Good binoculars are essential for anyone who wants to hunt, go birding, or step up their wildlife-viewing game. But there are hundreds of options on the market, ranging from less than $100 to more than $2,000. For suggestions on how to buy the right pair, I enlisted my good friend Jason Brooks, who鈥檚 been an avid birder going on 20 years. He broke聽down the聽nitty-gritty specs like magnification, configuration, and lens diameter so you don鈥檛 have to.
Understand the Technology
Magnification and lens diameter are the two most important specs to consider when buying binocs. The two numbers are always displayed together as a 鈥渂y鈥 formula, with magnification in front and lens diameter in back (7×35, 8×42, 10×50, etc). Magnification denotes by how many times the lenses magnify objects. Lens diameter, measured in millimeters, denotes how much light the binoculars let in. The more light they allow, the easier it is to spot fine details. As a general rule, the bigger the numbers, the bigger the binoculars.
Establish Your Budget
There are lots of great options in the $1,500 range. These binoculars have lenses with a high optical quality and reduced glare, both of which help you see fine details. Serious birders and hunters will definitely benefit from these specs. The rest of us, however, don鈥檛 need to spend that much. A $350 or $400 pair still offers precise enough viewing. Warning: Brooks says $350 is a good cutoff. Any lower than that and the lens quality declines steeply.
Look at the Warranty
News聽flash: Binoculars lenses will break if you drop them. And it鈥檚 easy to drop them when you鈥檙e scrambling around the woods. Make sure your pair comes with a warranty like that offered by and .
Choose the Right Pair for Your Activity
Binoculars come in many different configurations and sizes. To pick the right pair, you鈥檒l need to determine how you鈥檒l use it most often.
- Birding:聽Get an聽8×42聽or聽10×42聽configuration like the $400聽. These configurations hit the sweet spot between light and magnification when you鈥檙e trying to spot tiny聽hidden objects. These tend to be heavy models, but birders will appreciate the optical precision.
- Hunting:聽Get an聽8×28聽configuration like the $390聽. 鈥淭he hunter spends time in the brush, off trail, and needs binoculars close at hand that are easy to carry,鈥澛爏ays Brooks. He suggests a smaller zoom and lens diameter for hunters.
- Watching football:聽Get a聽10×50聽configuration like the $200聽聽Sure, they鈥檙e heavy, but it doesn鈥檛 matter if you aren鈥檛 walking far. Brooks recommends going with a maximum of聽10×50聽or smaller, as larger magnification requires a tripod to stabilize the image.