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How to find the Best Binoculars

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Dedicated to helping you find the Best Binoculars for your needs.

What are the Best Binoculars? It depends on what you will be using them for, hunting , star gazing , bird watching , sporting events, concerts, or just plain sight seeing.
First of all, you'll need to choose the magnification power of your binoculars. The most common magnifications range from 7-12. More is not necessarily better, though. The higher the magnification power of your binoculars, the more noticeable the shaking of your hands becomes. For most uses, 8x is a good magnification to choose. If you go over 10x, you should consider getting a tripod.
Second, you'll need to choose the objective diameter for your binoculars. All other things being equal, the larger the objective diameter, the brighter the image you see through the binoculars. For most uses, look for a objective diameter that is five times the magnification power. So if you have a pair of binoculars with 8x magnification, they should have an objective diameter of 40. A pair of binoculars with these specs is generally called "8x40". If you plan on using your binoculars in low light conditions, you may want get an even higher objective diameter, such as 8x50. Do keep in mind that a larger objective diameter will generally increase the size and weight of the binoculars.
Thirdly, you should pay attention to the coating of the lenses on your binoculars. The coating cuts down on reflected and fragmented light inside your binoculars, and so increases, the brightness and clarity of the image. There are four terms generally used to describe the lens coating. Here they are, in order for least desirable to best: coated, multi coated, fully coated, fully multi coated.
No matter what you plan to do with your binoculars, paying attention to these three points when making your purchase will greatly increase your chances of getting the Best Binoculars.

Some of my Favorites by Brand:

Leica
Binoculars

Zeiss
Binoculars

Steiner
Binoculars

Nikon
Binoculars

Night
Vision Binoculars

Digital
Camera Binoculars


Binocular Quick Start Guide

 

Hunting Binoculars: Look for binoculars that are All Rubber Armored, Waterproof and Fogproof Models,7x to 10x Power Models for General Hunting,12x or 16x for Distant Game/Varmints, compacts fit in a pocket for hunters on the move.

Astronomy Binoculars: The number-one decision with respect to binoculars for night-sky watching is (1) handheld or (2) mounted.  Binoculars that will be handheld need to be lighter and have less magnification, but they have larger fields of view, taking in more of the sky at a time.  Binoculars that will be mounted can have much larger front (objective) lenses and higher magnification and weigh a lot, but they have smaller fields of view and take more skill to use to their fullest.

Bird Watching Binoculars: 8x42 is the standard, 10x42, 10x50 & 12x50 for Details in Smaller Species at a Distance, Compacts with a 30mm or Greater Objective Lens size, any binocular with long eye relief and good close focusing ability.

Concert Binoculars: 5x25 & 8x25 Xtra-Wide Angle, 4x30, 7x18 & 7x21 compacts, any zoom or wide angle model.

Sporting Event Binoculars: 4x21, 8x25 & 10x25 Xtra-Wide Angle, All 7x35, 10x50 & 12x50, any zoom, compacts from 7x to 10x.

Best Binoculars Reviews

Best binoculars overall

Reviews say the full-sized Nikon Monarch 8x42 binoculars are the best choice for most users. The Nikon's optics are nearly as good as those of luxury binoculars like the Zeiss Victory, though small details like lens caps and eyecups are less convenient. With 19.6mm of eye relief, the Nikon Monarch binoculars are comfortable for eyeglass wearers. Its 330-foot field of view and 8.2-foot minimum focus, while inferior to those of the Zeiss, are still very good. The Nikon binoculars weigh 21.3 ounces, and are waterproof and fogproof. The 25-year warranty is non-transferable, but it includes lifetime "no-fault" repairs for a flat $10 fee.

Luxury birding binoculars

The best binocular reviews cite the high-end Zeiss Victory T* FL binoculars as the best you can buy. Images are superb, bright and clear, and the Zeiss are so comfortable that reviewers say they almost become part of your face. The Zeiss lenses are made of fluorite prism glass, designed to enhance light transmission and color accuracy. At 405 feet, field of view is excellent, and the Zeiss binoculars can focus as close as 6 feet -- good for watching bird feeders and butterflies. The Zeiss binoculars weigh 27.3 ounces. They are waterproof, fog proof and guaranteed for life.

Best value, mid-sized binoculars

Reviews recommend the mid-sized, waterproof, fog proof Nikon 7x35 Action EX binoculars as the best value in this price range, with an impressive 489-foot field of view. They focus only as close as 16 feet, and are not as good for eyeglass wearers as the Zeiss or Monarch binoculars, but are better than most in this price range. They use multicoated eco-friendly glass, and carry the excellent Nikon 25-year "no fault" warranty. The trade-off is weight; the Nikon Action EX binoculars weigh 28.2 ounces.

Budget binoculars

Even though they're not waterproof, fog proof or suitable for eyeglass-wearers, reviews recommend the Nikon 7x35 Action as good basic binoculars. While the optics aren't nearly as good as the lenses and coating available on pricier binoculars, reviews say they are as good as you'll get for the money. The Nikon Action binoculars carry the same excellent warranty as the other Nikon binoculars. They weigh 24.3 ounces and do have a very wide 489-foot field of view.

Software to Enhance your Viewing

I was doing some research about the lunar eclipse and stumbled on to this gem of a program called LunarPhase Pro You can download a Free Demo , so I would highly recommend that you check it out. It truly is an outstanding program and very educational for the whole family.


Another piece of software that I would highly recommend would be Starry Night Pro I've been using this software for several years and have been very impressed since day one. You can Delve deep into the cosmos with this visually realistic astronomy package. Version 6.0 has 26 new features!

Great Collection of Astronomy Software

Collection of Birding Software

Qassia

Binoculars on eBay

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Bird Watching News

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ScienceDaily: Astronomy News

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The Best Binocular Blogs

Fighting cabin (fishing) fever
I lie on my back and put the binoculars to my eyes. The blue sky offers wonderful contrast to the colors of the geese. They are loud. I forget about the fever and watch. When I was a kid cabin/fishing fever was a battle. But in those days you had help ...
The Year of Not Reading
This year, I kept up with current publishing news through blogs, but I didn't get to sample even one of the many fabulous books we reviewed. Adding to the guilt, 2011 was a great year for books. Swamplandia! Binocular Vision! State of Wonder!
2008 feature on Micron's Steve Appleton: 'I don't have any regrets'
Other companies have tried to recruit him, and blogs sometimes flood with rumors of his resignation. So what's kept him at Micron for 25 years? He doesn't have to keep working. He does it because he wants to. His job offers him "an enormous amount of ...
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TexasDave

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