have had mine (mountain goats in particular). But I would agree that that powerful pair of binos is gonna cover you pretty well.

 

[cmeyer733]

I used to be in the Coast Guard up there, I pulled my spotter out all the time and looked around. Especially in Juneau while in port, chances are you will be able to see goats from the ship while stopped.

 

[Kilboars]

Unless you have a gyro for the spotter just take some binos

 

[aggieland]

Guess I didn't realize how much a giant cruise ship would rock. Going on the Royal Carribean Ovation

 

[aggieland]

Thanks for the advice. I put the spotter back in the safe for the time being.

 

[SWOHTR]

Guess I didn't realize how much a giant cruise ship would rock. Going on the Royal Carribean Ovation

The higher magnification accentuates any unsteadiness. Like if you were trying to hand hold the spotter and look at something a long ways off. I think you’ll be well with the binoculars. If you really wanted, you could bring a tripod for them for use in port.

 

[KSLPresidente]

We have done several cruises and the spotter is really not necessary. It’s a lot of weight and bulk that really won’t give you much benefit. Camera and big lenses are what you need and the binos is all I would take. Enjoy it’s a great trip!