Bintel Binoculars Guides

What are image stabilising binoculars? Image stabilised binoculars use a combination of a mechanical system and some clever electronics* to remove the vibrations and movements that are caused when binoculars are being held in your hands.   Why do I need image stabilising binoculars? Modern, high quality binoculars usually have a wide field of views and are designed to be held fairly steady for medium distance views and for following fast moving objects. For example,  8x or 10x magnification are ideally suit to bird watching or sports, and for most people, shakes and vibrations are not going to be too noticeable with these types of binoculars  One of the advantages of higher powered binoculars is that you get in "closer" for more detailed views. However, these higher powers not only increase the magnifications but also emphasis any movements while holding binoculars themselves.  With higher magnifications, say 12x or 14x and over, it can become hard to hold them still, especially when observing far away objects or for long periods.  This starts to be more apparent in binoculars with larger main front lenses that collect more light and have wide views.  They'll also naturally be heavier making them a touch harder to hold still.   These movements make the image less steady and hard to properly focus on what you want to observe. Apart the difficulty of holding views steady, your mind concentrates on the centre of the field of view, meaning you don't perceive as much side to side.  When are they best at? If you want high powered views of distant objects, then image stabilised binoculars might be worth considering.  Here's a couple of examples. Vixen Atera 12x30 Image Stabliser Binoculars Compact, 12x magnification stabilised binoculars for comfortable extended observations Fujinon TS-L2040 TECHNO-STABI Series 20x40 Binoculars  Binoculars with a high, 20x magnification are much easier to hold steady if they have image stabilisation.  You can see the full range of BINTEL's image stabilisation binoculars from Fujinon, Kite and ZEISS here. How do they work? There's a variety of mechanisms used by image stabilising binoculars. Some employed a gyroscope type device to resist any quick movements. Other feature a fast reacting gimble style gizmo that subtlety changes the optic path to counter movements it detects.  The electronic gyro stabilizing system for Fujinon binoculars The response time we see with modern image stabilised binoculars is quite rapid. There's virtually no delay in corrections to the images.   On the water Image stabilising binoculars are quite popular with those heading out on the water on pelagic bird watching trips. With more than 200 of the world's approx. 350 seabird species found in Australian waters, image stabilising binoculars can help with steady views for not just for any hand movements but also assist to counter any unsteadiness on your boat on the water.  My hands are pretty shaky. Would these sorts of binoculars help? Absolutely! Everyone's hands shake a little and it can be become as nuisance as we age.  This makes enjoying time spent observing nature frustrating. Image stabilising binoculars can certainly minimise the frustrations you're experiencing.   Increasing the field of view One fascinating effect when using image stabilising binoculars is that you'll often suddenly see a wider field side to side when they're switched on.  This is because we need to concentrate on what we see straight ahead if views are wobbly or shaky. Once the view is steady, our mind is free to explore the entire view presented to it by our eyesight. Can they remove all the shaking and movement? No. There are limits to what this type of technology can achieve in certain situations. However, if you've experienced shaky views through normal binoculars and find this annoying, image stabilised optics will dramatically improve the steadiness of the scene you're looking at.  What happens if the battery goes flat? These are low powered devices meaning that you'll get many, many hours of viewing through a set of batteries or a single charge. If for some reason your battery goes flat or you're unable to find some AA batteries as used by models of Kite APC models, you'll still be able to use your binoculars. The batteries only power the image stabilised system. You still be able to use the binoculars like a normal pair. You also don't need to the stabilising switched on all the time. There might be situations where you simply don't need to turn it on.  What are the downsides? As image stabilised binoculars are more complex and have additional components, they are more expensive. These extra parts also add weight, which might a consideration for travelling. They will need power. The battery life does last quite a while and you're unlikely run out when you're in the field.  Our customers, especially bird watchers, have reported good reliability of image stabilised binos in the field.  How does this all work in practice? You can compare image stabilised binocular models oline, check out YouTube videos and see what people are saying on social media. We think they are worth checking out in person. Pop into our Sydney store and we'll be more than happy to show you how distant views can become smooth and steady when you simply slide the power button to "on".  Cheers, Earl White BINTEL  20th October 2025 * There is one model we sell, the exquisite and ultra-high end Carl Zeiss 20x60 T*S Image Stabilised Binocular, that uses mechanical only image stabilisation with no electronics.  These are used by astronaut onboard the ISS (International Space Station).    

