Binoculars.org

If your shopping for a binocular, its likely you already know what you want to use them for. Binoculars for birdwatching, hunting binoculars, binoculars for sporting events or even binoculars for astronomy. But when it comes to choosing what magnification your binocular should be, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Nearly all binocular uses are best done in either 8x or 10x magnification

If that’s true, why do you see binoculars in everything from 6 power to 20 power and higher? One reason is because many binocular manufacturers sell binoculars with the “bigger is better” mentality. Many binocular shoppers get a quick understanding of how the binocular “numbers” work – they learn what “8×42″ means and then decide to look for the largest numbers they can find as those must be better. I can’t tell you how many times we have talked to birdwatchers buying their first binocular and selected the 12 power binocular only to return them because they cant hold the binocular steady enough to keep the image worth looking at.

High magnification binoculars are good for only one thing – high magnification

If you truly are in need of looking at objects at great distances, then binoculars over 10x magnification may be a good choice for you. But the vast majority of binocular uses are best done in either 8x or 10x magnification. The choice between 8x and 10x comes down to a few things – image stability, brightness and field of view.

Most people observing through a binocular over 10x magnification power will complain that the image is difficult to keep steady. The more you magnify, the more you magnify every tiny movement of your hands. If your looking for binoculars for birding, its best to stick to either 8x or 10x magnification so you can observe the bird comfortably with an image that is not jerky and bouncing.

If your looking for binoculars for watching sporting events – something where action and movement is happening, if your magnification is too high, you will have a tough time keeping the action in your field of view. A lower magnification, while not as close up, will make you much happier.

There are still many uses for binoculars over 10x power

If your most important criteria is being as close as possible, then binocular choices over 10x magnification are plentyful. High power binoculars can bring you in very close to your subjects. The sacrifice for this will be steady images, image brightness and field of view.