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Birdwatching Binoculars

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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.

Whilst I have tried to make this page as comprehensive as possible, if you would like some more information, I highly recommend that you take a look at my section on Binoculars for Birding on the Best Binocular Reviews Website.

1) Field of View & Birdwatching Binoculars

Birds: Wire Tailed SwallowsThe 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.

For far more detailed information, take a look a this section on Wide Angle Binoculars

2) Magnification & Birdwatching Binoculars

birds: pied kingfisherMany 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

pied wagtailFor 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

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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.

Spotting Scopes for Birding

Other equipment used for birdwatching

Swarovski Spotting ScopeAs well as binoculars, many birders use a spotting scope. Spotting scopes have many advantages, as well as disadvantages when being compared to binoculars specifically for bird watching.

The main advantage is the greater magnification, which allows you to get much closer to the action. But because of this, you will most likely need a tripod to keep the image steady enough to observe the bird properly. The greater magnification will also mean a much narrower field of view, which can make it initially harder to locate the bird in your view, especially if it is fast moving.

For more information, check out: Best Spotting Scope Reviews

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

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Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binocular

Steiner 8x42 Merlin Binocular

The best brightness and widest field of view of th more...1 point

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Steiner 10x42 Merlin Binocular

Steiner 10x42 Merlin Binocular

If you need high performance for faster discovery, more...1 point

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Leupold Katmai 10X32 Compact Binoculars B

Leupold Katmai 10X32 Compact Binoculars B

Katmai 10x32mm binoculars offer powerful magnifica more...1 point

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Steiner 235 10x26 Safari Pro Binocular

Steiner 235 10x26 Safari Pro Binocular

The 10x26 Safari Pro represents a bold new compact more...0 points

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Steiner 8x30 Safari Binocular

Steiner 8x30 Safari Binocular

The 8 x 30 is the perfect all purpose outdoor comp more...0 points

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Steiner 8x22 Safari Binocular

Steiner 8x22 Safari Binocular

If your outdoor adventures demand high performance more...0 points

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Steiner 8x30 Safari Pro Compact Binoculars 444

Steiner 8x30 Safari Pro Compact Binoculars 444

Steiner 8x30 Safari Pro Compact Binoculars 4440 points

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Nikon Action 8x40 Binocular

Nikon Action 8x40 Binocular

Nikon 8x40 Action Binocular - Precision aligned sh 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.
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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 well... more »

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