Many people assume that the best binoculars for bird watching are those with the highest possible magnification. However, this is actually a misconception. In reality, bird watchers often prefer binoculars with a magnification of 7x, 8x, or 10x for several reasons:
Lower magnification binoculars provide a more stable and clearer image than those with higher magnification. This is because they are less affected by slight hand movements that can cause blurring or distortion of the image.
Binoculars with lower magnification offer a wider field of view, making it easier to identify birds and allowing you to zoom in on specific ones.
They provide a brighter image with greater depth of field, allowing you to see more details of the birds and their surroundings.
Lower magnification binoculars also provide optimal eye relief, which means that there is enough distance between your eye and the eyepiece to comfortably wear glasses if necessary.
If you're looking for great, affordable binoculars, consider binoculars from USCAMEL.If you are new to the field of bird watching,USCAMEL Folding Pocket Binoculars would be a good choice.This binoculars from USCAMEL are a perfect combination of power, portability, and affordability. It offer power magnification, while still being lightweight and compact enough to fit in your pocket. The high-quality optics are equipped with anti-glare, making them ideal for a range of activities such as sports, wildlife, concerts, birdwatching, or travel.
One of the standout features of this binoculars is their adjustable width, allowing for a comfortable fit for different face sizes. Despite their budget-friendly price tag, the binoculars are built to last and feature high-quality optics, delivering excellent clarity of vision.The quick and easy focusing mechanism is another impressive feature, allowing users to focus quickly on their desired object with precision and accuracy.
But what if you want a binocular that's easy to use and can be used for for Bird Watching, Travel, Camping, Sightseeing?USCAMEL 10x42 Binoculars can meet your these needs.This binoculars boasts a powerful 10x magnification, a 42mm objective lens, and a wide field of view of 305ft/1000yds, allowing you to observe subjects from a farther and wider perspective. The twist-up eyepiece feature of the binoculars enables you to adjust the eye distance according to your preference, allowing you to view images more comfortably and clearly. The eyepiece has a diameter of approximately 18mm, which provides a better viewing experience compared to other binoculars.
The binoculars also feature high-quality FMC coating and premium BAK4 prism, ensuring that the images you observe are bright and sharp. The design allows for maximum light reflection, providing an amazing viewing experience. This professional binoculars is a must-have for all outdoor sports activities.
In terms of durability and comfort, the binoculars are designed with a non-slip framework and rubber armor that provides shock-absorbing protection and resistance to harsh weather conditions. The high-quality materials used in the construction also offer a comfortable grip while using the binoculars.
Additionally, the binoculars come with useful accessories such as rubber eyepiece and lens covers to protect the lens, a neck strap, and a soft carrying case for easy and convenient transportation. The adjustable and wide straps also ensure that you can carry the binoculars comfortably anywhere you go.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a pair of binoculars suitable for bird watching, please consider the USCAMEL series of binoculars. Whether you are a beginner or a professional birder, USCAMEL has you covered.
]]>Rangefinder, when you search on Google, there comes many results from laser rangefinder. They are mostly used for golf or short range distance.
But what we're going to talk about in this article is the rangefinder on binoculars. It is completely optical type.
They usually have a scale in the right field of view corresponding to the measurement, although it is not possible to directly read the distance value, but because of their purely mechanical way, in a way, is more suitable for the binoculars.
*Note while the rangefinder on the binoculars also requires batteries, they are for illumination use only.
There are actually systems for calculating the distances used in rangefinder cross binoculars and oscilloscopes. The simplest and most common method is to compare the scale or measurement mark on the marker in the binocular, monocular or oscilloscope field of view with a known size section or the entire object you are viewing. In military and hunting circles this is often referred to as the Mil-Dot marker and the formula for calculating the distance is called the Mil-dot formula.
Yes, while they are not as accurate and fast as laser rangefinders in providing accurate values over short distances, they can give you a good idea and can be useful over long distances. Their accuracy depends on how well the user aligns the targets and, of course, how accurate they are in estimating the height or length of the targets. If you know the exact height of the targets and align them very carefully on the markers, they will be very accurate.
