What Binoculars Should I Get For Bird Watching?
This is one of the most important questions a bird watcher must ask. There are several things to consider when choosing your binoculars. These are in decending order of importance as I view them.
1. field of view. When you are trying to find a bird in a leafy tree, this is of the upmost importance. If the field of view is restricted, you may never find the bird before it desides to fly away. It is also important when trying to find that hawk flying in the sky.
2. brightness. The brighter the image, the more likely you are to be able to see the subtle colorations in a dark environment. Generally speaking the larger the objective lense the brigher the image. This however is also related to the magnification of the binoculars.
3. Are you an eyeglass wearer? If so you must have a pair of binoculars with at least 18 mm of eye relief so that you can see the complete field of view wearing your glasses.
4. Magnification. Most birders prefer 8x binoculars because they have a wide field of view and are relatively free from image instability due to hand steadiness but many also prefer 10x because of the increased magnification. I have used both and I prefer the 8x over the 10x because of the wider field of view.
5. Environment in which they will be used. Some binoculars are water proof and fog proof. If you might wish to take a trip to South America to go bird watching then you will definitely want to consider such a pair.
6. The amount of money you are willing to spend on a pair. If money is not an object most birders will opt for either a pair of Swarovski binoculars or maybe a pair of Nikon Premier LX binoculars. The Swarovskis run about $1700. The Nikons about $1300. The Swarovskis are a status symbol for birds. But a reasonably good pair of binoculars can be purchased for much less. For each 100% increase in price, there is about a 10% to 15% improvement in quality. So a $1000+ pair is about 25% improvement over a $250 pair.
7. close focus. If you might wish to look at butterflies and dragonflies in addtion to birds, then you will need to consider a pair that focuses to about 6 to 8 feet. But 10 feet might be adequate.
The more expensive pairs do have some very nice features not found in the less expensive pairs. One of these is dioptic adjustment lock. Another is screw up eye cups. Another is no fault life time warrenty.
Lets get down to brass tacks.
Most birders will choose a pair of either 8x40 or 10x40 binoculars. Some will select a lighter pair of 8x32 which do not have as bright an image but nevertheless are quite satisfactory.
Many will also choose waterproof and fogproof.
Here are some to consider in various price ranges.
Under $100 Bushnell H20 8x42. reasonable field of view, only 17 mm of eye relief which is very marginal for an eyeglass wearer. Waterproof and fogproof. Twist up eye cups.
Under $300 Pentax DCR HFC Outstanding field of view. Outstanding eye relief. Waterproof and fogproof. Excellent warranty.
Swift Ultra 8x42 Marginal field of view. Excellent eye relief. Waterproof and fogproof. Excellent warranty.
Under $600 Swift Audubon 8.5x44. Exceedingly wide field of view. These are advertised as waterproof, but are really not. They are also not really suitable for eyeglass wearers although they are advertised as so. They are however considered as one of the outstanding choices for bird watchers.
Vortex Viper 8x42. Reasonable field of view. Waterproof and fogproof. Excellent eye relief.
About $200 more is the Vortex Razor with a much wider field of view.
Most of these also are available in a 10x40 version but with a smaller field of view.
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Just to add to some of the good advice from others, if you are a first time birder, you might prefer the 8×42 or 8×40s. The 10×42 or 10×50s gives you a “shaky” view unless held very steady. Although the higher power may give you a better chance of IDing a bird. Both have pros and cons. Also, you might want to try out the Rangers by Eagle Optics..I use those for work and they are really good for the price ($300.00). They are very clear and pretty lightweight, and sturdy as I am very rough on my binoculars. I also have a pair of 8×40 Busnells of the same quality except they are a little too heavy.
“What’s best?
When choosing binoculars, it’s best to try them out them in person. Only you can decide how much magnification you can hand hold steadily and how much weight is comfortable to carry. Only you can feel how binoculars fit in your hands and how well they work with your eyeglasses.”http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/binoc…
Read that article, and click on the link on the right hand side for “Binoculars Advisor”
Personally, I have a Bushnell 14X50, and my husband prefers his old Empire 7X35.
The two previous answers are good. I would add, you’ll want an 8 or 10 power binocular for birding. A lot of birders have 8×42 or 10×42 binoculars. You really need to go try out different pairs to see what works best for you. I have 8×42 Leica Binoculars, which are good.
Since, I look at birds a lot at large lakes, I also have a 20-60 zoom spotting scope. A spotting scope is very important to get good looks at further away birds.
This solo is really hard to learn
after watching the snowboarding at the Olympics it makes me want to start skiing/look into snowboarding again
SATURDAY In dusk, brilliant Venus glows two degrees above the western horizon. Blue-green Uranus lies upper right of Venus. Jupiter and Neptune now cruise behind the sun. They will appear in the eastern sky at dawn late next month. Ruddy Mars and the Beehive star cluster in Cancer follow the Gemini Twins toward the zenith. The bright moon escorts Leo the Lion higher in the east. Asteroid 4-Vesta (330 miles in diameter) cruises near the Lion’s neck. At 6.8 magnitude, the “space rock” may be visible in binoculars. The Big Dipper rises in the northeast. Its “bowl” faces Polaris, North Star. Bright Capella guides Auriga, Charioteer, across the north. The Royal Family slides lower in the northwest.
That BIRD IS THE WORD?!?!?!! *Erupts into Peter Griffin Style dancing*
Eames Bird by Vitra
geico
You should watch all the seasons to really understand the characters. But you could just watch Redemption and season 7 to catch up to season 8.