How To Buy Binoculars

The most commonly used optical gadgets next to eyeglasses, binoculars can be your perfect outdoor companion if you are into traveling or sports. Binoculars serve other purposes such as viewing operas, military use, hunting, bird watching, and boating. Binoculars are like two telescopes combined and targeted at a specific area. Unlike a monocular, binoculars have two lenses—making it easy to perceive image depth. The great features that binoculars offer make them very popular among people.

Magnification

The best feature of binoculars is its ability to provide a perfect view of any object or action. These gadgets make images appear closer than they really are. How much closer does an image appear? It depends on the binocular magnification power. Binoculars with 6X magnification, for example, can make objects look six times closer to where you are. For typical binocular use, 7X to 12X magnification is good enough. However, you need to hold your binoculars steadily if it has higher magnification than 12X. You will need to mount your binoculars on a tripod to ensure image stability.

Zoom

Binoculars feature zoom control just like digital cameras. Zoom control enables a user to adjust the range of the binoculars’ magnification. For instance, you can adjust the magnification from 8X to 12X using zoom control.

Field of View

Binoculars are also known to provide a broader field of view than regular telescopes. A broad field of view—which is measured by the width of view at a distance of 1,000 yards—enables binocular users to see more objects. Broad-view binoculars also allow users to easily track objects or persons that are moving fast. Bird enthusiasts and nature lovers benefit much from broad field of view offered by binoculars, as it greatly aids in bird watching and nature viewing.

Focus

Typical binoculars come with a center focus feature that focuses every eyepiece at the same time. Aside from that standard binocular feature, you can choose from other focus adjustments to suit your viewing needs. One of them is individual focus that ensures an accurate focus on objects or persons. This feature is usually present in astronomical and marine binoculars. There’s also the diopter control that allows users to adjust focus so that the view for each eye is balanced.

Lens Coating

Another great binocular feature is optical coating, which makes for a brighter image. Sometimes, images are hazy because of reflected light in the binoculars. This feature lessens the amount of reflected light inside the binoculars, resulting in improved image clarity and contrast. Optical coating also prolongs the life of binocular lenses. When shopping for binoculars, it’s better if you get one with multi-coated or fully coated lens.

Size

Size can be either a good or bad feature depending on how you use your binoculars. Generally, the binocular performance increases with size. On the other hand, smaller-sized binoculars offer better portability than heavier and bulkier ones. Compact binoculars are great for use in frequent traveling because they can be carried conveniently everywhere. However, bird watching and astronomy require larger binoculars that can provide better field of view.

Performance in Low Light Conditions

Twilight performance is a binocular feature that determines how efficient an optical gadget is in nighttime or low light conditions. A number of binoculars feature good twilight performance, so check that out when you are choosing a pair of binoculars to buy.

Image Stabilization

A number of binoculars are equipped with image stabilization technology that reduces the effects of sudden motion. Thanks to image stabilization, high-powered binoculars that are usually heavy can be held by hands without compromising image quality. The user has the option to turn on or off this feature in their binoculars. Image stabilization is an important feature in binoculars designed for viewing birds.

Water and Fog Proof Features

Some binoculars designed for outdoor use such as hunting, hiking, or boating have waterproof feature. This ensures that water won’t get in the way of viewing an image clearly. Other binoculars are fogproof, which are great for viewing in areas where there is heavy fog or light drizzle.

Technorati Tags: binoculars, great features that binoculars, best feature of binoculars