And considering that the battery-free operation makes the binoculars suitable for more environments, the matching compass can also provide an important role in navigation and outdoor use.
For USCAMEL hot sale binoculars with rangefinder and compass. There is an additional tool for easily getting the distant number.
The Calculator Dial can be used to determine the distance quickly and easily without using the above calculation. The Calculator Dial comprises a rotational active ring showing a triangular "ANGLE" marking and affixed scale marked "DISTANCE". There are two scales in the Active Ring, the upper scale is View Angle and the lower is a Size Scale marked "OBJECT SIZE".
First, measure the View Angle values of an object, rotate the Active Ring and place this value at the angle index mark. Then, find the division indicating the size of the object, where the size meets the distance scale indicates the distance to the object.
For example: See fig.7. You observe a lighthouse and its measured Vertical View Angle is 60mils. Rotate the Active Ring and place the division marked "6" in the View Scale Angle index Mark. Its height is 12m, the division marked "12" in the Size Scale lines up with the division marked "200" in the the Fixed Scale.
This tell us that the lighthouse's distance is 200m from us.
Where the size of the observed object is outside the scale just divide the size of the object by a number that will bring your object size to within the scale and divide the View Angle by the same number. As the values are on a fixed scale ratio the resulting value on the dial will be correct. (There is no need to multiply out the result).
Check the Hot Sale Marine Binoculars as blog mentioned.
Yes, for this kind of article tries to search on Google you can find countless similar articles. But we still decided to publish such a blog.
Why? You may finish reading this article and then give your answer to each one of them.
At the outset, we have to admit that most of the "How to" articles are mostly right, and the recommended products are indeed very good ones.
However, they all set the baseline at a very high level, and they all agree that buying below that price is a waste of money. Well, from a professional standpoint, that may be true.
In another hand, you may just want to observe a certain bird nesting on the backyard tree in the yard or be ready to go to the countryside with your loved person or friends to be in nature, or just like looking at the beautiful woman on the beach. Do these is a necessary need to buy professional binoculars? In this consumer society, we have been misled by consumption that we care too much about the advice and comments of others while ignoring our actual needs.
So our starting point is from the perspective of personal needs and what configurations are required for various needs.
Before we officially start.
Rule No.1, unless there is a purpose, it is not recommended to use more than 10x binoculars, 7~10x is the best choice.
Rule No.2, any attempt to use binoculars in poor light conditions will fail. In fog, rain, or at night, even if you buy the top recommended products in these environments can not get very good results.
Rule No.3, the pursuit of all-around binoculars can easily exceed your budget, it is always a good idea to predetermine my choice based on my own usage needs.
Rule No.4, the optics is a precision product, no matter what price, careful care, and proper storage are to ensure that the product can work properly. Humidity, corrosion, or exposure to sunlight can affect the subsequent use of the product. In a way, high-priced products are more prone to damage.
Now, let's begin. For what follows, we'll use the activity type to differentiate.
For indoor events, we are not going to talk a lot. In terms of these indoor activities listed above or not, the first thing we have to consider is the magnification according to the activities and venues, in general, 4~7 times will be a good choice. 10 times is fine too.
Try to discover the outdoors with binoculars that you have never met, that's the most important thing, isn't it?
These are the most usual outdoor activities, and certainly, the most uncertain, and the type of telescope you choose will depend on your:
Mobility tools
Yes, the first point, is not the performance of the product, but how you travel. If walking it is better to recommend lighter-weight products. Believe me, in the last mile you will always complain about why it is so heavy. And if there is a vehicle or other ways, a heavier one will be fine. Because in most cases it will stay in the car.
Waterproof
In many articles, waterproofing is mentioned as an important feature, of course, I don't deny that some end their lives because of water ingress, but is that? According to our cases, the breakage rate of lenses is about three times higher than in the water ingress situation.
And there are two most effective ways to deal with water ingress, the first is to avoid prolonged use in wet conditions, and the second is to store it well. As I mentioned, you can not get a good view during the bad weather, so put it back in a case or bag. This will help you to focus on what you are currently doing, rather than worrying about whether the binoculars are getting water in.
