Binocular Numbers

Binocular..what does it mean?

When looking to buy a pair of Binoculars what do you look for?
What do the numbers mean ie. 10×52, 8×40,10×36. How do you read these numbers? What does the first number mean, what does the second number mean? What would be the best for long distance viewing?

The first number is the power of the binoculars and the second number is the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters. So a binocular that is listed as being an 8 X 40 is an 8 power binocular with 40 millimeter diameter front lens. The larger the front or objective lens is, the better the ginocular is at gathering light. this applies only when your are comparing like binoculars. Some of the high end binoculars have very high quality lenses with some very high quality coatings on them. these lenses will gather more light than an equil size lens of a lesser quality. This is the reason that you get what you pay for when you are buying optics.

One thing to bear in mind is that as the power goes up on a pair of binoculars, the harder it is to hold them still enough to get a clear view. The higher powers exagerate the natural shake of your hands. Most people are limited to no more than 8 power binoculars because if they go to 10 power, they have to use a tree or something to steady their hands enough to see through them. Other people can handle the 10 power binoculars okay. Just be sure to try them out before you buy them so you know if you can hold them still enough to see through them. Even better, if you have a friend who has some binoculars like you think you’d like to buy, ask if you can borrow them for a day to try out. Take then out with you on a hike and give them a thorough tryout by looking at birds. scenery, etc. If you can afford them, there are some out there that have image stabilization in them but they ain’t cheap.

In the end, decide what is the most you can spend for binoculars and then buy the next better ones.

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