A Photographer’s Guide to
Buying Binoculars By Scott
Bourne
Summary: Read about a
photographer's trek through
the murky world of binocular
buying.
I held my first pair of
binoculars more than 33
years ago when Uncle Sam
“invited” me to join the
U.S. Army. I was at a
God-forsaken place in
Southeast Asia called
Firebase Elliot. The
government-issued binoculars
in those days were the jumbo
variety and weighed about
six pounds. They were just
one more piece of gear to
carry with the 70 pounds I
already packed on my back. I
quickly developed an
outright aversion to
binoculars.
Since then, I have only
used cheap opera glasses or
occasionally borrowed a
friend’s “instrument.” But
10 years ago, my wife gave
me a nice pair of binoculars
that I really enjoyed.
Unfortunately, they were an
off brand made in China, and
while they worked very well,
they literally fell apart.
Now that I am involved in
some serious bird
photography, I decided it
was time to buy my first
SERIOUS binoculars.
What follows is a report
on my research, my
experiences and my final
choice of binoculars.
IN THE BEGINNING
If you photograph
outdoors, binoculars are a
valuable tool for spotting
subjects. But I wanted
binoculars that would do
more than just help me spot
wildlife or scenes for
photography purposes. I
wanted a pair that would
double as good bird watching
binoculars.
Before I could select the
perfect pair for me, I went
online and did some
research. I was excited to
learn exactly what all those
numbers and specifications
in the binocular ads meant.
For those of you who aren’t
rabid NASCAR fans, don’t
hunt, attend sporting events
or generally spend time
outdoors with a good set of
binoculars in your hands,
you may find this next bit
educational.
WHAT IT ALL MEANS
I had been using some $20
16x35 binoculars to watch
birds in my backyard with
poor results. You see, I
didn’t realize that 16x
binoculars offered WAY too
much magnification. No
wonder my head was spinning.
When you see numbers like
8x35 or 10x50, the first
number designates the
binoculars’ magnification.
An 8x35 binocular makes
something that is 800 yards
away appear to be 100 yards
away. A 10x50 binocular
makes something that 1,000
yards away appear to be 100
yards away, and so on.
The second number in that
designation relates to the
objective lens measurement.
This controls how much light
gets into the binocular,
sort of like a camera’s
aperture. The bigger the
number, the bigger the
opening and the more light
that enters. (That part is
opposite of a camera. When
talking about camera
aperture, the smaller the
number, the bigger the
opening. Confused yet?)
Another number you will
see bandied about is the
rating for the exit pupil.
The exit pupil is found by
dividing the objective size
by the magnification (i.e.,
a 10x40 binocular has a four
mm exit pupil.) Look for a
large exit pupil. When the
exit pupil is large, you get
a better low light viewing
experience. For general
daylight viewing, an exit
pupil of two or three is
adequate. Seasoned
birdwatchers like a minimum
exit pupil of four or five.
This allows for better
results near sunrise and
sunset.
Another important
measurement is eye relief.
This is the distance a
binocular can be held away
from the eye and still
present the full field of
view. Extended or long eye
relief reduces eyestrain and
is ideal for eyeglass
wearers. I consider 14mm eye
relief to be the minimum
acceptable rating for any
binocular I would use since
I do sometimes wear
eyeglasses.
The final important
rating is the field of view.
It is defined by the width
in feet or meters of the
area visible at 1,000 yards
or meters. Generally, as
magnification increases,
field of view decreases. A
wider field of view – up to
nine degrees – is considered
a wide-field model and is
desirable for wildlife
viewing. Here are some other
things to ponder when buying
binoculars.
FOCUS
Most binoculars feature a
centrally mounted wheel or
lever that adjusts both
eyepieces simultaneously.
Some binoculars have a
focusing device on one of
the eye tubes that will
compensate for differences
in the strength of each eye.
The feel of the focus wheel
in your hands, and the time
it takes to focus are key
things to think about when
choosing a binocular. Pay
attention to the close
focusing distance of the
binoculars.
VARIABLES
I quickly learned during
my research that there are
lots of variables when
buying binoculars. The
“feel” of the instrument in
your hands seems to be as
important as the ratings. I
also noticed that there
seems to be more variation
in quality within even
identical models than you
would find in a camera lens
for instance. I can’t stress
enough how important it is
to hold the binoculars in
your hands before you make a
decision on which pair is
right for you. So much of
this is simple taste and
preference that you cannot
make an informed decision
any other way. I also
believe that HOW you intend
to use a binocular may be
the most important factor of
all in making a selection.
For instance, if you plan to
do the majority of your
binoculars work at sea, it
appears that image
stabilization (or some other
similar technology) would be
very important. If you watch
birds at sunset, the exit
pupil size may be your most
important specification.
Photographers who need
binoculars to spot
locations, will want to fall
somewhere in between the
needs of the casual user and
the serious birdwatcher.