Bak-4 or Bk7
The BAK-4 is used as the first choice because it does greatly improve the overall quality of the binoculars. The Bk7 performs not as well as BAK-4 at the edge of the field of view. It does not mean that Bk7 is a waste of money, instead is not a bad option when you are on a tight budget.
Coating
The coating can quickly consume your budget, especially with the well-known brands' technologies, some of it you can not even tell their name. Of course in the pursuit of bringing top performance in the user experience, and that means your budget will have to be raised significantly.
Other
Compass and rangefinder may help in some inadvertent situations, so if you don't mind having tick marks in the field of view, marine binoculars may be a good choice too.
Birds are lovely creatures with brightly colored feathers and are very flexible. Generally speaking, spotting scopes are equipped with a regular or portable tripod, and the observation point will be in one or several fixed locations (except for birders).
Magnification
Birds wouldn't always stay in one place, and high magnification means a narrower field of view. 7~8x binoculars with a professional birding scope(Spotting scope) is a wise choice.
Coating
When it comes to bird watching, we recommend starting with FMC Coating. Yes, a good coating will bring more vivid colors. Please spend as much as possible on this if you have enough budget.
Other
FMC coated optics means that the rest of the configuration is not too bad, so if the price difference is not too great, you can safely choose according to your personal preference. Usually, the rangefinder and compass will have additional indicator scales in the field of view, and some people will feel that they will affect the bird-watching experience, but we have received positive feedback about these features.
Wild animals are usually very alert, and binoculars in hunting are mainly used for seeking. For the rest of the shooting, you need riflescopes.
Usage Method
One of the things you must consider before buying binoculars is how you will use them, and more specifically, how to get them quickly without worrying about dropping or making a big noise. The biggest difference between hunting and hiking or camping is the supply, you need to get deep into the wilderness without any additional supplies. Once your binoculars are damaged means all your rest hunting will meet a very difficult situation. Binoculars indeed come with straps, and only straps, and they are suitable for most situations. Hunting? Maybe not in consideration. And unlike other activities, you have to alternate binoculars and your gun a lot in hunting. Some people prefer to use a more stable strap or special hunting gear with a clutch bag to hold the binoculars to their chest. Others will consider securing their binoculars in a pouch around their waist. Guess what, I've seen some people hunt by settling themselves on a tree.
Objective lens
Most of the hunting happens in the early morning or late evening, so please just ignore the portable design with an objective lens below 40mm, it would be a good idea to choose a binoculars with large objective lens aperture.
And if you want it in the deep night, you will need night vision goggles.
Waterproof
Please choose whether you need this function according to your actual situation.
Other
Other things like coating are not necessary, so please filter according to your budget.
Whether you are looking for mining or fishing, or sailing, binoculars are one of the very important ones (the other is sun protection). In this regard, there are nautical binoculars dedicated to this type of product.
Waterproof
In these activities, water resistance will be the priority. IPX4 waterproofing will bring your happy voyage to an early end. Higher waterproofing is what you should choose.
No need to think more, IPX7 + nitrogen filling is necessary. This feature was originally designed for accidental waterfalls.
Magnification
7~10x magnification is still the range we recommend. This is mainly from the product weight for consideration, unlike using opticals on land, you will encounter long periods of holding at sea.
Other
Although many people think rangefinder and compass show annoying tick marks in the field of view. But believe me, they are very important features in sailing.
Let's talk about waterproof this time.
The waterproof has been a very mature function. Is necessary? I say YES.
First of all, we have to know the waterproof level, waterproof level refers to the level of water resistance, that is, to prevent water infringement and damage. Waterproof level is divided into nine levels, generally using IPX to indicate that
Generally speaking, lower than the IPX4 level we can call life waterproof, higher than IPX7 can be called waterproof function. And outdoor equipment using IPX7 level is enough for using, some professional equipment or environment need to reach IPX8 or more(diving or something like that).
