How will you use your binoculars?
Doing backyard birding? Taking a trip to Belize? Hitting the trails and flyways around our region on a regular basis? Using them to nature watch while backpacking? Hunting? Determining the need will help you determine which is the right pair for you.
Know what the numbers mean. (It’s simple!)
Every pair of bins come with two numbers such as 6×32, 8×33, 8×42, 10×42.
Let’s use 8×42. The first number (8x) is always the magnification. For this pair of bins, objects will appear 8 times closer than with your naked eye. That’s it!
The second number is always the diameter of the objective lenses in millimeters (the two big lenses on the front of the bins furthest away from your eyes.) The bigger the objective lens, the more light it lets in So, the bigger the objective lens, the brighter the image will appear, especially in low light conditions such as dawn, dusk and cloudy days.
Trade-off 1 – magnification
Well, then if 8x is good for viewing birds, 12x must be spectacular, right? Nope! Spoiler alert: birds move a lot! If the magnification is too powerful, you won’t be able to track birds in the air, ground or water. That’s because super powerful magnification cuts down on your field of view. Most birders opt for 8x magnification. It’s a good balance between magnification and field of view. If you want more power, go 10x…tops!
Trade-off 2: objective lens
But the bigger the objective lens, the larger and weightier your bins will be. Most birders who get out in the field on a regular basis opt for a 42mm objective lens. It’s a great balance between size and clarity. Smaller travel pairs with 32mm objective lenses do a great job, too.
Porro vs Roof Prism
Porro prism bins have the classic shape that’s been around forever. Roof prism bins are more streamlined. So, which one is better? They’re both the same optically. Cross my heart. Roof prism bins just tend to be narrower, less bulky and a bit easier to hold and store.
Fully multi-coated lenses. (You really need this!)
You really want this! It means EVERY lens you can see on the bins (and many inside that you can’t) are coated front and back with anti-reflective material. Consider this: each uncoated lens in a bin can reflect up to 5% of light. Bins can have 15 lenses or more. That means a whole lot of light isn’t making it to your eyes. Which is why images viewed through cheap bins look dim or muddy even on bright days.
Waterproof means nitrogen filled.
Simply being sealed against water isn’t enough for bins to be truly waterproof. That’s because oxygen is still trapped inside. And air contains moisture. So, take supposedly “waterproof” bins from a hot car into cold air (or vice versa) and they’ll fog up like the Scottish Highlands. Make sure your bins are “waterproof nitrogen filled.” That means they’re filled with nitrogen before they’re sealed. And since nitrogen can’t contain moisture, they’ll never fog on you.
Eye cups – Don’t miss this!
This is the #1 thing that can spoil your viewing experience, even with the best pair of bins. The two lenses you look through have eye cups around them. They rotate out and in. Keep them IN if you don’t wear glasses. Rotate them OUT if you do. This will ensure the eye relief (proper distance of eye to lens) is correct. If you don’t, you’ll see incomplete half-moon images of what you’re viewing (and probably think your bins suck!)
Price: you can have it all!
Some bins from Germany and Austria can START at $1,500! Yet optical technology advancements have made great bins far more affordable for everyone to enjoy. BWS carries Opticron – a UK brand that’s the #2 seller in Europe. After much research, we chose this 50-year-old brand because it provides truly spectacular clarity and quality (with a lifetime guarantee) at an equally spectacular price. (You can get top-notch Opticron binoculars and still save about $1,150 or more over what the Austrians are offering.)
