How to Buy the Right Binoculars

The best way to shop for binoculars is by trying out as many pairs as possible at your local gun shops and sporting goods stores. This will give you an idea of the difference in weight, image clarity and image stability among different types and brands of binoculars.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Decide whether you want all-purpose binoculars, or a pair that will be used mainly for one purpose like birding, hunting, sports or astronomy.

2. Try out as many different types of binoculars as you can find locally. The best places to check out binoculars are gun shops and sporting goods specialty stores. Try lightweight roof-prism and heavier porro-prism types.

3. Sample different powers and aperture sizes, and try a high-powered pair of binoculars with image stabilization. Also, try some zoom binoculars to see if you are satisfied with the resolution. For all-purpose use, check out roof-prism zoom or 8X to 10X fixed magnification binoculars.

4. For birding, shop for 8X by 42 mm roof-prism waterproof binoculars for hand-held applications, or 10X to 15X by 50 to 70 mm porro-prism binoculars for tripod-mount applications. If your budget allows, a pair of image-stabilized 15X to 18X binoculars will give you a great viewing experience.

5. For hunting and spectator sports, the flexibility of zoom magnification is more important than maximum resolution. Look for something in a waterproof roof-prism zoom binocular with magnification of around 6X to 18X zoom range.

6. For astronomy, shop for high-powered, large aperture binoculars with a tripod mount. Most of your better choices will be 50 to 100 mm aperture porro-prism styles with magnification of 15X to 30X. Zoom binoculars may help you locate celestial objects, but their resolution is less than optimal at high magnification.

Tips & Warnings

• Binoculars from different manufacturers with the same aperture and magnification can have different clarity depending on optical coatings, alignment, and lens and prism materials. Try out different brands to see if certain proprietary features make a difference in your viewing perception and comfort.

Resources

• Binocular Merchant Site