Most of the waterproof function is achieved by sealing, using rubber rings or special waterproof glue to seal, such as watches, cell phones, etc. At the time of assembling or repairing, people will install a good waterproof rubber ring in the appropriate location and then tighten the operation (screws or adhesive) to achieve the role of sealing. This way for the fixed container can achieve a longer period of sealing, telescope eventually can not get around this way.
Yes, to achieve waterproof binoculars we have to seal the lens barrel, to achieve this, the eyepiece, focus wheel, the objective lens must do waterproof treatment, eyepiece, and focus wheel sealing commonly is same as we mentioned. so we only talk about the objective lens. Binoculars are achieved by moving the objective lens to focus, when we turn the focus wheel is actually through the internal mechanical structure, that adjusts the position of the objective lens. So how do waterproof binoculars handle the eyepieces?
The way is very straightforward, since doing waterproofing requires sealing the lens barrel and fixing the objective lens. A new lens is added between the objective lens and the prism, and the function of focusing is achieved by moving this lens. Some people have already responded that the addition of that lens, on top of the before, light reaching the human eye will add two more transmissions, and this is accompanied by the loss of more incoming light. At the same time, it increases the weight.
Choose a binocular according to your needs, a waterproof binocular sometimes really works but doesn't always mean a better choice.
Note. Regarding nitrogen filling, nitrogen filling is a layer of protection for the optics to prevent the internal structure from rusting or mildewing due to water molecules in the air.
Check USCAMEL IPX7 nitrogen filled Waterproof Binoculars.
]]>Our optics101 now came to the last physical part, the eyepiece.
About the eyepiece, it is what you know [10x] 50.
The eyepiece usually consists of more than 2 lenses to achieve for magnifying the object, it is the last trip of the light before going into your eyes. Most of people assume that the magnification is related to the objective lens, in terms of ultimate magnification alone, this is true. But to binoculars, it is the eyepiece that determines the magnification.
As always said the magnification is not the larger the better. On the one hand, subject to the limit of the Objective lens ultimate magnification, the other hand, as the magnification increases, the exit pupil will become smaller and smaller. This has already been mentioned in the objective lens.
Another point never mentioned is the aberrations, either by squeezing or stretching, this usually happens with very poorly produced binoculars, especially like 10-20x zoom binoculars.
At the same time, the picture shows another problem. This is another function of the eyepiece, the elimination of chromatic aberration and dispersion. A binocular that does not reduce chromatic aberration will form a distinct bright edge (usually purple or blue) around the edge of the object and the entire field of view will be off-color (usually yellowish or greenish) from the real one, while a telescope that controls it effectively will be less noticeable. Yes, chromatic aberration and dispersion cannot be avoided, they can only be reduced. So chromatic aberration and dispersion are the most intuitive factors that affect our use of binoculars.
The good thing is, by adding a piece of ED glass, chromatic aberration and dispersion can be corrected to an acceptable range for the human eye, if we do not pay attention on it.
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Image source:
Internet & Photo by Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash
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About the coating, it has talked enough. They all told you it is the ability to increase light transmission. Indeed they tell the truth. But is that all? Of course not.
Another and the most important reason for using a coating is to reduce lens flare.
The initial development of coating technology was a complete necessity. From the Galileo(which had only two lenses), now it has evolved to the point where it now typically has seven lenses or more. On the other hand, light passes through roughly 12 glass media surfaces.
No matter how advanced the design of scopes is, there are two things that happen when light passes through each different media surface, refraction and reflection. What we need is refraction, it finally goes into the human eyes. The rest reflected light will produce new refractions and reflections after passing through each surface. Some will accidentally enter the eyes and interfere with the view we see.
Therefore, the coating technology was born with the original purpose of reducing the corresponding reflected light by adding a layer of material selected according to a certain wavelength of light. It is these missing wavelengths of light that give the coating a different color.
And with the development of technology, it was found that the refractive index of light of specific wavelengths could be increased by multiple coatings, on top of reducing reflection. It comes we understand the role of increasing light transmission.
