To proclaim Edward J. Smith as reckless is unfair in my opinion. He was one of the most experienced and respected captains of his time and he did take action after receiving the ice warnings.

He changed the ship’s course to follow the southern passage and added look outs for spotting possible danger. The binoculars were indeed missing but under the circumstances they wouldn't have helped much. Binoculars are useful to better identify an already spotted object, not to spot something in the first place.

Titanic was steaming quite fast but during this time it was common practice to do this in ice fields under favorable weather conditions. I think this is the key. The bizzare weatherof the night may have contributed the most for this disaster to happen.