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Birding Binoculars
Choosing The Best Birding Binoculars
The key points in how to choose a good all round pair of birding binoculars
All birding enthusiasts know how important it is to be able to clearly identify the feather details and color of the bird they are watching from a distance, which in some cases can be hundreds of feet away. Birds can be found and heard in all types of environments and weather conditions at all times of the day and night, so it is vital to have good quality birding binoculars with suitable optics and features that cover a wide range of situations.
With the multitude of binoculars on the market, choosing the right pair can be a daunting and confusing task if you are unfamiliar with the features and specifications that you are faced with when browsing through what is available in online websites, shops and retail outlets. In many cases you will find that the birding binoculars being looked at come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, specifications and expense.
I invite you to read the information below. I hope what follows will help you with your mission to buy a good quality pair of birding binoculars that will best suit your requirements and budget.
Magnification (the first number in a binocular)
For birding an 8x magnification binocular is the most popular and will in general be suitable for most birding purposes. Birding binoculars between an 8x32 and 8x42 specification are in most cases compact to carry and large enough to gather plenty of light. A 10x magnification will of course offer slightly more image detail but can be difficult to hold steady to see the image clearly and sizes of this magnitude usually require tripods in many situations.
Objective lens size (the second number in a lens size)
The second lens size is important as it determines the amount of light that is let into the binoculars. Most birders prefer something between 32mm and 42mm objectives than the smaller more compact birding binoculars with say 20mm objectives. The rule of thumb to remember when assessing the objectives is ‘the larger the front objective the clearer and brighter distant images will appear’. More magnification = less light and as objectives get larger the optics get heavier and more uncomfortable to hold.
Focus type
Avoid buying a pair of birding binoculars that do not have a centre focus. Birding requires both near and distant focusing so acquiring binoculars with a centre focus is a must for any birder.
Lens coating
Coatings help to reduce glare and improve image contrast. You might find that cheaper inexpensive models of binoculars on the market may be labeled “fully coated lens”. I would be looking for birding binoculars that are labeled with something like “fully multi-colored lens” as this means all the lens surfaces are multi-coated. Remember that in general the best optics are fully multi-coated.
Water-proofing
Weather conditions can deteriorate rapidly as any birder knows. One of the first things a wise birder will look for in birding binoculars is whether they are labeled waterproof. It is definitely a good feature to have as a water proof model will not fog up and will be better protected from dust and grit.
Weight
This is an area that can sometimes be overlooked by birders. Carrying around a heavy pair of birding binoculars all day in hot humid conditions can be tiresome. A suitable weight for birding binoculars to carry if you intend birding for a short period of say 2 hours would be around 35 ounces. A slightly lighter weight would be desirable if you intend birding all day long.
Optical quality
As a basic rule as most birders already know, if you want a pair of good birding binoculars with high quality optics then you will have to pay for that feature. The more expensive optics have multi-element lenses with coatings that maximize the image and color. Some mid range optics that are readily available are still very good under most conditions. Hpowever, in the final analysis it will depend on what sort of quality image the birder wants the optics to project.
Eye relief
Many birders wear eyeglasses and others wear shades or sunglasses during birding expeditions. If you fall into this category then the birding binoculars being sourced should have an eye relief of at least 14-15mm. Anything less than this the eyeglass wearer will suffer a diminished field of view. These days there are models on the market that provide eye relief for eye glass wearers and some binocular manufacturers have designer models available with special rubber eye-caps that can be rolled down.
Price
This of course is one of the most important features a birder needs to consider when out looking to buy. Birding binocular prices are wide ranging and it can cost anything from $20 for a cheap compact pair up to more than $1000 for a top of the range model. Remember that only certain models represent the best value in terms of construction, optics and performance. In other words you get what you pay for. For the keen birder a top-of-the-line model from either Swarvoski, Zeiss, Leica, Nikon or Steiner are recommended.
What, where and how should you buy?
These days’ good quality birding binoculars can be sourced and acquired conveniently on-line through outlets such as Amazon. To view what is available at Amazon click here. Lastly, a couple of good quality all round birding binocular that I particularly like and are popular with birders (with and without glasses) are the Zeiss 32 Victory FL 8x32, and the Nikon Premier LX 8x32. Click here to view