The Best Birdwatching Binoculars
Birding binoculars have to have certain features that may not be as important for binoculars that are used for other purposes. On this page I will try and go through what features are most important in a good set of bird watching binoculars as well as what binoculars have these features enabling you to make an informed choice if you are planning on buying a pair of binoculars for birdwatching
1) Field of View & Birdwatching Binoculars
The field of view is an important figure to look out for when you are looking to buy a good pair of binoculars for birdwatching.So first of what is the field of view?
The Field of view on a pair of binoculars is the horizontal width of the image you can see while looking through the binoculars at a certain distance.
Most binocular manufacturers will tell your the field of view for each set of binoculars at 1000 yards. So if for example the Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binoculars has a field of view of 342 feet at 1000 yards, it would mean the with of the scenery you can view through the binoculars at 1000 yards is 342 feet.
Why is Field of View so important in birding binoculars?
Any good set of birdwatching binoculars should have a wide field of view, as it will help you keep fast moving birds within your vision more easily than binoculars with a narrower field of view.
Binoculars with a large zoom or magnification tend to have a narrower field of view. That is why the most popular bird watching binoculars tend to have a magnification of between 8x and 10x as some would argue that field of view is more important than having a huge magnification.
2) Magnification & Birdwatching Binoculars
Many people assume that the larger the magnification the better the binoculars. This is not always the case, especially when you are looking for birdwatching binoculars.The magnification is usually the first number when you see the name of a pair of binoculars, so using our example of the Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binoculars, the magnification would be 8x
As far as binoculars go these days a magnification of 8 is pretty low, there are plenty of compact binoculars out there with magnifications of 10, 12 and even more.
Sure with a larger magnification you will get in closer to your subject, the problem is that your field of view (see above) will often be reduced, making it much harder to keep your bird within you vision if it moves (and birds often do!)
Another issue with larger magnifications is image shaking, because the larger the magnification, the easier it is for the image you are looking at through the binoculars to judder around making it sometimes really difficult to see your bird unless you have a tripod or something to rest your elbows on. This can be difficult to do out in the field. There are some excellent Image Stabilization Binoculars on the market especially from Canon like the Canon 10x30 IS Image Stabilized Binoculars that use computer sensors within the binocular to cancel out the movement that work really well at combating any movement.
So for the best birding binoculars that you plan to walk around in the field with I would suggest magnifications of between 8x and 10x (The most popular birding binoculars are usually 8x40 or 8x42's)
3) Exit Pupil, the Objective Lens and Birding Binoculars
For me another very important thing to look out for in a good set of binoculars for birding, is the size of the objective lens (the big lens at the end of the binocular) and related to this the exit pupil size. Let me explain.Going back to our example pair of binoculars, the Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binoculars, we already know that the magnification is represented by the first number so in this case 8x, it is the second number which stands for the diameter of the objective lens (42)
This number and the size of the objective lens is important because it will give you an indication of how much light the binoculars will take in and then eventually pass onto your eyes. Other factors like the coating on the lens and quality of the optics can also affect this, but it will give you a good indication.
So why is the amount of light that can be taken into your binoculars important for birding? Well it will mean that they should perform better in low light conditions, this is important to birders, because as we know most birds are most active in the early morning and late afternoon, in poorer light conditions. It is also especially important if you want to view birds in thick wooded or forested areas.
The is another thing to consider which is not only how much light your binoculars take in, but how much they pass on to your eyes, this is known as the Exit Pupil
If you hold a pair of binoculars at arm's length, you'll be able to clearly see the circle of light in the eyepieces, representing the exit pupil.
You can get the measurement for the exit pupil by dividing the lens aperture by the magnification. Example: In the Steiner 10.5x28 Wildlife Pro Binoculars, the exit pupil would be found by dividing the aperture or objective lens diameter(28) by the magnification (10.5), equalling 2.67. A higher exit pupil means the binoculars will work efficiently in dim light. For well-lit surroundings, an exit pupil of at least 3 in my opinion for great birding binoculars is needed. So the Steiner would not make an idea pair of bird watching binoculars. How about the Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binoculars - Divide the aperture 42 by the magnification 8 giving us an excellent figure of 5.25 and so will work well in poor light conditions.
Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binoculars
Quality Birdwatching Binoculars from Steiner
Steiner for me make some of the best value for money binoculars on the market. And this pair of Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binoculars have been specifically designed a birding binoculars.They were developed with the help of the American Birding Association as well as Steiner's own 'championship birdwatching team'
These Steiner binoculars have optics that are made with premium optical glass and are coated with Steiner's own color transmission multi-coating which boosts light transmission much higher than similar binoculars in this price range and is said by them to yield extraordinary clarity, resolution and color fidelity. I have tried them and I am not sure if I can prove the what they are saying, but the image was excellent.
The have a very wide field of view, at 342 feet at 1000 yards meaning that the width of the surroundings that you are viewing at 1000 yards is 342 feet. A wide field of view is an important feature in any good birding binocular as it means that it will be easier for you to keep fast flying birds and birds that hop around a lot in the trees in view through your binoculars.
Another important feature are the generous 42mm diameter objective lenses, these are the large lenses at the end of the binoculars and being this large means that they will allow plenty of light to pass through the binoculars and into your eyes. Great for any low light conditions, like if you are to go birdwatching towards the end of the day or early morning when birds are most active or even into wooded or forested areas.
Even with the 42mm lenses, the 8x43 Merlin's are pretty compact and lightweight (26ozs / 737g) meaning that they will be easy to carry around all day in the field.
The Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binoculars are also waterproof and come with a 10 year Steiner warranty.
So all in all I would highly recommend these as an excellent pair of birdwatching binoculars.
Buy the Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binoculars on Amazon
Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binocular
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/10/2009) 
Birding and Binocular Websites
Below are a few binocular websites and resources, a few are my own sites, whilst a few are also websites about birds, birding, binoculars or selling binoculars that I have found use full.
- Best Binoculars & Binocular Review Website
- A website devoted to binoculars and binocular reviews
- Birdwatching Binoculars
- An article on how to get your perfect set of birdwatching binoculars
- Binoculars.com
- Excellent website for buying binoculars
- Safari Binocular Reviews
- This is one of my own lenses all about choosing binoculars for a safari holiday, which must excel as wildlife viewing binoculars, birding binoculars as well as great for travelling with.
- Auto Focus Binoculars
- Another of my lenses on auto focus or probably better described as always in focus binoculars.
Steiner Binoculars on Ebay
German Optics company Steiner make some of the best value for money binoculars in the world. With quality optics and German manufacturing precision, you will not go far wrong with a Pair of Steiner Merlin Binoculars for birdwatching
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Vote for the Best Birdwatching Binoculars
This is the fun part where you get to vote and tell me what are your favourite binoculars for birding, please feel free to add to the list.
I will then review the most popular birdwatching binoculars on the lens
Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binocular
The best brightness and widest field of view of th more...1 point
Steiner 10x42 Merlin Binocular
If you need high performance for faster discovery, more...1 point
Steiner 235 10x26 Safari Pro Binocular
The 10x26 Safari Pro represents a bold new compact more...0 points
Steiner 8x30 Safari Binocular
The 8 x 30 is the perfect all purpose outdoor comp more...0 points
Steiner 8x22 Safari Binocular
If your outdoor adventures demand high performance more...0 points
Steiner 8x30 Safari Pro Compact Binoculars 444
Steiner 8x30 Safari Pro Compact Binoculars 4440 points
Canon 12x36 Image Stabilization II Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries
12x36 binoculars with image stabilizer0 points
Canon 10x30 Image Stabilization Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries
10x30 binoculars with image stabilizer0 points
Nikon Action 8x40 Binocular
Nikon 8x40 Action Binocular - Precision aligned sh more...0 points
Steiner 8x32 Merlin Binocular
If you need high performance for faster discovery, more...0 points
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Birdwatching and Binocular T-Shirts
This is just for fun really, if you want to also show how passionate you are about birdwatching here are a few t-shirts that you may like.
New Guestbook
AidanJames wrote...
I like it - well put and easy to understand the way you have constructed this lens, I have a page on birding binoculars if you are interested: http://binocularchoice.com/binoculars-for-birdwatching/
Posted February 14, 2009
by chirundu
I now live in the UK, I was born and raised in Zimbabwe. I have a varied life work-wise, here in the UK I work on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as... (more)
