Guide To Porro Prism Binoculars
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An Introduction to Porro Prism Binoculars
Porro Prism Binoculars are the classic binocular design that we are all familiar with where the eye piece is offset to the lens. Just like the picture to the left. The design of porro prism binoculars has not changed much over the years it's the materials that porro prism binoculars are made from that has changed.
All porro prism binoculars and for that matter binoculars in general use prisms to correct the image that you see through the eye piece as without them the image you see would be upside down and back to front.
The name porro prism binoculars therefore refers to the prisms that are used within the body of the porro prism binoculars to produce the image that you see (more about how that works in the next section). The other type of binoculars commonly in use today are roof prism binoculars.
So are porro prism binoculars the right ones for you? Lets take a closer look and find out.
All porro prism binoculars and for that matter binoculars in general use prisms to correct the image that you see through the eye piece as without them the image you see would be upside down and back to front.
The name porro prism binoculars therefore refers to the prisms that are used within the body of the porro prism binoculars to produce the image that you see (more about how that works in the next section). The other type of binoculars commonly in use today are roof prism binoculars.
So are porro prism binoculars the right ones for you? Lets take a closer look and find out.
How Porro Prism Binoculars Work
The Inner Workings of Porro Prism Binoculars
The image travels through the front lens (this is called the objective lens). Due to the convex shape of the lens and the nature of light the image is reversed and is also up side down after passing through the objective lens.
In order to correct this the image is bounced off two prisms (the porro prisms that turn the image upright and also the right way round.
The image then passes through the eye piece which magnifies the image and produces what you see when you put your eyes to the eye piece.
Quick Porro Prism Binoculars Fact
Porro Prism Binoculars are named after an Italian named Porro who invented the prisms used in these in the 19th century.
Benefits of Porro Prism Binoculars
porro prism binoculars are generally heavier than the roof prism type of similar size, but many people prefer porro prism binoculars as the weight provides a feeling of balance when held up to the eyes.
Porro prism binoculars are far more forgiving and can withstand a lot more bumping around than average roof prism binoculars. This is because roof prisms need to be exacly aligned to work properly and are difficult to secure.
In my experience roof prisms tend to be quite finicky and require far more gentle handling than the porro prism binoculars.
Although this is not the case for the top quality roof prism binoculars which have well secured prisms and produce exceptional images. Unfortunately though this comes at a price often in the $1000 plus range.
The bottom line is that porro prism binoculars provide better a image and value for money then roof prism binoculars. Unless of course you are in the market for high end precision binoculars in which case you will want to go for roof prisms.
If you are looking for versatile binoculars that are easy to use and suited to most applications such as sports viewing, birdwatching, scenery, hiking etc then porro prism binoculars will do the job just fine.
Porro prism binoculars are far more forgiving and can withstand a lot more bumping around than average roof prism binoculars. This is because roof prisms need to be exacly aligned to work properly and are difficult to secure.
In my experience roof prisms tend to be quite finicky and require far more gentle handling than the porro prism binoculars.
Although this is not the case for the top quality roof prism binoculars which have well secured prisms and produce exceptional images. Unfortunately though this comes at a price often in the $1000 plus range.
The bottom line is that porro prism binoculars provide better a image and value for money then roof prism binoculars. Unless of course you are in the market for high end precision binoculars in which case you will want to go for roof prisms.
If you are looking for versatile binoculars that are easy to use and suited to most applications such as sports viewing, birdwatching, scenery, hiking etc then porro prism binoculars will do the job just fine.
A Word on Magnification and Field of View
The numbers that you see engraved on the porro prism binoculars such as 7 x 35 and 10 x 42 refer to the magnification of the binoculars. The first number is the magnification so in the above example the 7 means that they porro prism binoculars will magnify the image by 7. So 7 times larger than what you can see with your eye.The second number is the diameter the of the front lens (objective lens) in millimeters. The larger the diameter the more light the lens will let in and the better the resolution of the image will be.
Keep in mind though that at high magnifications it becomes difficult to see a steady picture as the slightest movement will blur your view. Usually anything over a 10 magnification needs to used with a tripod to keep them steady.
So if you are looking for porro prism binoculars that you can sling round your neck and hold with your hands its probably best to go for some with a magnification of 10 or less.
Field of view refers to the width of the image you can see and is expressed as a degree eg 8° or in feet. Generally the higher the magnification of the porro prism binoculars the narrower the field of view.
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by KalahariHarry
Hi welcome to the porro prism binoculars lens. I wanted to provide some useful information about these binoculars so I hope you find it helpful.
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