What Features to Look for in Compact Binoculars

Posted on September 24, 2009 by compact

If you are interested in small, lightweight binoculars, let’s take a look at the features that will help you choose. You can’t go wrong with the Triumph 10 x 25 from Eagle Optics. It is a Porro prism design that weighs in at 10.2 oz. Lighter than a bottle of water, these binoculars won’t bother you when you hang them around your neck, even on a long hike.

Wearing glasses isn’t a problem with these small binoculars either. The eye relief is 18 mm so there is plenty of room for those who use glasses to see the entire field of view.

When you want to see something up close, you can focus as close as 8.2 feet away. Many small binoculars will not be able to match that close focus. If you want to view butterflies, you can get within ten feet and be able to view them as if you’re holding them in your hand! On the opposite end of the spectrum the field of view at 1000 yards is 262 feet.

Although it’s not waterproof the Triumph Porro is a great little field binocular. The outer covering is a brushed metallic surface, so it’s not shiny or slippery.

So, how many features are there? Magnification, objective lens diameter, weight, eye relief, close focus, and field of view are important to compare when you’re looking at the specs of several binoculars. By looking at the numbers you’ll see that many of these parameters vary between brands and sizes of binoculars. That’s why it’s best to pick up a pair and look through them before you make your decision. Visit a camera shop or outdoors shop near you and ask to see the binoculars. Compare the feel and the view of several models to help you choose the best compact binoculars for you.

Posted in binoculars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Eye Relief Helps Eyeglass Wearers Use Binoculars

Posted on September 23, 2009 by compact

Wearing glasses can interfere with the use of binoculars. One has to leave a little bit of room for their glasses in between their eyes and the eyepieces of the binoculars or the eyeglass-wearing person will not see all that the binoculars has to offer. The obvious thing here is that you have to hold binoculars further away from your face when wearing glasses. If you have to hold the binoculars too far away, then you will not see the whole picture. Instead, you will see the center of the circle as viewed through the binoculars.

Eye relief is a term that is used when describing binoculars. Eye relief is the maximum distance in millimeters (mm) that you can hold the binoculars away from your eyes and still see the whole view.

A rule of thumb is that a pair of compact binoculars should have a minimum eye relief of 13 mm for eyeglass wearers to use comfortably. Even if you don’t wear corrective lenses, you might want to consider the eye relief of binoculars if you regularly wear sunglasses in the field. An eye relief of 16 to 18 mm is even better for those wearing glasses.

The more you explore the features of binoculars, you will find out that there are trade-offs to be made. For example, the Eagle Optics Energy Lava 8×21 Binoculars – – has a close focus of 8 feet, which is really good for viewing butterflies, bugs and other objects up close. These 8x21s are also pretty inexpensive at $50, but the eye relief is only 8 mm. Not good enough for eyeglass-wearers. Darn, I like that dayglow color.

Contrast that with the Travelite, model 7508, 8 X 25mm V Binoculars – – made by Nikon which have a close focus of 9.8 feet (pretty good!) and an eye relief of 14 mm. Although these binoculars are more expensive than the Eagle Optics pair, the extra cost is probably worth it for the eyeglass wearer. The Travelites are still under $100!

Compare all the features before you put down any money for a pair of binoculars. Remember to consider what you will use the binoculars for and your budget, too.

Posted in binoculars | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Close Focus Range of Compact Binoculars

Posted on September 22, 2009 by compact

We usually rely on binoculars for viewing distant objects, so it seems a little contradictory to be concerned about the close focus of binoculars.

Close focus is simply how close you can get to the object you’re viewing before it goes out-of-focus. Larger binoculars have close focus on the order of 15-20 feet or more. This means that any object viewed with these binoculars must be 20 feet or so away from you in order to view the object with the binoculars and have it in focus. Any object closer than the close focus distance will be out-of-focus and appear quite blurry.

Smaller binoculars will have smaller close focus distances on the order of 15 feet or less.

If you want to be able to use your binoculars for viewing butterflies or other cool insects, you’ll want a pair of binoculars that have a small close focus. For example, if you see a butterfly that is about 10 feet away, the Canon Waterproof 8×32 binoculars – with a close focus of 19 feet – will make you take a few steps back to view the butterfly in focus.

A better choice, although not as powerful, might be this one – Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 8×32 Binoculars – with a close focus of just 3 feet!

A less expensive model, the Lite-Tech Compact 8×25 Binoculars made by Brunton, has similar power and size, but the close focus is a whopping 28 feet. Not exactly what we’re looking for to view that butterfly. These binoculars are inexpensive, less than $50, but by paying less there’s gonna be trade-offs.

If you’ll often find yourself viewing such small objects up close, then the close focus is a feature that you should consider when selecting your binoculars. Be aware that the close focus of compact binoculars ranges from 3 feet to 28 feet.

Posted in binoculars | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Binocular Lens Coatings and Glass Quality

Posted on September 21, 2009 by compact

Binoculars contain a number of glass lenses and prisms that perform some light bending theatrics to produce a magnified image to the viewer.

The higher the quality of the glass used to make the lenses and prisms makes for a higher quality binoculars that produce a crisp, bright image. Poorer quality optics produce darker images with lower resolution.

High quality optics are always more expensive and it seems that one can pay as much as they want for their favorite binoculars. Just check out the Swarovski Optiks Pocket Binocular, 10×25 Roof Prism model with a close focus of 16 feet, a 13 mm eye relief, and fantastic optics for only $749.

If you want to pay full price for a full-size pair of binocs, the top of the line Zeiss 10 x 45 T* RF Victory, Water Proof Roof Prism Binocular will set you back $2,999!

Way too pricy for most of us – I guess you can spend as much as you want to on your binoculars.

Another feature that speaks to the quality of binoculars are the various lens coatings. One can buy binoculars with fully coated lenses, multicoated lenses, or fully multicoated lenses. It was found that special optical coatings produced better color accuracy and improved brightness and contrast. Manufacturers have gone from using a single coating of some of the optics to having multiple special coatings for each piece. This takes more time and care at the factory, and so the more coatings the better and probably the higher price.

Get the best quality optics that you can afford and you won’t regret it. Objects will appear bright with optimal contrast and color accuracy.

So, the old adage is true where you do get what you pay for. Save up a little dough and get yourself a nice pair. The more you like the binoculars you eventually buy, the more you’ll use them. You might find yourself taking them everywhere you go.

Posted in binoculars, optics | Tagged , | Comments Off