The difference between Fully Coated, Multi-Coated, and Fully Multi-Coated, are coated on single or all media surfaces(including prisms) once or several times. This is why Fully Multi-Coated is the most expensive and could get the best quality of the view.
But one thing that must be noted when buying binoculars is that decorative coatings should never be on your consideration list forever. Only if you really need one. They do not help to improve the amount of light intake and reduce lens flare, instead, it will be a disaster for your eyes.
When protagonists hold a binocular in movies or photos, its lens looks bright & clear, you can even see the details of the surrounding scenario from the reflection of the objective lenses, which is actually the way directors(photographers) of expressing. Unlike these, a well-coated lens should look a little bit dark, cause the light goes through into the eyes in the end. There is a way to simply define an objective lens using real coating or fake. The darker the better.
However, decorative coatings also have their own unique uses. Such as in the snow of clear weather, sunshine beach, or in a particularly reflective environment, having such a binocular can protect your eyesight.
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Image source: Photo by Daniel Olah on Unsplash
]]>Is this real? Let's continue to get to know prisms.
This time we will talk about Bak4 & Bk7.
Well, To not be so boring, we first solve the most important question.
In the Porro prism, you can hold the binocular at about 40cm to observe through the eyepieces.
If the eyepiece among the spot shape is a perfect circle, congratulations you got a bak4 binocular.
If it has a gray edge, the binocular is a BK7 prism.
This only works to Porro binoculars.
Want to know more? Continue for the rest.
First of all, you should know that Porro and Roof are types, while Bak4 & Bk7 are models.
Even Roof has types too. But to make the easy to understand. We just talk Porro & Roof.
Just like computers, AMD and Intel are both great CPUs, but different brands(types). Meanwhile, they are many models of each of them. So are Bak4 & Bk7.
It depends.
Generally, Bak4 light transmission can reach 99%, Bk7 light transmission rate is about 83%. That is why you may see some binoculars show their light transmission rate of 99.99% with Bak4 prisms.
But a few binoculars that use the top Bk7 prisms are very expensive. They have magnification and size beyond the average binoculars, and produced with very clear purposes with really good quality. Trust me they're more expensive.
In usage, people cannot distinguish between Bak4 and Bk7 by the naked eyes, especially roof binoculars. Even Porro binoculars with low magnification(lower than 5x) or better design, because the field of view is enough large and can't observe the gray edge phenomenon.
But the interesting thing is that most people can't accept the Bk7 binoculars once they have used the bak4 binoculars. It is maybe caused by psychological factors. So the purchase advice, more recommended BAK4 binoculars.
Why is bak4 batter?
Here is a picture from Wikipedia that shows how light passes through a prism. Of course, it is just a conventional prism for educational purposes. Here we can also observe the loss of light.
And this is what a Porro prism looks like, they are always a pair, light pass through two prisms like a snake, allowing the human eye to see the corrected image.
As we mentioned before Porro prisms theoretically have a 100% refractive index, YES, if the incident light is parallel light like the wiki picture.
In reality, the light passing through the objective lens is pooled(Objective lens are convex lens), causing a slight difference in the angle of incidence of the light. In the illustration below, only the yellow light completely passes through the prism, while the red and blue light is partially lost. How to reduce this part of the loss? The answer is already in this blog. Go find it.
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The most important part of the binoculars is the objective lens.
This property is directly reflected in the parameter, e.g., 8*21,10x50, 21 & 50 means these binoculars have 24mm & 50mm objective lens.
Imagine a highway, at the beginning only 24 lanes, then increased to 50 lanes. There's no doubt that the 50 lanes highway is certainly more spacious than 24, and can pass more vehicles, what if replace the car with light? (Using modern physics, light has wave-particle duality)
Above is a simple understanding of objective lens diameter - the larger the objective lens the more light it collects, which gives you a brighter view. Here is a simple formula to show the ratio of the objective lens and light intake, once the objective lens diameter * 1.4, doubled the amount of light intake.10x50 is more than 4 times brighter than 8x21. Because 21 * 1.4 * 1.4 = 41, light intake at least increases 2 * 2 = 4, even when we got a 10x21 instead 8x21 has as same as the magnification of 10x50, to make they have the same size in the view. Always choose a binocular with a larger objective lens, a bright field of view is always helpful.
