Binoculars: A necessary tool for birding

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For the beginner bird watcher, there are only a few tools that are necessary to enjoy the hobby. A local field guide that explains which birds you should be looking for, a notebook to record your sightings in, and good binoculars are all it takes to get started. Of these items, binoculars are arguably the most indispensable.

If you can’t get a good look at a bird, you really can’t be watching it, can you? Spotting a bird is important, but getting a good detailed look at the bird is more satisfying that just spotting it.

Serious birders often have more than one type of binoculars so they can get the most detailed view of a bird under varying conditions. Beginners, however, should begin with good, general-purpose binoculars to start with.

How do you choose binoculars as a beginning birder? Here are some things to take into consideration:

Magnification and the diameter of the objective lens – Most binoculars are described by two numbers. For example, good basic binoculars may be described as 10x42. The first number 10 is the magnification of the lens. The second number 42 is the size in millimeters of the diameter of the larger front lens known as the objective lens.

The larger the number of the magnification the closer the bird will appear when viewed through the binoculars. Binoculars with a magnification of 10 will make the bird appear ten times closer than it is. It may seem that a higher magnification would always be desirable, but binoculars with lower magnifications show a brighter, sharper image and they are generally less heavy. These are things that need to be considered when choosing binoculars.

The objective lens lets in light and the higher the diameter, the more light that will enter the binoculars. As with the magnification, the higher the number, the more the binoculars will usually weigh so that needs to be kept in mind when choosing.

Design – There are several design features to consider when a beginner chooses binoculars. Size is important. Smaller, pocket binoculars are easy to carry, and a birder will be more likely to carry them often, but they usually don’t have the quality of view that larger binoculars have.

Another feature to consider is durability. Binoculars are likely to get bounced around and dinged a bit while hiking, so durability is an important consideration. Some binoculars are even water resistant making them very durable.

Ease of focusing is an important design feature, too. Birds can fly away quickly, and a birder is likely to miss a good view if focusing the lens on the binoculars takes too long.

Cost and Warranty – This is important when buying any product. Fortunately, there are several good binoculars available for beginning bird watchers that are moderately priced. After deciding which features are needed, a beginning birder should do not only price comparisons on those binoculars that meet his needs, but also compare warranties. A great deal isn’t that great if a warranty doesn’t cover unexpected problems.

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