How "better glass" makes the views through binoculars sharper and brighter. You might have heard that ED binoculars or those with "ED glass" are well worth the extra costs as they offer better viewing.  We've had many folks ask us why this is and how they works. After all, we assume the glass in windows and cars is pretty much the same and the only to improve the views through them is simply to make sure our windows are as clean as possible!  To a degree that true, however the glass used in the lenses in binoculars and telescopes has one major difference to that we find in windows. The glass used in those is flat and the glass in lenses is curved to focus the light from objects in the distance. This introduces a major problem: chromatic aberration. Let's blame Sir Isaac Newton Everyone has used a magnifying glass. Just when experimenters discovered that curved glass lenses or crystals could change or magnify you're looking is not exactly known and probably goes back a few thousand years. Their curved shape changes the view seen through them.  The first telescope was invented in the early 17th century by combining more than one lens. (BTW, this is one of those discoveries that could have been make hundreds or possibly even thousands of years early. It simply that nobody fiddled around with lenses enough until then.) Sir Isaac Newtown demonstrating how light is split in a coloured spectrum and thus increasing the price of performance binoculars for all time. We also all know that Sir Isaac Newton discovered that a glass prism can split visible light into different wavelengths which make a rainbow. While this is an important piece of knowledge, it's also the reason that telescopes and binoculars can have problems with slightly blurry or colour-fringed images.  While light travels through the middle of a lens pretty much straight through. As the lens curves towards the edges, its cross section shape resembles a prism. It will bend or "refract" the light to form an image. It also splits different colours just as a prism does and these different colours are focussed at slightly different positions.** This is called chromatic aberration. The diagram above will give you a rough idea of how it works, although it is greatly exaggerated. However, even small amounts of difference in the focus of various colours are enough to produce marked colour distortions and fringing around objects.  The first fix for chromatic aberration Opticians get around the a large part of the problem of chromatic aberration through the addition of a secondary lens* which has a different shape. Telescopes and binoculars like these are said to have achromatic lenses. This design gets rids of most of the colour distortions but not quite all.  An illustration from Nikon showing the effects of chromatic aberration The impact of the remaining small bits of chromatic aberration, sometime called secondary spectrum, isn't major but it's still there. In many cases, two element lenses using the same type of glass will produce images that are pleasing enough for many.  ED Glass for further improvements  For even better quality viewing, one of the lens elements uses a different type of glass. This is denser compared to the other element and will bend or disperse the light just a little more. This is called Extra Dispersion or abbreviated to ED.  A combination of two different types of carefully selected glass elements will even further the effects of chromatic aberration. The downside is that these types of glass lenses costs more to produce and this will bump up the cost of the binoculars, often by a fair amount. Why are we so fussed about getting rid of the colour fringing from chromatic aberration? Our minds do a lot of processing of the images that our eyes see to produce what out minds perceive.  First of all, colour fringing blurs and distorts what's viewed through binoculars. Our efforts to compensate for this can stop us seeing the finer details of the view. This is important when trying to distinguish on birds, especially when viewing under less than ideal conditions or when they're in the distance.  The effects of chromatic aberration are most noticeable around the edge of the field of view. Locating birds needs as wide as possible viewing.  Can I get by with non ED binoculars? Yes, most certainly! Under most circumstances they'll do fine. It depends on your budget and how critical the quality of your binocular optics are to you. For example, the Nikon Prostaff P7 8x42  are some of the most popular and affordable quality binoculars with our BINTEL customers. While they will cost more, the Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 binoculars feature ED glass in their lenses for an even sharper and clearer view. It's one of the reasons why the Nikon Monarch binoculars have been so popular with birders for decades Do the terms ED and HD mean the same thing? Its hard to say. Many binoculars makers use the term "HD" of high definition to suggest quality optics.