Bird Watching Binoculars - A Must Have

Bird watching is most pleasurable when you have your binoculars with you. Although birds can be seen with the naked eye, it is still best to have a tool with you that will help you see better and appreciate the diversity of bird species out there.

If you are unsure as to what make of binoculars to buy, there are numerous binocular reviews online that can help you. You could also consult a few knowledgeable bird watchers and ask what they can recommend for you. Knowing what you want to gain from bird watching aside from simple enjoyment will also guide you with your choice.

There are some fundamental things that you need to check when buying binoculars for bird watching. First of all, you need to take note of their magnification. In other words, if the binoculars you are looking at are marked 8 x 40, it means that the magnification is eight times. Unfortunately, with increased power, the tremor of the human hand usually increases making any binoculars with a magnification of more than ten times fairly useless without a tripod. The second part of the formula (in this example 40) is the diameter in millimetres of the objective lens. The wider the objective lens, the more light that can enter and the clearer will be the bird which you are watching.

The performance of the binoculars in poor light is very much dependent on the exit pupils, which are the small, bright circles you see in the eyepieces when you hold binoculars away from your eyes and up to the light. They are the actual beams of light exiting the eyepieces. This measurement is worked out by dividing the diameter of the objective lens by the power. In our example, the exit pupil will be 40 divided by 8 which equals 5. In the middle of the day or in bright light, the pupils of your eyes contract to 2 to 4 mm, and at night or in poor light they may open to 7 mm. If the exit pupil of the binoculars is wider than the pupil of the eye, the excess doesn't wasted, thus for daylight bird watching an exit pupil of 3 or 4 is probably adequate for all but the experts, while if you intend to bird watch at dusk, you may need a greater power to objective lens ratio. In general, the larger the objective lens, the larger and heavier the binoculars so you will never get pocket sized binoculars for bird watching of, say 10 x 40. In general the best you will get are around 8 x 25. However, these will be perfectly good for daylight bird watching.

Also, if you wear glasses for distance, never buy binoculars without trying them with your glasses on as they will have an effect on the distance of your eye to the lens. While trying the binoculars, be sure to note the ease of focusing and check that they are well calibrated. Not only do problems with these aspects cause you not to greatly appreciate the birds, they also can be quite a strain on the eyes.

Most binoculars have standard parts and uses. Your difficulty in choosing a pair will come from your intended use as well as the location and timing of your bird watching. Some people even buy two pairs of binoculars to suit both poor and good light conditions.

Online binocular reviews will also help you to get to know the terminology and abbreviations that manufacturers often use to label the parts. It is possible that these terms may differ from one manufacturer to another so it is best to make sure that you understand the terms before purchasing.

Your bird watching experience will be greatly enhanced with a well chosen pair of binoculars.