Comments on: Birding Binoculars

By: wild birds

wild birds — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:31:37 +0000

We have some general rules of thumb that we follow to determine the best binoculars for birding... Generally binoculars ranging anywhere from 7x30 to 8.5x50 are preferred and considered the most popular range in magnification and objective lens diameter for bird watching. Overall our preference is 8x42 For those who wear eyeglasses, consideration should be given to the Eye Relief measurement. As a general rule, at least a 14mm eye relief measurement is needed to see the entire field of view of the instrument. Field of View is the size of the area visible while looking through a pair of binoculars is referred to as the Field of View. Greater magnification will produce a smaller field of view. The angular field of view, expressed in degrees, is indicated on the outside of the binoculars. The linear field of view refers to the area that can be viewed at 1,000 yards, and is expressed in feet. A larger field of view translates to a larger area seen through the binoculars. Depending on your bird watching needs, a significantly larger linear field of view may not be important. Please remember, in most cases, the larger the field of view, the poorer the image clarity becomes, especially around the edges. Bear this in mind when making your choice. Bigger does not always mean better. We like Vortex Optics very much, whether binoculars or spotting scopes. Enjoy watching wild birds everyone.

By: Pankaj Bahmba

Pankaj Bahmba — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:50:21 +0000

Binoculars for Birding in my suggest should not be less than 40mm Objective Diameter and Magnification should not be less than 8x. It should have a Central Focusor so that you can easily focus on the subject. Ligth Weight Binoculars will be preffered over heavier. The optics should be Bak4 Prism type. This is all you need for a good binoculars. Nikon, Steiner, Space Binoculars are the best.

By: gary hall

gary hall — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:24:16 +0000

I want bigger binocs for tripod on my balcony for marine ship viewing. Is 7X50 better than 10X50. In other words which give more distance. I want to see a mile out and read 6″ letters on names of ships?
thank you for you info
G

By: compact binoculars

compact binoculars — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:00:56 +0000

I prefer compact binos which can be kept in pockets with sufficient magnification. The Nikon 10×42 ATB Monarch which im using is good for newbies costing around 230$.

By: BlogKing

BlogKing — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:05:02 +0000

I prefer the Vivitar Binoculars, because they are comfortable to use not to mention the great vision.

By: Brent

Brent — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:12:10 +0000

In regards to #1, National Camera downtown mpls is actually pretty good. I’d say 3/4 clerks know their stuff pretty well.

Very much agree on #7!

By: Lassi HippelÃ¤inen

Lassi HippelÃ¤inen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:35:34 +0000

Buy a 7×50, unless you know what you’re doing. 7x can be used handheld, and 50mm lenses work also in the evening. Besides, 7×50 is the most popular size anyway, which means best price vs. performance.

But things are a-changing. After hooking my digicam to my telescope, I started wondering how long it will take until telescopes with LCD screens become the new standard. The image can be seen by many, it can be stabilized, and even recorded for later use.

By: Silver Fox

Silver Fox — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:13:26 +0000

I love the anti-shake binocs I have, but they are of the large variety, and so I don’t carry them around as much as very small ones. Image stabilization becomes more and more necessary as I approach older middle age. 😉

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:40:58 +0000

Richard: What you say is correct. What I’m trying to convey is that smaller with equal quality and similar characteristics can be expensive, so it is not uncommon to have two choices between different size binoculars where you may need to get a larger pair to have the quality you can afford.

I’m not speaking (though I did not specify this) of binoculars so big that they need to be held with tripods. That is a whole other thing. And in my view, you might as well get a spotting scope if you’re going for the whole tripod thing.

(Because, in this case, “bigger” is more expensive. If you want a certain set of optical characteristics at a certain quality level, a BInocular will = twice the cost, roughly)

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:35:48 +0000

I’m not an expert but a seasoned user. Bigger is definitely not better. Better is better. Bigger just means the binoc’s will be increasingly more difficult to hold steady. Too big and you need a tripod or you might just want a spotting scope.
Make darn sure the tubes are parallel. If they aren’t you will end up with a headache or vague discomfort and will not use them no matter how “nice” they are.
Finally, use the heck out of them and enjoy.