Binocular guides
14 guides explain what the printed figures mean, how prisms and coatings differ and how to set a binocular up for your eyes.
- How to choose binoculars: the five figures that decide itFive printed figures, with medians from 554 models
- Roof prism vs porro prism binocularsRoof or Porro: body shape, light path and coatings explained
- How to use binoculars: eyecups, eye spacing and diopterEyecups, eye spacing and diopter, set in the order makers print
- Eye relief on binoculars explainedWhat eye relief is and how much glasses wearers need: 16 mm
- Binocular field of view explainedDegrees, feet at 1,000 yards, and why power narrows the view
- How to clean binoculars without scratching the lensesBrush, dampen a cloth, wipe gently: the order Nikon, Vortex and Audubon describe.
- High power binoculars and tripods: when 15x needs a mountWhere hand-holding stops: 15x is the line, and 42 models reach it.
- Monocular vs binoculars: weight, brightness and view widthMonocular weights from 23 g to 77 g set against compact binocular medians.
- Spotting scope vs binoculars: which power for which jobBinoculars run 7 to 10x, scopes 20X to 30X and up. See where the gap sits.
- How far can binoculars seeNo distance limit: 10x makes 400 m look like 40 m.
- ED glass binoculars and lens coatings146 of 554 models have ED glass. What it fixes and how coatings differ.
- Waterproof binoculars: what waterproof and fogproof meanWhat waterproof and nitrogen-filled mean, and how makers print the rating
- Zoom binoculars and what the zoom costs youThree zoom models, 204 to 241 ft of field, and what Audubon says about them
- Compact vs full-size binoculars: the weight saved and the light given upMedian weight 10.9 oz compact against 24.9 oz full-size, and the light given up.
The models these guides lead to are in the best binoculars list.