Binoculars for Birding

The world of binoculars can be confusing, I’ve been there! What do all the numbers mean? Which ones are good for bird watching? Why do they vary so drastically in price? How do I pick a pair for me? I’ll try to clarify a few things here and share with you what I’ve learnt from my experiences.

First off, what do the numbers mean? Binoculars come in different sizes 8x42, 20x25, 50x100….
Let’s use a pair of 8x42 binoculars as an example.

• Magnification: The first number is the magnification, 8x in this case. The larger this number the higher the magnification.

  • While it’s temping to think more is always better, it’s a trade off. Yes, high magnification makes everything bigger, but bear in mind it also amplifies any shakes or wobbles. Magnification over 10x usually requires a tripod, while 8x and below are suitable for hand held use. Increasing magnification also reduces your field of view. Imagine playing a video of a small bird on your computer. As you zoom, the bird gets bigger, but the portion of the video you can see gets smaller. At maximum zoom, additional details may be visible, however, panning to keep the bird in view will be tricky.

  • Tradeoff: more magnification = more zoomed in but harder to find subject and image can be shaky.

  • Good for birding: 8x gives a good amount of magnification for seeing birds, but is steady enough for hand held use.

• Objective size: The second number is the size of the front lens, known as the objective lens. In our example the front lens has a diameter of 42 mm.

  • The larger this number, the bigger your field of view, and easier it is to find what you are looking for. Imagine again the video of a bird flitting about, would it be easier to follow the bird looking through a drinking straw or a pringles tube (without the bottom of course). So bigger is better right? Again it’s a trade off, a bigger objective lens also means physically larger and heavier binoculars, that can be cumbersome to carry, while too small can be nice and pocket sized, but hard to find your subject. Smaller binoculars also take a bit more practice to get a clear view without black rings around the edges, this can be frustrating when starting out, which is why I recommend 32 or 42 mm for beginner binocular users.

  • Trade off: larger objective = larger field of view (easier to find birds) and easier to get image without black rings but also bigger, heavier binoculars.

  • Good for birding: 42 mm or 32 mm

So what is the sweet spot for binoculars? That depends what you use them for. For birding, I recommend 8x42, or 8x32, especially for people learning to use binoculars.

• 8x Magnification gives a good amount of detail for when looking at birds, but is steady enough for hand held use.

• 42 mm or 32 mm objective lens diameter. They are both full sized but not too cumbersone. 42 mm gives a slightly bigger field of view, so will be a little easier to find what you are looking for and avoid those black rings that can be frustrating for begginers, while 32 mm will be a little bit lighter to carry. However, if 32 mm is still too bulky for you, there are pocket sized travel binoculars, just be mindful they may take a bit more patience and practice to get to grips with.

Why such a price range? You can pick up a pair for $20 or you can spend thousands, here are a few quick tips to bear in mind:

• Avoid the super cheap! The $20 pair are a false economy and a guaranteed shortcut to frustration. Unless you find an amazing sale, I’d be suspicious of anything under $150. If you don’t want to commit money to binoculars at this stage, you can still have heaps of fun birding. I recommend simply enjoying watching birds without any binos at all. Especially in the city, there is plenty to see without binoculars. Or come on a bird walk with me, where binoculars are provided. Contact me if the ticket price is prohibitive.

• Glass quality not size! In general the price reflects the lens quality and not the magnification (or objective). You can get a poor quality 50x100 pair cheaper than a good quality 8x25 pair for example. Better glass means clearer, sharper, brighter images. Note: The same model of binoculars tends to go up in price as the size of objective lens increases, since the binoculars are bigger and use more resources, but across different brands price doesn’t correlate with size.

• Stay within your budget! Most people, especially if you are just starting out, can have as much fun with a good quality pair as with a top of the range pair. As you get more serious you might yearn for better quality. To get the most out of your first pair, my advice is to get the best quality you can within your budget.

• The upshot, buy the highest quality within your price range!

What Binoculars do I use?

Like many people, my first pair were cheap. I got given them as a teenager and rarely if ever used them until I got into birding, then I excitedly got them out and quickly got frustrated because everything was blurry and I couldn’t get a clear image, so they went back to gathering dust. Learn from my mistake, and skip this stage!

My first decent pair were Celestron Nature DX Binoculars 8x32mm. The Celestron Nature DX range are great entry level binoculars. Good quality for their price, you can pick them up for $200-$300. These are the Binoculars I provide on the bird walks, so come along and give them a try.

After several years of wonderful bird watching through my Celestrons, they were sadly stolen while I was on a birding trip. I was gutted! But by this point, I knew birding was for me so decided to use the opportunity to upgrade. I found a pair of Nikon Monarch M5 8x42mm that were on sale. This was the best quality I could find within my price range at the time and I am loving them.

Disclosure: I am not sponsored by any binocular brands, these recommendations are from my own experiences and by far are not the only good options for binoculars out there.

What pair for you? That really comes down to personal preference, take into consideration the tips above and your own preferences. My main advice is to buy a pair you will use!

• Avoid the really cheap ones, these are so frustrating they usually end up gathering dust in a drawer.

• Try them! Go to your local camera shop and try a few pairs. Find one that is comfortable and you can see a nice image through.

• Choose a pair that suits your situation, whether this means an easy to use full sized pair or a good quality small travel pair.

Using binoculars is a skill and practice makes perfect. The more you use them, the better you will get and the more fun you will have!