Strathspey’s Marine 7x50 binoculars are solid to say the least and need a stronger carry case to cope with the extra weight.
Uniquely, they come with a tripod bracket, which will save you about £10 as well as the bother of ordering one.
Another singular aspect of these binoculars is that they have no central focusing wheel. Instead, both eyepieces are adjustable.
This approach seemed to work; once both eyepieces had been adjusted we didn’t need to refocus as often.
Yet there’s no escaping the fact that these binoculars are heavy – 300g more so than the second heaviest pair. Perhaps that’s why the tripod bracket is included.
The rubber front lens caps were easily dislodged and it wouldn’t be difficult to lose them in the dark.
However, the eyepiece lens caps are a single unit – a very practical idea.
It’s worth mounting these Marines on a tripod – it gives a very impressive vista.
Our old friends Capella and Procyon were sharp across the greatest amount of any field of view in the test: 85 per cent.
Coupled with a field width of 7°, this caters well for large subjects like Melotte 111, the open cluster in Coma, accommodating it comfortably in a crisp field of view.
Inspired by the Marines’ grasp of light we sought out fainter quarry: galaxies like M51, M101 and NGC 2903 in Leo.
We picked them all out of the background of myriad stars, distinguishable as small smudges.
For clarity of view these binoculars are remarkable; it’s just a shame about their weight.
Price: £74.00
Weight: 1.2kg
Supplier: Strathspey Binoculars
Telephone: 01479 812549
Website:www.strathspey.co.uk
This review appeared in the May 2010 issue of Sky at Night Magazine