*** This may be the case. It's more of a marketing term than a technical description of what's inside them. There's even some that are described as both HD and ED mainly as many folks don't really know what ED relates too. Generally speaking, binoculars that have the term ED in their product specifications will have extra dispersion optics. They cost a little more and offer better viewing. Bottom line: ED or ED glass is a term used to show binoculars have higher quality lenses. They help avoid the worst effects of chromatic aberration that's found in all glass lenses.  Binoculars with ED optics will cost more, but for many uses such as bird watching are well worth the extra cost.  As always, have a talk with the team at BINTEL to help select the best binoculars for your next bird watching adventure! Cheers, Earl White  BINTEL  5th September 2025 * It's not uncommon for binoculars to have three or even more glass elements to further improve the colour performance and offer increased contrast. One of the terms used for these are apochromatic or APO lenses. ** Isaac Newtown realised that the splitting of light into different colours was an issue with early telescopes and instead of spending too long trying to solve the problem, he simply invented an entirely new type of telescope that used a curved mirror instead of a lens; the Newtonian Reflector. This design was so good, astronomers still use them, and we have the same type of telescope on sale at BINTEL to this day. *** There many other ways to improve contrast and image quality in binoculars. We'll cover those in future articles.     

Most folks would be familiar with binoculars. These are effectively two, small telescopes side by side that are carefully aligned together to look forward. You may have also seen optical gizmos called a monocular. This looks like one side of a pair of binoculars and there are some advantages using them compared to the traditional binos. There's also a few downsides and we'll cover those first.  One eye vs two eyes What's the advantage of using binoculars vs a monocular? Leaving aside those with impaired or no vision in one eye who are well aware of this, you might be surprised at just how much we instinctively rely on our both of our eyes for the full view of field of our vision. Our brain automatically combines information received from our left and right eyes into one view, edits out things that are in the way such as your nose and then seamless produces a big picture. (We talked about this when discussing field of view in last month's blog that you can read here.) What's more, we use both eyes for depth perception or 3D vision and the two sides of binoculars help to provide this.  You can try two quick experiments. First of all, take a look a look around across the street or around your backyard, or somewhere similar. Now cover one eye and try the same thing. You'll be surprised at just how much of your "view" that suddenly disappears.  Now plonk a few objects on the table a metre or two in front of you. It'll be pretty obvious which ones are further away from you, even if by only a small amount. Shut one eye and you'll quickly see the differences in distance aren't so clear.  We rely on this stereo vision produced by slight differences in what our left and right eyes see, called Stereopsis, to view the world in 3D.  Depth perception and knowing which objects are further away in the distance can still be perceived with binoculars and more so in roof prism models which have wider set lenses.  Nikon Action 10x42 Binoculars showing the wideset lens which helps with distance, 3D vision.  Finally, many people find using binoculars more comfortable, especially when observing for longer periods. Two hands let you balance them and you're not holding them to one side like you would with a monocular.   What's the advantage of a monocular? There are two main reasons. Cost and convenience.  With a monocular, as it's essentially just one side of a more traditional pair of binoculars, you'll be buying a far more affordable optical device. The optics of both sides of binoculars not only need to held carefully in parallel, but their bodies are also more expensive to produce. Their focusing mechanism is also more complex as both barrels require the same focus movement, as well as allowing for people with slightly different left and right eye focussing which further adds to the cost. (This is called a Diopter adjustment and found on almost all binoculars.) The convenience advantage simply arrives because a monocular of the same diameter as a pair of binoculars will be half the size or less. This makes it more compact and easier to transport. If you're ok with losing the wide field viewing that binoculars off and the lack of 3D vision isn't a problem for you, then smaller size of a monocular and lower cost might be attractive for you.  