If you are going canoeing and this is a onetime trip and you never expect to go canoeing again but you want to be able to see wildlife along the shore or see what is ahead. You think that maybe you will lose them if the canoe over turns. The Binoculars or monocular is going to get moist at minimum and soaking wet at the worst, so maybe you don't need a waterproof binoculars but you would want it to be water resistant. So you could get by with spending under 50 dollars or a lot less, but don't expect the best optics or features. Next I will talk about optics that can cost into the thousands of dollars, but again there are many in the price range in-between to fill every need and budget, so don't despair there are optics out there for you.

Some binoculars also have a camera built into some, eliminating the need to carry both a camera and binoculars. Weight and size will also be a factor in your decision. Other considerations would be magnification (to make things look bigger and closer). Do they have a rubber coating on the outside for a sure grip in wet conditions? Are they waterproof or just weather resistant? Some have a perma focus so once you focus them every time you put them to your eyes they are in focus, these would be good for spots events.

Binoculars are great for being held by hand and easily transported when worn around the neck and with a harness they are secure and handy when needed. The spotting scope works better when used with a tripod. Used more for long distance surveillance either of people or wild life and on the target range the spotting scope is a hole different type of optics and not quite suitable for casual viewing.

Company Resource:   Monocular Telescope   Straight Binoculars
Read more: http://www.nbbinoculars.com/news/