Peterson Blog

If you're drawing a blank on what to get the birder in your life for Valentine's Day, how about a new pair of binos? In this article, which first appeared in Peterson Guides newsletter #2, our friend John Riutta gives helpful tips on how to choose a binocular. And John should know. Before becoming everyone's favorite nature writer, John worked in product development for optics manufacturer Leopold & Stevens.

How to Choose a Binocular

Of all the activities involved in bird watching, one of the most challenging does not involve birds at all; it is the selection of the right binocular. After all, there are dozens of books currently in publication that give advice on bird watching techniques and literally hundreds of field guides to help you tell one bird from another, but when it comes to picking the binocular with which you will be employing all those techniques, not a single book dedicated to the topic exists.

In some ways, rightly so; for there are a bewildering variety of technical aspects involved in the design and manufacturing of a binocular. However when it comes to selecting optics for bird watching, keeping three simple things in mind will go a long way to helping you select the right binocular for your bird watching needs.

First, don’t choose a compact binocular (anything with an objective smaller than 30mm). Oh compacts have their uses — quick glances, “just in case” carry alongs — but while they may be small, light, and easy to carry, the image even the best can provide won’t give you a satisfying experience when used for long periods of time in the field.

Second, don’t over-magnify. I know it seems like a 10x model will give you a better look at a bird than an 8x model, but it will also give you a smaller field of view, an image that is less bright, and be more difficult to hold without shaking. 8x is the most magnification you’ll ever need for a bird watching binocular. If you want more magnification than that, consider getting a spotting scope in which the objective lens is much larger to help balance the light in relation to the higher magnification level.

Third, choose a binocular that fits your hands and face. If you can’t hold it comfortably and see clearly through both sides at once with no “shadows” creeping in from the edges, pass it by and keep looking. If you wear eyeglasses, the binocular’s eye relief should be long enough to allow you to see the full field of view without requiring that you remove your spectacles.

Sure, there’s more that could be written, but why needlessly complicate matters? These three things will go a long way to making sure the next binocular you buy will be one with which you’ll be happy for years to come.

John E. Riutta Writer, critic, lecturer, and publisher of The Well-read Naturalist, John was formerly the development and product line manager for binocular and spotting scope products at Leupold & Stevens, Inc.