OPTICS
Another consideration is
the two kind of optics that
are available – porro and
roof prisms. Porro prisms
are the older style and
cheaper to manufacture, but
they are heavier. Some
people believe they transmit
a bit more light. It’s true
that roof prisms weren’t
quite as bright when they
were originally invented,
but special optical
coatings, such as the
phase-corrected coatings
available from high-end
manufacturers, have
eliminated this drawback.
Most modern-day high-end
binoculars – especially
those used by bird watchers
and photographers – are
lighter roof prism models.
In my opinion, roof prism
optics offer a bit more
detail. And they are as much
as two thirds lighter.
IMPORTANT FEATURES
There are lots of
features available on
binoculars. Here are some
that I consider to be very
important.
1) I recommend waterproof
(or at least water
resistant) binoculars. You
never know when it will rain
or when you might have to
work near a lake, stream or
river. In other words, you
may fall in and get wet.
2) Phase-corrected roof
prisms. While porro prisms
are cheaper to manufacture,
roofs offer more detail and
are lighter.
3) Nitrogen purged. This
ensures that your binoculars
never fog up inside, even if
you go someplace steamy like
the tropics.
4) Close focusing. It’s
not imperative unless you
also look for butterflies,
but it’s nice to have. Look
for a minimum close focus
distance of 15 feet or more.
The smaller the number, the
better the close focusing
capability of the
instrument.
5) Weight matters. Not
just to Weight Watchers. Try
holding a heavy pair of
binos up to your eye all
day. For me, 26 ounces or
less is the target.
6) A lifetime no-fault
warranty. Why can’t
everything be sold this way?
I was impressed to find out
that most good binoculars
come with a lifetime
warranty.
THINGS TO AVOID
Stay away from gimmicks.
In my tests, the binoculars
with gimmicks always did the
worst job. For instance,
stay away from zooming
binoculars. They have poor
optical quality. And beware
of image stabilization.
While it’s very important if
you spend all your time on a
boat, it is of little value
to photographers. The
tradeoff of poor low- light
performance and clarity
isn’t worth it. Also avoid
fixed focus binoculars. They
are to binoculars what fixed
focusing and disposable
cameras are to serious
photographic equipment.
FAVORITE BINOCULARS
I recently looked through
more than 25 pairs of
binoculars, ranging in price
from $100 to $2,000. Here
are my favorite choices.
LOW END
On the low end, I was
extremely impressed with the
Promaster Infinity 8x45
binocular. At under $150,
this instrument has all the
right features. In fact,
these binoculars have many
more features than you would
expect in this price range,
including good coatings,
good exit pupil ratings and
a nitrogen filled optic to
avoid fogging.
MIDRANGE
My clear favorite in the
midrange is the Eagle Optics
Ranger Platinum Class 8x42.
At $379, they are a cut
above some of the $800
binoculars I tested. They
offer a perfect
magnification range, they’re
fast, lightweight, and offer
a good viewing angle. They
are also waterproof, feature
roof prisms, and offer
best-in-class 19.5 eye
relief. They use
multi-coated optics,
phase-corrected prisms, and
are nitrogen purged. They
come with a lifetime
warranty and feature good
close focusing range. I own
a pair.
MONEY IS NO OBJECT
The first time I saw the
Swarovski EL 8.5x42, I fell
in love with it. I had no
idea how expensive it was. I
just knew it was a great
instrument. With a street
price of just under $1,700,
the EL series has it all.
They are sharp as a tack,
and they offer the best
contrast and color fidelity
available. The extra touch
of magnification (as opposed
to the usual 8x42) makes it
just that much easier to see
everything, even in very low
light. They have every
feature you’ll want and none
that you won’t. They are the
sharpest, clearest, quickest
focusing, best
clarity-providing binoculars
you can buy. And they really
will last a lifetime. I have
a pair of these on order.
A LIFETIME INVESTMENT
A good pair of binoculars
should be treated like a
good camera. These are
lifetime investments that
should bring years of
pleasure. You don’t have to
buy the most expensive pair
unless you need them. My
advice is to buy the best
you can afford. Handle lots
of different binoculars to
find the best fit for your
needs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Bourne is the
author of "88 Secrets to
Selling & Publishing Your
Photography" and "88 Secrets
to Photoshop for
Photographers." Both are
available from Olympic
Mountain School Press,
His work has also appeared
in books, magazines,
galleries, calendars, on
greeting cards,
web sites and on
posters.
Scott is a professional
photographer, author,
teacher and pioneer in the
digital imaging field. His
career started in the early
70s as a stringer covering
motor sports for Associated
Press in Indiana. Since
then, he has shot
commercial, portrait,
wedding, magazine and fine
art assignments. His new
passion is wildlife
photography.
Scott regularly lectures
on a variety of photo and
media-related subjects. He's
appeared on national
television and radio
programs and has written
columns for several national
magazines. He is the
publisher of Photofocus.com,
an online magazine for
serious photographers and
also serves as the executive
director of the Olympic
Mountain School of
Photography in Gig Harbor,
WA.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/ |