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Field of view for binoculars

Field of view for binoculars

What is the field of view for binoculars and why is it important?

The Field of View (or sometimes just called the FOV) is the total area you can see through your binoculars, without moving the binoculars themselves or your body. In other words, without needing to move your head around or look up or down. 

It's effectively a measure of the size of the "window" that you're seeing through the binoculars into the outside world. 

Just how wide this window is and how clear the views through it form an important part of what you'll see through your binoculars. This can be described in a few different ways and it not immediately obvious when comparing different models. In an earlier article we talked about the way the binocular sizes are stated with the first number being the magnification being the first and the size of front lenses in mm being the second. A binocular size of 8x42 means that pair of binoculars has 8 times magnification and lenses 42mm across. This can be applied to all binoculars. 

Field of view varies between binoculars, even though they might be the same "size"

First of all, FOV is different from magnification, or how much larger the image appears. 

Two pairs of 8x42 sized binoculars with different field of views will still show you an image, say of a bird, and the size of the bird will appear the same to you through both.  However the total size the view or how much you're seeing side to side might vary.

How wide this view appears to you might also vary.

How does magnification impact field of view?

For the same brand and model, higher magnification means a narrower field of field.  Think of it standing a few metres from a bookcase and having a look at it. If you walk towards it, you'll be able to see the details on the books on the shelves more clearly although you won't be able to see as much side to side.  

As a guide, the same model of binoculars with higher magnification will have a narrower field of view. It's one the reason why bird watchers will sometimes pick lower magnifications, say 8x, to maximise their field of view at a distance. 

Optical designs of any type usually involve juggling a whole of factors around to come up with the best performing binoculars for their price.  Manufacturers might decide on a slightly narrower field of view while keeping the quality of the image high in order to produce a more affordable model. 

How important is a decent field of view, especially for bird watching?

Binoculars with a decent field of view are a must for bird watchers as they let you more easily spot and follow both individual birds or groups of our feathered friends.

When chatting to folks about binoculars and they mention they're into birding, we'll always steer them towards models with a sharp and wide field of view. This will let them find and observe birds far more easily and have a more enjoyable time in the field. 

Angles and Field of View at 1,000 metres

You'll find the field of view of binoculars are usually described in one of two ways. They'll either list it in degrees or width in metres at 1,000 metres.  (You might also find it as yards at 1,000 yards if information for USA customers has been applied.)

There's a little bit of high school level trigonometry involved that I can send you to convert between the two, but they effectively measure the same thing, which is how much you're going to see of objects in the distance. 

A pair of binoculars with a 122m field of view at 1,000m. Image via Nikon

What's a good field of view for birding?

At least 6 degrees and possibly a little more will give some excellent views when bird watching.  

You'll often find that better quality binoculars will offer wider fields of view.  For example, the Nikon M5 8x42 has a 6.4 degree field of view. The higher end model from Nikon with the same optical size, the M7 8x42 has a field of view of 8.2 degrees.

You'll get great viewing from the Nikon M5. One of the things you're paying a bit extra for in the Nikon M7 is a wider view. 

  Nikon M7 8x42 Binoculars

This translates into being able to "see more" which is quite handy when in the field.

Apparent field of view. What's the difference?

This is always given in degrees and states how wide the "window" you're looking through appears to your eyes. Apparent field of view is also sometime called APOV.

Binoculars and telescope eyepieces that have a very wide and clear apparent field of view offer the better viewing experiences as we feel like we're more immersed in what we're seeing.  By comparison, our natural vision is about 150 degrees with lots of variations between the area we see and of course between individuals. Our brains filter out what's in the way such as our noses and even chins and lips to form one continuous viewport into the world.  While we can see around 150 degrees, this varies between up and down and side to side. As you'd know the amount of detail we are aware of drops away the further away from the centre of our vision. There's no hard outline of how far around we can see. (Interestingly we are very sensitive to movement in the outer edges of our vision. This is when you "spot something out of the corner of your eye." No doubt a very handy capability evolution handed us to keep critters from sneaking up on us.)

While optical companies can produce binoculars with a wide apparent field of view,  producing one that offers crisp and sharp viewing all the way across, left to right and top to bottom requires quite high end optics and special glass materials.

Binocular suppliers might make the decision to offer wide apparent fields of view in binoculars which taper off around the edges in terms of quality. These will impress during an initial view though them, but they won't be as comfortable for extended viewing.  What's more, our eyes will know the difference and concentrate our attention on the middle of the field of view. 

Making binoculars with a wide APOV that's sharp and clear right to the edge requires sophisticated optics including features such as field flatteners. Theses add to the costs and often the weight as well.  Binoculars and spotting scopes wide, sharp fields of view are going to cost most more. They are worth the expense for some as they offer easier viewing for longer period.

To wrap things up:

Field of view (FOV)  is how much side to side of a distant view you'll see through binoculars. It's usually given as either in degrees or as a length at a set distance. Both measurements describe the same thing. A good FOV makes spotting birds especially much easier.

Apparent field of view (AFOV) is the size of the window into the world binoculars and spotting scopes offer. A wider APOV is more immersive and adds to the sense of seeing the views up close, but it needs to be of decent quality. 

As always, we're more than happy to offer any advice on binoculars whether you're planning on going bird watching, hoping to catch some whales at the beach, general nature viewing or even taking to the cricket or footy.

Cheers,

Earl White

BINTEL

4th July 2025

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