Focusing on binoculars? This should clear it up

Binoculars are handy for viewing wildlife, staring into a star-filled sky, watching a sporting event, or many other purposes.

Binoculars come in different styles, and learning about them helps you figure out which pair is right for you.

Three common styles are roof, Porro and reverse Porro prism.

Let’s explain the term prism first. Basically, without a prism your images would be seen in reverse and upside down.

The arrangement of the prisms lets you know the type.

If it looks like a giant spread-out H, it’s a Porro prism.

The disadvantage of this type is they are big and heavy. Also, many of this style are not waterproof.

On the positive side, they are usually less expensive than other types.

Recently, roof prisms have become very popular. They are rugged, compact, durable, and fit easily into your hands. They look like two straight tubes lying next to each other and joined by a bar with a focus knob in the center.

Binoculars are commonly labeled by the level of magnification (power) and the diameter of the lens (objective).

Just like styles, there are advantages and disadvantages to more power and larger lenses.

The larger the lens, the heavier the binocular will be. But a larger lens lets in more light and gives brighter images, especially near dusk or dawn when wildlife is most active.

Next, what power do you need? The higher the power, the closer things will appear when viewed through the binoculars, but high magnification also means it’s harder to hold the binoculars steady.

Using a 12-power porro prism with a 50mm lens (12X50) for a long day hunting might not be a good choice because it’s heavy and difficult to hold steady, and a jittery image can give you a headache.

A more practical choice that’s very popular is a Porro prism 8X40. This means an 8 power with a 40mm-size objective lens in a lightweight frame.

The reverse Porro prism style is very lightweight and sturdy, ideal for a youngster’s first pair. It is a combination of roof and Porro and fairly inexpensive.

Finally, let’s talk about coatings. Light transmission means the amount of light that moves through the binocular. Anti-reflective coatings are applied to provide a brighter, sharper image, sort of like when you put on sunglasses on a bright day.

“Coated” means some lenses have been coated with a single layer. “Fully-coated” means all exposed glass surfaces have been coated with a single-layer coating.

“Multicoated” lenses have multiple coatings applied.

Binoculars that are “fully multicoated” have multiple coatings on all exposed glass and render the highest image quality in terms of brightness, color and sharpness, but full multicoating also raises the price.

I hope this helps you pick out the style best for you, regardless whether it’s your first pair of binoculars, or your tenth.

Mark Krepps is a freelance writer, author and blogger at outdoorsforkids.blogspot.com. He is a father of three boys and has lived in Idaho for 16 years.

8First reported at IdahoStatesman.com