Bushnell Marine 7x50 Binoculars Review

The Bushnell Marine 7x50 binocular, is as the name suggests designed for boating and other marine use, but because of their host of features designed to excel in a tough nautical environment, they are ideal for any use where 100% durability is required.

Waterproof Binoculars
This Bushnell checks all the boxes required for a great set of marine binoculars. The most important feature is obviously to be fully waterproof. The Bushnell marine 7x50 binoculars are O-ring sealed and nitrogen-purged to keep out all moisture and then even hermetically sealed to further assure that absolutely no moisture creeps in. They have also been designed to be highly resistant to salt water corrosion and what is even more impressive is that they will float in water, should you accidentally drop them overboard.

Bushnell Marine Binoculars with Digital Compass
Bushnell have three binoculars in their Marine series (Bushnell Marine 13), all are 7x50's, but only this one, the 13-7507 which is the newest version that now comes with a 3-Axis digital compass. The compass is built into the viewing optics, and illuminated with direction and bearing indicators that track as you view through the optics. The compass bearings are read out in easy to read and precise 1 degree increments, making them ideal for navigation and locating objects accurately. An important note is that the digital compass delivers reliable accuracy anywhere in the world (both Northern and Southern hemispheres).

Note: The older Bushnell Marine 13 7500 Binocular, is slightly cheaper than the newer version and still features the range finder and internal Illuminated compass, but it is not digital.

The Rangefinder & How it works
This binocular also feature a Rangefinder where you can work out the distances to an object. Basically the range finder is a reticle that you will see when you look through the binocular, the verticle scale (reticle) is visible above the compass display through the left half of the binocular and it allows you to calculate distance to an object if you know or can estimate it's height. You can also calculate the height of an object if you know how far it is from you. Each mark on the verticle scale has a value of 5 MIL (1MIL is equivalent to an angle that can determine an object one meter in height at a distance of 1000 meters). Therefore, if a navigation chart gives the height of an object, by sighting on it and counting the number of MIL's, you can determine how far away it is. The formulas to work these out are really simple:

• To measure distance when the height is known: (Objective Height (m) / Scale Reading) X 1000m = Distance in Meters
• To measure object height when the distance is known: (Distance (m) X Scale Reading) / 1000 = Object Height in Meters

7x50 Binoculars for Marine use
You may think that in wide open areas like on the open water, a larger magnification than 7x would be ideal. The problem is the larger the magnification, the less stable the image you get when looking through the binoculars. Combine this with the fact that you are on an unstable platform (the boat) it would mean that very high power binoculars would become very difficult to use. Most of the best marine binoculars tend to have a 7x magnification, this still gives you plenty of power and will mean that your image is not too unstable to view.

The Optics
These Bushnell marine 13-7507 binos are of a Porro Prism design and come equiped with excellent quality multi-coated optics and premium BaK-4 prism glass that have an excellent light transmission, giving you a bright, clear, crisp viewing and with the 50mm objective lens, let in plenty of light and work well even in very low light conditions.

The Body
The excellent optics are enclosed in non-slip rubber, perfect for wet environments by providing a firm grip as well as an armor that cushions the day to day bumps and shocks. They also have roll-down eyecups, important for those who wear prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses. These binoculars can also be adapted to fit onto a tripod.

Main Highlights

• 3-Axis Illuminated Digital Compass
• Direction and bearing indicators
• Range-finding scale for estimate distance measurements
• Fully waterproof and fogproof with Non-slip, non-skid rubber armor
• BaK-4 porro prisms for bright, clear, crisp viewing
• Highly resistant to saltwater corrosion
• UV reducing lens coating and internal UV filter

About Bushnell
Bushnell is an industry leader and one of the most trusted brands in Binoculars and even won the prestigious OpticsPlanet's Brilliance award in 2008 for the Most Trusted Brand. They have been producing high-performance sports optics and outdoor accessories for over 50 years. Bushnell's dedication to emerging technologies, leading edge design, and performance innovation is what makes it one of the most reputable and recognized companies in the world. Bushnell boasts leading market share in all of the sports optics categories, and their products have consistently won design and performance awards from prestigious organizations. >> More about Bushnell Binoculars.