Another formula about the objective lens is the exit pupil diameter can be calculated by dividing the diameter of the objective lens by the magnification. Too small exit pupil diameter will affect our use of the binocular. Usually, the human pupil changes with the environment and age, in the normal environment is about 2 ~ 3mm, but in the dim environment is about 5 ~ 7mm. So the 8x21 is not as convenient to use in dim environments as the 10x50. A binocular with a large exit pupil aperture is much better for the environment than a small one.
]]>The first number indicates that the binoculars have a 10x magnification capability, in other words, the ability to zoom in on the observation target 10 times closer, a target 1000 meters away can be observed through the 10x binoculars, the image size will be the same as it is from 100 meters the distance is directly observed with the naked eye.
So, the next question is: Is higher magnification better?
A common intuition is that the higher the magnification of the binoculars, the better. Well, that's fake. Just like when we take pictures or videos with our mobile phone or camera, the problem of shaking is inescapable. The same goes for binoculars. Even with two hands, the higher the magnification, the less stable it is.
And take into account the degradation of image quality caused by the darkening of the field of view and increased magnification, as well as atmospheric stability, etc. Manufacturing these binoculars would have to increase the size of the objective or the manufacturing process, which would greatly increase the size and weight of the binoculars. You don't want to take a box or case with a binocular on your trip. Besides, the larger the objective lens, the higher the price. Anyone wouldn't like to spend most of their money to buy a binocular, instead, the journey itself is the most important.
Here is USCAMEL 10X50 Marine Binoculars for your check.
Prisms are inevitably used in optical design because we are always referencing by ourselves, the ground below our feet, and the sky above our heads. If we see an upside-down view through a small hole, our brain needs time to adjust its perception to it.
The main purpose of using prisms, whether Porro or Roof, is to correct inversions. And they use different prism sets for this purpose.
The prism system of the Porro is theoretically very effective, as the light is reflected in the prism with total reflection. In practice, however, due to differences in the quality of the prisms used (BAK4 & BAK7), the current acceptance of Porro is not as high as that of roof prisms.
Due to the angle between the two prisms, the objective lens and the eyepiece are not in a straight line, so in addition to looking bulky, there is also a difference in the sense of perspective and three-dimensionality when observing with the Porro.
However, the object lens of the Porro can be made larger, which increases the amount of light intake.
Roof prisms have actually existed for a long time, and the main reason for their popularity is that they optimise the sense of perspective and three-dimensionality when using Porro, while being able to be more portable than Porro.
However, there is a certain loss of refraction in a roof prism, and the light does not produce a total reflection on the reflective surface that enters the human eye (Schmidt-Berhan prism). Modern technology uses aluminium or silver for plating in order to reduce the light loss, which also results in a higher degree of precision in roof prisms.
Also, given the physical structure of the Roof, the objective lens is usually not as large as Porro, so the observed view will be considerably fainter.
As with WIN and macOS, both Porro and the Roof can observe objects very well. Based on the personal usage the following aspects can be considered.
For the same objective size, the Porro is usually heavier, so for simple outdoor activities, no doubt the Roof would be more suitable.
Typically, Porro will be relatively inexpensive due to its simple construction, while roofs will usually be slightly more expensive. However, top of the range Porro is also very expensive.
If there is a specific need for an observation target, please select it according to the need.
Roof are generally not suitable for use in low light scenarios due to the small size of the objective lens. For performance in certain extreme conditions (heat, rain, snow, etc.), the Porro has certain advantages from a structural point of view.
Optics are never a product that requires attention to usage habits, so if you're someone who doesn't usually love things too much, the Paulscope will probably last longer.
USCAMEL has both Porro prisms marine binoculars and Roof prisms compact binoculars. Each is bulit with fine quality prisms, and will unquestionable be your good assistant while your in hunting, hiking, or boating and such ourdoor activity.
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