Bird watching is a very fulfilling hobby which many people enjoy participating in during their free time. However, the choice of bird watching binoculars that you use should be considered very carefully. Before you purchase your very own binoculars for bird watching, consider the following:

Beginner Tips

Before we start it is important to understand that binoculars are essentially two small telescopes which are manufactured together to form one item. Each side of the bird watching binoculars has a prime focal length, an objective lens, an ocular (otherwise known as an eyepiece), an exit pupil, etc. Binoculars are one of the most handy and most utilized optic instruments of them all.

For new bird watchers, the best pair of binoculars is one that has a wider field of view. This enables the person who is bird watching to spot the bird and follow its movement. A new bird watcher should also choose binoculars that allow them to focus on the bird immediately and to catch details in low light conditions. You should look for specific watching binoculars that have easy focusing controls both for coarse and fine focus. When choosing a new pair of bird watching binoculars you should ensure that they are comfortable, put them up against your eyes and check how they feel. Does the eyepiece feel comfortable up against your eye?

Ideal Magnification (Power) for Binoculars

While it is tempting to choose the best birding optics available for your money, most bird watching experts recommend a magnification power of 7 or 8. Those with a magnification of 10 have a smaller field of view and have a dimmer image than that of a smaller magnification binocular. Also, pair of binoculars with a higher magnification is very sensitive to how you handle them as everything is magnified, this includes movement therefore your own shakes will be brought to your attention more. So the higher the power binocular, the harder it will be to keep them steady. Binoculars with a power of 6, 7, or 8 are the most convenient and easiest to use for most people. The higher powers may sound ideal to you, but more often this just results in blurred views and a poor bird watching experience.

Handling of Binoculars Bird Watching

Another thing to consider when choosing the perfect  bird watching binoculars is its portability. This is one of the reasons why you should practice holding the binoculars. You need to see if you are comfortable with the bulk and the weight of the binoculars for bird watching. Porro prism binoculars are designed for people with large hands and feature a “dog leg” shape. These porro prism binocular have an eyepiece which is off set to one side with respect to the front lens. Its bulk promotes steady handling. The prism within a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope makes the image appear properly oriented. It is the prisms that are the expensive component, but unfortunately without them you would see an upside down and reversed image through the binocular. Porro prisms are an older style. Roof prism binoculars on the other hand are much newer. These are a lot smaller and more compact than Porro prisms. The name roof prism comes from the fact that they resemble a small house with a peaked roof. This compact nature allows them to fit within a smaller housing, and enables to be a more compact pair of birding binoculars.

Flexibility in Focusing

Focusing of binoculars and scopes should be flexible; this is because birds are very unpredictable creatures. Most birding binocular have a coarse and fine focusing. A great pair of bird watching binoculars is Minox binoculars of the Minox HG brand, these offer great focusing and flexibility. The focusing ability of this Minox birding binoculars goes from close up to infinity with just one full turn of the focus knob. There is even a distance scale in the focus knob that turns the focus knob into a range finder. This is great for bird watchers who want to know how far they are from the birds that they are spotting.

Conditioned for All Kinds of Weather

Another brand to look out for is the birding range of Fujinan binoculars. These kinds of binoculars are manufactured by the camera manufacturer Fuji. They produce a range of birdwatching glasses that are of high quality. Fujinan binoculars boast of being nitrogen-sealed and waterproof. Its rubber armor makes them the best binoculars for those who are first-time bird watchers. These kinds of bird watching binoculars are designed for all-weather conditions. All-purpose birding binocular helps you focus on finding a rare bird species rather than fiddling with the focus knob or worrying whether or not your binoculars are going to be destroyed by the high humidity.

Other types of Binocular

As you can see there are many types of binocular available. These can range from high-end binocular, full-size binoculars to compact binoculars. But you should be aware that there are other high optical quality models also available on the market.

A popular product for birdwatching is known as spotting scopes. A spotting scope is a small portable telescope which tends to provide a better magnifying glass and therefore gives you more magnification than a pair of binoculars. It is important to note that these spotting scopes can be used for dual purpose. The instrument can be used for birding during the day time and for astronomy during the night time.

Bird watcher’s should take the above tips into consideration when shopping for new binoculars. Bird watching is quite easy once you consider the following characteristics. Above all, you should test them out outdoors to see whether or not you are comfortable with your particular specifications. Choosing the best binoculars for watching birds will ensure you get the best viewing experience ever. Overall if you are not sure then take a look in the latest issue of bird watcher’s digest where you will come across many brands of birdwatching binoculars.