Indoors and out, for viewers young and old, binoculars enhance the enjoyment of any sporting activity. They are essential gear for concerts, sports events, hiking, a day in the field and sight-seeing expeditions. Imageland stocks a wide range of durable and reliable binoculars with models for virtually every type of activity.

Binoculars always come in handy - whether you're an avid hunter or an occasional theatre-goer. They are essential gear for camping and hiking, a day in the field or a vacation trip to the grand canyon. Choosing the best binocular for your needs isn't always easy. Consider when, where and how often you plan to use them in order to select a binocular with a combination of features that are right for you.

MAGNIFICATION (POWER)
Binoculars are often referred to by two numbers separated with an "x". For example; 8x32. The first number is the power or magnification of the binocular. With an 8x32 binocular, the object being viewed appears to be eight times (8x) closer than you would see it with the unaided eye.

OBJECTIVE LENS SIZE
The second number in the formula (8x32) is the diameter of the objective or front lens. The larger the objective lens, the more light that enters the binocular, and the brighter the image.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR BINOCULARS

Basic Design Differences

Binoculars are of two basic designs these days - the traditional Porroprism design, which are quite chunky, and the newer Roof Prism design, which are slimmer. Porroprism binoculars are easier to manufacture, so are generally cheaper then roof prisms of the same quality, but are bulkier.

Compact binoculars (eg something like an 8x20 or 10x25) give a smaller angle of view and a less bright image than larger binoculars such as an 8x40 or 10x50, but are much easier to carry around, being smaller and lighter.

Waterproof Binoculars

Fully waterproof binoculars are also fog-proof, so the lenses don't mist up on the inside. They have been purged with nitrogen during manufacture, to remove moisture, and are sealed to prevent moisture seeping in. They are therefore more expensive than binoculars which are not waterproof. Most binocular users don't need waterproof ones, but a sailor should seriously consider them. A compromise is a weather resistant design.

Autofocus Binoculars

We are sometimes asked for autofocus binoculars. True autofocus binoculars are extremely rare, very expensive and bulky, and rely on batteries for the autofocus mechanism. Most binoculars called autofocus are not really autofocus at all, but what are politely called focus-free. In fact, they are not focussed at all most of the time on what you want to see, but are pre-focussed on a distance close to infinity. They rely on your eyes to do most of the work and can cause eye strain. Before buying a pair of these you must try them first to see if they are suited to your eyes. If you wear specatacles you will almost certainly find them unsuitable. These focus-free binoculars are at the cheaper end of the price range, for obvious reasons.

Night Scopes

These have been developed for use mainly by the military. Some night binoculars and monoculars and available to the general public. They magnify only about 2 or 3 times, and give a green shadowy image, which can be made brighter by the clever use of an infrared beam (invisible to the human eye) emitted from the binocular or monocular. They can be useful for viewing nocturnal animals at night, where they are not too far away.

Choosing the magnification and size

People sometimes want to buy binoculars with the greatest magnification, but you should choose the binoculars bearing in mind what you want to use them for.

If you need a small, light pair for travelling, a compact such as an 8x20 or 10x25 is a good choice. If you are a birdwatcher, you will probably go for something bigger, which gives a good field of view and a brighter image. An 8x40 is often a good choice, but some prefer a lower magnification, such as a 7x50, whcih gives very bright image and an even wider field of view, or perhaps a higher powered 10x50. For general views across countryside, a 10x50 would be a good choice, but is heavier than a lower powered binocular. Also, bear in mind that binoculars with higher magnifications are harder to hold steady in your hands. To help with this, it is also possible to buy binoculars with image stabilisers to hold the image steady. They are much more expensive than conventional binoculars and much heavier.

TELESCOPES

Telescopes come in two main types, depending on what you want to use them for: astroscopes and spotting scopes.

Astroscopes are used mainly for looking at the night sky. They are either refractors (which just use lenses) or reflectors (which use a combination of lenses and mirrors).

Refractors are the best for absolute detail, for objects which are close to us in astronomical terms, like the moon or planets. They are quite long and often turn the image upside down, which is a bit disorientating when looking at landscapes, but which can be corrected by using a inverting prism between the eyepiece and the barrel.

Reflecting telescopes are best for deep space observation. They use a combination of lenses and mirrors. They give a bright image (important at big magnifications) at reasonable cost (big mirrors are easier and cheaper to make than big lenses). They are shorter than refractors but reverse the image - just like looking in a mirror. Again, this is not important in astro observation. The simplest type of reflecting scope is called a Newtonian, after the scientist who is credited with its design. There are more sophisticated examples of reflecting scopes, whcih give better definition. They are known by various names, such as Cassegrain or Matsukov, and these are more expensive than basic Newtonians.

You can change the magnification on an astroscope by changing the eyepice. To calculate the magnification, you find the focal length of the telescope (from the literature which comes with the scope) and divide it by the focal length of the eyepice (marked on it). So a scope with a focal length of 1000mm when fitted with a 10mm eyepiece gives a magnification of 100, and when fitted with a 20mm eyepiece gives a magnification of 50. The greater the magnification ,the dimmer will be the image, so large lenses and mirrors are essential if you are wanting a high magnification. In fact, this is more important than the actual magnification in astronomical scopes, but of course rather more expensive.

Spotting Scopes are much smaller than astroscopes, and are based on a binocular design (half a pair of binoculars) using lenses and prisms. They aften have zoom eyepieces, or changeable eyepieces. They do not reverse or invert the images, so are much more suitable for use on land. They are just the job for the view from your window, or for looking at wildlife from a distance, though they are more limited than binoculars because the field of view becomes smaller the greater the magnification. Zoom eyepieces commonly give 20x to 60x magnification, but it is possible to get up to 100x with some scopes. Spotting scopes with bigger objective lenses (the ones at the front) give brighter images but make the scope bigger and more expensive.