How to Choose the Right Binoculars for Hunting? - Full Steps Tutorial
A good pair of binoculars can dramatically change your game, no matter if you use it for hunting or bird-watching or astronomy. Binoculars help you locate animals or objects you want to see and judge the quality of the objects to take action accordingly. The instrument also enables you to see things that were impossible to see in bare eyes.
No matter what purpose you want to buy a pair of binoculars, you have to consider some important facts before choosing one. Below are the most important things that you need to keep in your mind while opting for a specific one.
Magnification
Magnification is the first thing and one of the most important things to consider while choosing a pair of binoculars. Magnification is also called power. If you check any binocular, you will see that there are two numbers mentioned in its description, such as 7 x 35 or 10 x 50. The first number indicates the magnification power, and the second number indicates the diameter of the lenses.
In the first case, the number 7 means an object will appear seven times closer than it would appear in the bare eyes. In the second case, the number 10 means an object will appear ten times closer than it would appear in the bare eyes. So before choosing a binocular, you should check the magnification power.
Objective Lens Diameter
The objective lenses are the large lenses that stay on the front of the binocular. It is not the one closest to your eyes. The objective lenses are measured in millimeters. Let's take the above example 7 x 35 or 10 x 50 to discuss again here. As we earlier said that the second number indicates the diameter of the lenses.
Here in the first case, the diameter of the lens is 35 millimeters, and in the second case, the diameter of the lens is 50 millimeters. The objective lens diameter is important as it determines the amount of light a lens can gather. The more the diameter of the lens is, the better it is to be effective in the low light conditions. But it does not mean that you should go for a binocular with more diameter. Because a binocular with higher diameter comes with more weight, so you should focus on the matter too.
Field of View
The field of view is the visible area that you see through your binoculars. This area is measured in feet that you see using your binoculars from a distance of 1,000 yards. The field of view is basically something like the amount of area you can view by looking through your optics. The more field of view you have in your binocular, it is better for you to watch birds or animals or other objects more easily and clearly. So before choosing a binocular, you have to check the field of view of the binocular.
Close Focus
Close focus is the measurement of how closely you can focus on an object and be able to get a clear picture of the object. The smaller the close focus, the better it is for you to focus on the object. The typical binoculars contain the close focus of anything under 2 meters, or 6.5 feet are considered good. So, it is one of the great considerations before you choose a binocular.
Eye Relief
Eye relief is the distance between the surface of the eyepiece lens of your binocular and your eye position from where you see the total field of view at the time you look through the binocular. You will not cope up with the outer edge of the object image if you put your eyes at more distance from the eyepiece compared to the distance of eye relief. If your binocular has longer eye relief, then it will be helpful for you to use the binocular for a longer period without any difficulty or fatigue. So, you should carefully check this in your binocular.
Ease of Focus
Ease of focus for a binocular is very much important. This will let you focus on the object so quickly before it flies away or goes away. So, depending on your preference, you have to choose a binocular that contains the central focusing knob at the position where you are more comfortable.
Glass Coating
Glass coating on the binocular lens is another great consideration while choosing a binocular. If the lens of your binocular has a good coating, it can reduce the light reflection off the surfaces of the glass and further increase the image. Good glass coating provides a 20% better transmission compared to uncoated lenses. So, you should check this matter during your binocular purchase time.
Waterproof and Fog proof
If you are willing to go out with your binoculars at any weather condition, you should opt for the binocular that is waterproof and fog proof. Otherwise, you will have to face many difficulties. So before going to buy a binocular, you should keep this matter into consideration.
Prism Type
Binoculars come with two types of prisms- Roof prism and Porro prism. Roof prism binoculars are lightweight and compact. Porro prism binoculars are more complicated, but it can give you a bright and sharp field of view in any magnification range from low to high. So, you should check this factor whether you want a lightweight binocular of complicated binocular with better image performance.
Weight and Feel
Before you finally make a decision to buy a binocular, you can also hold it in your hands and test the weight and feel of the binocular. If you are comfortable with the weight and features, you are good to buy that binocular.
