Using binoculars as a magnifying lens

[Sea Hunt Video]

I recently received an email from a national sailing school that had an interesting short video on using binoculars as magnifying lens to read small print on a chart.

Once upon a time I had 20/20 vision. Now, I need reading glasses for almost everything I try to read. When I sailed on S/V Tadpole and wanted to read a chart I had to find my small pair of "readers", put them on, and then try to read the chart.

This video explained that if you invert the binoculars, place the smaller lenses close to the chart and look through the larger lenses the binoculars act as a magnifying lens.

When I sailed, I always had a large pair of binoculars very near by in the cockpit. Much easier to grab and more "damage resistant" than tiny reading glasses.

Interesting idea. As soon as I acquire caretaker status of a Cape Dory 25D I will try it out.

[12Sail]

Interesting. I have a small magnifying glass the PO left in the "stuff drawer". It works well if I'm targeted in what I want to see, but taking in larger sections of the chart was difficult. I felt like i was using a Ouija board.
My eyes too have decided they want me to be a trombone player, so i did breakdown and get some progressive lenses after losing a 5th pair of readers. They are prescription reading glasses on the bottom with no correction on the top (bifocals without the line), and some polarized "clip on shades" make them essentially sunglases quite easily.

[Steve Laume]

The bino magnifier is an old naturalist trick I have known about for years. I was never too impressed with the quality though.

Raven keeps several pairs of readers aboard as well as a magnifying glass. I keep readers everywhere.

With a magnifying glass and especially the binoculars you just don't get the big picture on a chart. I will stick with glasses.

The magnifier is there mostly to check rigging, Steve.