Bynolyt Oceanranger marine binoculars

The Bynolt Oceanranger carry case has no useful front pocket, but it’s a cut above the Searanger III: made of better material and better construction, plus there’s a beltway sewn to the backside.

The Oceanranger’s central hinge is very stiff, but it’s unlikely to need adjustment once you’ve set it to your inter-pupillary distance. The eye shells are a unique shape and take a bit of getting used to. They fold back neatly for users wearing eyeglasses.

The individual focus adjusters are armour-plated and the slight military feel is reinforced by the diagrams in the extensive instruction manual that depict warships and tanks as ‘targets’.

The eyepiece protectors aren’t attached to the body of the binoculars, but the lens protectors are neatly tethered. The front end of the hinge conceals the tripod mount, while the aft end houses the two small batteries for the compass light. Note this is the only battery compartment that can be opened by hand, although it’s a bit fiddly at first.

The view of the rangefinding reticle is clear as day with numerals for measurements, although there is no useful sliding scale fitted to the exterior aiding the user to convert measurements into distance or height.

The test product arrived with two different straps, one of which is bright yellow, padded and buoyant, while the other is more plain, but still displays some quality touches.

The Oceanrangers are a different shape to the Searanger III marine binoculars and shorter in length, which means they will fit some people’s hands better than others.

I would rank this product above the RNLI-favoured Searanger III despite the loose eyepiece protectors because of the battery compartment, the compact size and lighter weight, the clarity of the reticle and the carry bag’s extra features.

I felt it had the best image through the lens and that the soft eyepieces were comfortable, plus the extra eyepiece length was useful in bright light conditions.

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