Monocular magnification Monoculars use the same naming conventions as binoculars and spotting scopes. The first number is the magnification followed by an "x" and then the size of the front lens in mm. So, a "ten by forty two" written 10x42 is 10 times magnification with a 42mm diameter front lens.  There's the same general advice around finding roughly the right magnifications and lens size for your interests and lifestyle also apply. For bird watching, an 8x42 or 10x42 would be ideal. What are some different monoculars? For example, this affordable  GERBER 10x42 Monocular would be about half the weight and size of comparable 10x42 binoculars. You might be better off with binoculars for some activities such as bird watching where you want as wide a field as possible to help spot our feathered friends. For distant scenery or observing slow moving objects such as boat, a monocular such as this might help, especially where portability is important.  Stepping down to something that's truly pocket sized but with remarkable image quality, this small Leica Monovid 8x20 monocular offers great viewing of distant scenery and wildlife in a small package. Its high quality optics make it about the smallest optical device we carry that offers bright and clear viewing that are comfortable for extended periods of time.  It's not uncommon for some monoculars to be able to focus on objects at fairly close up. In the case of this Leica monocular, as it can focus as close as 1.8m. This opens up some possibilities for closeup nature viewing. We also have some of our Leica customers using it when visiting museums and taking to concerts. Monoculars can also be specialised, such as this Pentax VM 6x21 WP Monocular kit. Not only does it give you the long distance viewing traditionally provided by binoculars or a monocular, but its close focus and accessories provided effectively turn it into a wide-field, low powered microscope! To wrap up For those without too many limitations to their vision in one eye, binoculars will offer a much wider view than a binocular of the same size, along with a sense of 3D vision.  This very handy when you need as a wide a view as possible for activities like bird watching. Binoculars are likely to be more comfortable, especially for extended periods of observing.  While offering a more restricted view, a monocular will offer cost savings compared to binoculars of the same size. It will also be more compact and weigh less. Handy for those travelling or if you'd like optics to carry around with you at all times.   Cheers, Earl White  BINTEL 8th August 2025  

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

We covered last month for the Birding with BINTEL Newsletter the basics around binocular sizing and what are some good options for bird watching in particular.  The two main numbers, say 8x42, signify magnification and the diameter of the front lens in mm. As we talked about, these determine the magnification and size of the binoculars and while there isn't any hard and fast rules about what is the right one to use for birding, taking to the footy or nature viewing etc, they can be handy info when picking binoculars for your outdoor lifestyle and activities.  There are a few other numbers that also worth knowing about but aren't as easy to spot.  The first of these is eye relief and this is important for eyeglass wearers.  Eye relief is the distance in mm from the glass surface of the binocular's eyepiece to where the image is formed. It's handy information because this the point where if you place your eye, you'll be able to see the entire image formed without vignetting - or chopping off the image a little bit from the sides. In other words, it's the best viewing distance where the binoculars produce their best image. We find it's quite common when folks come in the store to try out good quality binoculars they push them right up against their face, possibly as they don't realise they don't have to so, or maybe from experience with more basic binoculars with hardly any eye relief.  You don't have to squish them into your eyes and you'll find they're designed to work a smidge away from them. Why are binoculars with decent or long eye relief important? There are a few reasons. First of all, binoculars with long eye relief mean that you don't need to position your eyes  close to the binoculars.  This means comfortable, relaxed viewing for extended periods of time. Long eye relief also means they'd ideal eyeglass wearers. Can I wear glasses when using binoculars? Yes. In most cases you'll be able to wear glasses when using binoculars.  How the binocular eyepiece lens lines up with your eyes when wearing glasses. Image via Nikon The reasons why we wear glasses are many and varied and I'm no way in the slightest qualified to give any advice, so please take this all as a few suggestions only! For many, glasses change the point where the lens in our eyes brings the image into a sharp focus. If you need glasses for long distance viewing due to conditions such as Myopia, also known as near-sightedness, your glasses are slightly re-positioning this point. This makes the views of distance objects sharp and clear, effectively replacing your glasses. In these situations,  you might well find that you are able to use binoculars without your glasses.  