There are advantages and disadvantages associated with both designs, but for our summarized purposes today the essential difference is size. Some taper slightly from eyepiece to exit pupil but many are straight as a soybean row in Illinois. Roof prism designs, on the other hand, look like two short pieces of pipe laid side-by-side. The eyepiece sections are smaller than the main optical tubes, and the overall shape is anything but smooth or sleek. When we think of military binoculars, the classic porro prism design comes to mind. Birders of the world, feel free to comment and tell me how wrong I am.Īlthough all of these basic black sets of tubes may look more-or-less alike, the differences are surprising. One could make a case that 7x50s are equally suited to the task of serious birding, and are brighter too. That’s solid logic, and I blush to dispute such an auspicious and truly wonderful organization. They explained, “Most birders prefer 7- or 8-power binoculars because they’re bright and have a wide field of view, making it easier to find birds and to follow them in flight.” When the Audubon Society examined 50 pairs of binoculars in 2019 for The Audubon Guide to Binoculars they reviewed 8x42 “or similarly sized optics” because of the popularity of that style among birders. Sometimes expert advice can be misleading. The good news is that most photographers need only a basic pair of binoculars, and making a smart purchase decision is easier for a photographer than for a boat captain or birder. What do you plan to look at, and under what conditions? Glasses appropriate for watching the deer at the Nature Center are wildly different from those you’d use at a Broadway play.ĭepending on your other interests and hobbies, you may be interested in checking out binoculars with special attributes like image stabilization, an internal ranging compass, extra-wide wide-angle field-of-view and so forth. With a clear understanding of the meaning of the numbers, the most important consideration is Application. Don’t overlook this spec, particularly if you plan to use the glasses in your yard, at your kids’ sporting events and for general spontaneous wildlife viewing. Self-explanatory, it indicates how close you can be to a subject and still focus clearly. If you wear eyeglasses, look for eye relief numbers in the 18mm to 21mm range.Ĭlose Focus is the last number on our list. As with camera viewfinders, Eye Relief refers to the distance the binoculars may be positioned away from the eye and still be used comfortably. This is notably helpful when using the binoculars attached to a tripod or car window clamp, when moving the glasses is impractical. At a given power you’ll be able to see more edge-to-edge without panning, and that’s beneficial at football games and auto races, or when following wild life that moves into and out of your field of view. High numbers indicate that the binoculars are Wide Angle. Next number to know is the Field of View, the indication of how wide your view is when looking at a scene 1,000 yards distant. Use this configuration as a baseline and prepare to compromise after reviewing the other specifications that we delineate below. The larger objective diameter will deliver a brighter image.Ī versatile all-around choice for normal field use is a 7x50 glass-but these can be large and on the heavy side for some purposes. Stay on the low side in the 7x or even 6x power range but get a pair with the largest objective diameter you can find. If the image jumps around, that leads to eyestrain and headaches, and means you’ll probably leave the glasses at home. Imagine looking through a microscope during an earthquake. Binoculars in the 10X range and higher can be very difficult to handhold. Higher power glasses are not always better. Because of differences in lens coating, prism material and other factors, actual performance may vary (and usually does). Remember, these are mathematical comparisons. For example, the theoretical brightness of 7x35 and 10x50 binoculars is the same: 35 divided by 7 equals 5, the same factor we get if we divide 10 into 50. When comparing glasses of different powers, divide the power number into the objective diameter to calculate relative brightness. A pair of 7x50 binoculars is brighter than a pair of 7x35 because more light can pass through, all else being equal. It partially determines the amount of light that can physically pass through the optics. The number after the “x” is the Objective Diameter. Seven power makes things appear seven times closer. It indicates how many times closer the subject appears. Yeah, they’re a lot like Nikon premium lenses. Nikon Monarch M7 binoculars are newly redesigned and built with extraordinarily high quality materials.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |