Frequently Asked Questions at The Binocular Site

	Binoculars FAQ How much magnification is enough? How much aperture do I need? What are wide-angle lenses? What is the difference between porro-prism and roof prism binoculars? What's the deal with coatings? How much magnification is enough? Advertising lingo like "mega-powered" has made people believe that bigger is better. But, when you increase binocular magnification you decrease brightness and field of view, which makes objects fuzzy and shaky. People buying binoculars for general use should stay between 7 and 9x magnifications. How much aperture do I need? The greater the aperture, the brighter the image will be, but the greater the size, weight and cost. For general use, choose binoculars with an aperture of 40mm to 42mm. However, 25mm models may get used more because they are compact and mobile. What are wide-angle lenses? Wide-angle means that the binoculars' field is wider than average (60 or higher). What is the difference between porro-prism and roof prism binoculars? Porro-prisms have objective lenses that are spaced farther apart than the eyepieces. Porro-prisms are bulky but usually perform better and cost less then roof-prisms. Also, porros yield a better three-dimensional image. Roof-prisms dominate the consumer market. The objective lenses line up directly with the eyepieces, resulting in a streamlined, compact and lightweight binocular. But roof-prisms usually cost more and lose more light to reflection, which is a disadvantage for astronomers but not for daytime terrestrial viewing. What's the deal with coatings? Coatings reduce the amount of light reflecting off of the lens and allow more light to reach your eyes. Without coatings, up to 50% of the light entering the binoculars is lost to reflections from the many glass surfaces within. As far as binoculars go, better coatings mean higher cost! Coating symbols: Coated (C) - One or more surfaces are coated. Fully-Coated (FC) - All air-to-glass surfaces are coated but plastic lenses may not be. Multi-Coated (MC) - One or more surfaces are coated. Fully Multi-Coated (FMC) - All air-to-glass surfaces are coated.

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Binoculars FAQ