There's also likely a range of other conditions that your optometrist such as astigmatism has treated you for, and prescribed glasses that have brought you vastly better vision. These conditions can't be corrected by simply refocussing binoculars slightly.   Another consideration is many find that while they can use binoculars without their glasses, the hassle of taking them off and putting them back on again to look around can be a hassle so they simply leave their glasses on.  When you need or prefer to keep your glasses on when observing through binoculars, the length of the eye relief becomes important. It's purely to do with how close physically you need to bring them to your face. Binoculars with short eye relief will mean you'll need to bring them closer to your eyes to see the entire image, however you'll find that your glasses will get in the way! You'll still be able to focus the binoculars ok, however as they'll be a little bit further past the point where the image is formed, it will be cut off around the edges. We'd suggest if you want to wear glasses when using binoculars, you aim for a pair with at least 16mm or 17mm of eye relief.  (You might get away with a bit less than this if your glasses are smaller and how they fit your face.) Most binoculars will state eye relief as part of their specifications. If you pop into BINTEL we're always more than happy to show you a few pairs to work out which ones work best for you.  Binocular eyecups - what are they? Many binoculars have eyecups with fold away or in many cases, twist in and out.  Some Nikon binoculars at BINTEL with their eyecups wound out. Same pair of Nikon binoculars with the eyecups wound in via a simply twist We get a lot of questions about binocular eyecups and what they do. They simply keep stray light from entering your field of view and provide a bit of shade. Eyecups DON'T change the optics of binoculars, except maybe offering a reminder that you don't to push them right up against your eyes. They often extend to roughly the distance of eye relief. If you are going to wear glasses when using binoculars, make sure you wind the eyecups all the way in so they can be placed close to your glasses.  When you visit BINTEL and ask to try out binoculars one of the things we'll ask is whether you use glasses for distance viewing. If you say yes, and you see our staff winding the binocular eyecups back in before handing them to you, this is the reason why. Cheers, Earl White  BINTEL 2nd May 2025 PS: Next month we'll talk about the diopter setting on most binoculars. This is an adjustment to compensate the for slight difference many have in their left and right eyes, as well as a bit of info on field of view.       

Binoculars: What do all the numbers mean? It might look confusing, but binocular and spotting scope sizes and magnifications are actually fairly straightforward. Binoculars are usually sized by two numbers . You will normally find these on just about all binoculars. The first is the magnification and the second after the “X” is the diameter in millimetres. This means that an 8x42 would have an eight-times magnification and each of the front lenses would have a 42mm diameter.  (It's not the combined size of the front lenses as we sometimes have folks ask us. You get two lenses of 42mm across. If you're talking to someone about it, it would described as "eight by forty two" A 7x50 means seven-times magnification and 50mm front lenses and so forth. You will usually find the size of binoculars on the body or on the focus knob. This pair of Nikon Travelite binoculars at BINTEL have a magnification of eight times and 25mm diameter front lenses. Spotting Scopes (and zoom binoculars) usually have a range of magnifications. For example, 20-60x80 would mean a magnification that goes from twenty times to sixty times with front lens diameter of 80 millimetres. An 8-18x42 pair of Nikon Aculon binoculars have a magnification that zooms from 8x to 18x. A Celestron Spotting Scope at BINTEL showing the size and magnification. This could also be described as being 20-60x80. Are bigger binoculars always best? The answer is a “no, not always”. There are two things to consider. Magnification and lens sizes. You use binoculars to get in “closer”, so those with the highest magnification would always be the best ones to use, right? On the face of it, yes that would be the case. BUT there are a few things to consider. First of all, while higher magnification means larger images, it also means a reduced field of view or how far you can see side to side.  A reduced field of view can make it harder to spot what you’re looking for, especially for fast moving objects.  One other factor to consider is hand shake. Everyone’s hands shake or move, especially when holding something in front of your face like a pair of binoculars. The higher the magnification, the more noticeable any shake will be.  (As you learn the best positions to hold binoculars in, the effects of hand movements will lessen.) The larger the lens, the more light the binoculars collect and concentrate into your eyes. During a bright clear day, 10x32 and 10x42 binoculars of the same brand and model will produce fairly similar views. When conditions are not so great due to the time of day, weather or where you're trying find birds, the difference in the brighter views the 10x42 present to you will be noticeable.  Larger lenses can also produce more detail in an image as they are simply collecting more information from distant objects.  (Bear in mind that higher quality and more expensive lenses can also assist with this as well.) Is there one size that's "best" for birdwatching? This is something we get asked about all the time!  The simple answer is no, however if you don't want to read further, we'd suggest a pair of 8x32 for portability and 8x42 for best overall viewing.  There's a lot of debate in the birding community about the right size for viewing our feathered friends.  There's a few things to consider.  Birds are often moving during the day, either through the air, on the ground or in foliage.  This can make them hard to spot and locate.  This means having a wider field of view will let you locate the initially and then follow them as they move about.  You'll also want a pair of binoculars that aren't too heavy as you'll likely need to travel with them. The smaller size also helps with tracking birds and other wildlife, but large enough to capture great views.  Our suggestion is probably 8x42 being a good size for birding for many people.  For something more portable, a pair of 8x32 will also do a great job. On the other hand, if you're going to be using them in lower light conditions, the 8x42 might be a better chouse.  Should I go with 10x magnification? This is a topic of a lot of debate! We often have new bird watchers pop into to see us, and mention they've watched hours of YouTube videos and read dozen of forum posts about what the "right" magnification for bird watching is before making a decision, only to change their mind once they actually try a few pairs of binoculars for themselves. If you're a more experienced birder and can more readily find and track them, then a higher magnification might be a good option. The distance is also a consideration. For example, if you're seeking pelagic or water birds, these might be a little further away and the higher magnification could well be worth considering. We often comment to our customers that you're not going to make a mistake  -  a good pair of binoculars are going to greatly enhance your birding experience no matter which size you choose. It's a matter of fine tuning the selection to what suits you best. This is always something we're happy to chat about at length.  What are image stabilising binoculars? These are binoculars that have tech inside them that almost totally stops jittery views due to hand shake when using higher magnifications. They are a little more expensive, however well worth considering especially when observing wildlife at long distances.  Kite Image Stabilising Binoculars at BINTEL Are birding binoculars waterproof? What happens if I get them wet? Pretty much all the modern binoculars we sell at BINTEL are waterproof. If you get them wet or have water sprayed on them, they won't be damaged. Many of them are also weatherproof. This means they have special coating that help prevent dew of moisture build up on the lenses. No matter what binoculars you use, don't leave them permanently exposed on on say an outdoor table or setting.  Why do some brands and models cost so much? What am I getting for my money? If you look at the BINTEL website you'll quickly realise we have binoculars that sell for a few hundred dollars up to several thousand.  What you'll notice is that with the higher end brands here at BINTEL such as ZEISS, Swarovski, Leica others, the views through them are crisper, sharper and have brighter colours and definition compared to lower cost optics. You'll still get unforgettable views through almost any pair of binoculars when bird watching, but there's options to improve your experience for the time you spend in the field.  Some ZEISS Conquest HDX Binoculars at BINTEL Can you help me select the best size and brand binoculars? Most definitely yes! It's something we get a kick out of here at BINTEL. Despite doing this for more than four decades, it's always a joy to see a customer walk about of here with a new pair of binoculars that we know will give them years of bird watching enjoyment.  Cheers, Earl White  BINTEL 4th April 2025