Finding The Best Birding Binoculars For Your Budget

1. Lens Diameter-This is the second number in the binocular rating and tells how large of an opening light has to enter the binocular. A pair of binoculars rated at 8x42 would have a lens diameter of 42 mm.

Diameters of 30 to 50 mm are common and will give ample light in most conditions.

2. Prism Design-The two kinds are porro prism which are heavier but less expensive and roof prism which are lighter, pricier but more durable than porro prism.

3. Lens Coatings-Coatings allow more light to pass through the binoculars and can improve the image sharpness.

They range from coated to fully multi-coated with the latter being the most preferable.

4. Eye Relief-If you wear glasses you need to be sure to get binoculars with enough eye relief to allow you to see a full image holding the eyecups away from your face.

5. Magnification-This is the first number in the rating and indicates the power of the lens. Most birding binoculars will fall in the 7, 8 or 10x range.

The key here is not to get too high of a magnification because it will cause a sharp decrease in the field of view and they may be heavier and harder to steady.

My goal here was to give you the tools to be able to compare one pair of birding binoculars to another.

Your binoculars will become one of your best friends. It is only wise that you choose them carefully.