Best Birding Binoculars
Are you looking for the very best birding binoculars you can buy? There are many factors that need to be considered before you can feel confident that you made the right choice. Your first task is to identify the attributes that matter to you in a pair of binoculars, and then move on to choosing the set that most closely match those needs. And of course you need to mind your budget while doing it.
Not all binoculars were created equal. Luckily enough, all forms are birding aren’t the same either. This leaves a reasonable problem for the average shopper: finding a pair that will be perfect for what you want to use them for. Trying to pick binoculars based purely on getting the highest numbers for magnification, aperature size, or any other specification won’t necessarily result in you buying the best birding binoculars.
To pick a pair of binoculars for birding, you have to identify exactly what you are going to do with them. Where do you normally watch birds? Your back yard? A national park? The biggest factor you’re looking to identify is the size of the area you’re covering and the average distance between you and your subject. The type and behavior of the birds you are watching also matters. Are you typically observing birds perched in a tree? Or are they diving and swooping and weaving while you watch them?
If you’re going to be viewing birds in the far distance, of course magnification is an important attribute for you to pay attention to. Magnification is sometimes called ‘power’, and is usually written along with the objective lens diameter separated by an ‘x’. For example, binoculars listed as 7x50 have a magnification of 7 times normal size. A higher magnification means you will be able to see farther objects (birds, presumably). For primarily backyard bird watching, it might be necessary to get binoculars with a huge magnification factor.
The objective lens size (the second number in a rating) tells you how large the light-gathering end of the binoculars is. That’s the larger end, the one pointed at the subject. The size of the objective lens is important because it determines how much total light is allowed to enter the device. The more light, the better the image that you will see. This becomes more and more important as magnification increases, so generally the higher the power the larger you want the objective lens to be.
Contrary to natural inclination, you may not want to run out and buy the highest power, largest lens-ed binoculars that you can find. If you’re planning to go hiking in the mountains these will not be the best birding binoculars you can buy, at least if you want them ready at hand. If you’ll be out and about a pair of compact binoculars will probably serve you much better. They’ll be easier to carry, quicker to get to your eyes, and easier to focus in on a bird. You won’t get quite the view that you would with the super power binoculars, but you might be more likely to actually get a peek at your subject.
One often overlooked aspect of high power binoculars is their sensitivity. Extremely high magnification will make it very difficult for a user to keep the image steady, especially on a moving target like a bird. In addition, large binoculars can quickly fatigue your muscles, making you shaky. This only exacerbates the problem, and can lead to a less-than-pleasant viewing experience. A monopod or tripod will mitigate this, but will also take time to set up and render the binoculars much less portable.
Picking out the best birding binoculars isn’t as simple as looking for the specifications you want and making the purchase. You need to find a pair that will match up well with your intended use. Backyard birding generally calls for a low to medium power level, although a higher magnification can work as well if a tripod or other support is to be used. For on the go birding, a compact pair of binoculars will prove most useful.