How to Buy Binoculars

People buy binoculars for all different reasons, hunting, watching wildlife, tweeting, watching the opera, star gazing or just for being a peeping Tom, and different binoculars are designed to suit different scenarios. With this in mind, it’s important to know what you want your binoculars for, before you can choose which are the best for your individual needs. It can be pretty confusing when you try to choose a new pair of binoculars, so here’s a brief explanation of what some of the different stuff means.

Basic Things You Should Know When Choosing Binoculars

• What do the numbers mean? All binoculars have a couple of numbers, they might be 8 x 40, or 8 x 25 or something like that. Well, the first number, in this case the eight means the magnification power of those binoculars, so all objects will appear 8 times nearer than they would if you were looking with your naked eye, and the second number (the 40 or the 25) refers to the diameter (in mm) of the objective lenses within those particular binoculars.  If you want to use your binoculars when the light is getting low, at dusk for example when nature watching, then you need a bigger second number.
• Field of View is another important term which you’ll come across when you’re trying to choose your new binoculars. A field of view of 350′ for example, indicates that at 1000 yards of distance you will be able to see 350 feet wide. The higher your magnification (the first number, remember?) the smaller your field of view.

How to Choose The Right Binoculars

• Does size matter? Small compact binoculars are great for carrying around with you, but you will lose a bit on the performance side of things. If you want top performance levels then you’ll need a larger pair of binoculars, but they can start to get heavy around your neck after a while, so consider buying a support system which will distribute the weight evenly across your shoulders.
• One of the most important considerations is the amount of light which will be available when you are using your binoculars. As I’ve said already (you see, it’s so important I’m repeating myself already), if you are planning to use your binoculars in low light you’ll need large objective lenses.
• How far will you be from the stuff you want to see? Wildlife and bird watching, for example, don’t need as much magnification as if you want to study the stars!
• Will you be using your binoculars outdoors, close to rivers and maybe in the early morning mist? Well, if you will you need to make sure that your binoculars are waterproof, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can swim in them, just helps to stop them from fogging up.
• If you want to see a wide field of view, go for a smaller magnification, as I’ve already said (here I go again, repeating myself), the higher the magnification, the smaller the field of view. This is important when you’re watching things which are fast moving, racing cars, horse racing or frightened antelope, for example.
• You gets what you pays for. Just like anything else in life, you can buy a cheap pair for around $10, or you can pay upwards of $2000. If you’re seriously wanting something good and worth having, you’ll probably need to pay at least a couple of hundred.

Bear all those things in mind when you go to buy your binoculars, and you should get something which fits your requirements perfectly.