Bird watching can be a very fun activity. Some people take it one step further and make it a passion. No matter which type of bird watcher you are, you will need to find the best Birding Binoculars out there for this sport. Let us explore how the binoculars are used and then give you some tips for buying binoculars so you can choose the best set for you.
Magnification - This is one of the most important features to look at when buying binoculars. There are some things to understand with magnification.
1. Your binoculars come with two numbers which are 8x42 or 10x50. This is the magnification power of your binoculars and the diameter of the objective which lets light in.
2. When choosing which power to use, most will usually go for the higher power (well, at least beginners to bird watching do at first). This is not really the best thing to do. For one, the 10X is usually the highest people can handle (if you do go higher, the tripod is recommended) and for two, when watching smaller, quicker birds it does no good to use the higher power magnification because you will lose site of them in the narrow field of view. Also, the more power you use, the more that hand shake takes over and you are soon viewing a trembling image in your eyepiece.
The Objective Lens - This is the opening that determines how much light gets in, with the higher the number, the higher in light and resolution. The job of the objective lens is to let light in.
Exit Pupil - This is where light exits. You can measure this as the size of the circle of light which exits the birding binoculars. You divide the objective by the power. For example, 10x50 has a 5 mm exit pupil.
What time of day it is also determines how large your objective lens and exit pupil should be. Your eye does not see light or images in excess of its own pupil size, therefore, in the bright afternoon sunlight, it would do you no good to use a larger objective lens and exit pupil. On the contrary, when it is darker out, your eye will need as much light as possible and will take in all available light exiting the binoculars.
Eye Relief - This is how far back from the eyepiece your eye can be and still see the whole field of view. This is especially important for people who wear eyeglasses, because glasses hold the eyes back from the eyepiece. If your eye distance is more than that of the binoculars eye relief, you will only see the center of the image. If you do wear eyeglasses, you want to go with birding binoculars that offer long eye relief which is 14mm or more.
Tips for buying binoculars…
1. Choose binoculars that are light in weight and feel comfortable in your hands.
2. Find binoculars that can focus quickly.
3. Be sure to pick binoculars for all conditions such as dim light, rain, moisture and dust.
4. Keep magnification in mind when selecting your binoculars. Remember, you want good magnification, but not too high.
Also, do not weigh too heavily on pricing. The quality of the Binoculars should be considered before the price as you do not want to end up having to purchase new ones later on.
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