Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris: Binocular Recommendations

Binocular Recommendations
By Doug Cheeseman

Background

A good pair of binoculars can really enhance your trip experience. For some trips they are indispensable, such as to Costa Rica, Argentina, or Panama. These are places where you may be seeking birds high in a rainforest tree under low light. For other trips they may be less important, such as to Antarctica. The wildlife here is close to you while on shore, although you will find binoculars very important if you are trying to identify seabirds while aboard ship.

Binocular quality and price vary a great deal and a little research will help you buy just what you need. It is very important to do some "soul-searching" to decide what you want to use them for. If you only want to bring them to concerts or sporting events, then you only need a compact, inexpensive pair to throw in your pocket. If you will spend many hours looking through them at birds and other wildlife in the field, then a durable pair with quality lenses are a must.

Prices range from from $300 to $2000. You can easily spend over $1000 on top quality binoculars, but if you use them often they are well worth the high price.

Today's top quality binoculars are filled with nitrogen making them waterproof and resistant to mildew and fogging in both tropical and cold conditions. Most good ones are also "armor" or rubber coated, improving durability and assuring they stay in alignment despite the knocks. A pair of binoculars can have over 15 air/glass interfaces, with light lost at each interface. Anti-reflective coating prevents light loss and is a very important feature of quality lenses, especially under low light conditions such as in forests and on cloudy days. Quality binoculars tend to be heavier since they contain more and better quality glass.

Binoculars are commonly referred to with their power rating, for example 8x42 or 10.5x44. These numbers define two important measurements - magnification (the first number: 8 and 10.5 in our example) and field of view (the second number: 42 and 44 in our example). These are some important binocular specifications to inquire about:

Magnification - The higher the magnification number, the larger the object appears in the binocular view. Eight and 10 power are the most popular for wildlife watching. It is important to note that the higher the magnification, the harder it is to hold the binoculars still to get a good look. If you do not have steady hands, don't get 10 power.
Field of View - A larger field of view allows you to see a larger scene while looking through the binoculars. This is very helpful when trying to locate a small bird in a tree since you will be able to see more of the tree in your view.
MInimum focusing distance - Some binoculars focus better at close objects than others, this could be important if you like to look at flowers, butterflies, and insects. Manufacturers call this "close focusing".
Quick focusing - Some binoculars focus "faster" than others. This means that a smaller turn of the focusing ring will bring the object into focus. This could make a difference in the field with fast moving animals.
Weight - Good quality binoculars contain a lot of glass making them heavy, so this is an important parameter to compare.

Read more about binoculars at Wikipedia, including more definitions of optical parameters. Plus a very nice Guide to Binoculars and Guide to Spotting Scopes from Audubon Magazine.

Current Recommendations

High-end Choices

I have used many brands of binoculars and believe that Kowa Genesis 8.5x44 and 10.5x44 are the best for ruggedness and ability to quick focus to a close 5.6 feet. They are extremely sharp, showing excellent definition of birds and mammals. My pair withstood bouncing on the bottom of an open Land Cruiser in Africa. They easily focus with a large center wheel and the diopter ring does not accidentally turn, as happened to me with my pair of Leitz. They are also faster to focus than my pair of Swarovski EL. The Kowa Genesis are a bit expensive as all high-end binoculars are (the 8.5x44 cost about $1,200) but will last a lifetime and are worth the price if you will use them often.

A second option is the Kowa Genesis 8x33 and 10x33. These are lighter and smaller, cost a bit less (about $1,100), focus even closer to 4.9 feet, but have a bit narrower field of view than the Kowa Genesis 10.5x44 and 8.5x44 mentioned above. These would be perfect for our Antarctica expeditions.

Another choice in the top-of-the-line category would probably be Leica Ultravid 42 HD in 8x42 or 10x42. Nikon offers the Nikon EDG, also in 8x42 or 10x42, they are pretty pricey and I don't think they are worth that much money, but I am sure they are good. Both of these close focus to about 9.8 feet, a bit too far for me.

Lower-priced Options

If you do not want to spend a lot on the Kowa Genesis, then look at the Kowa BD and the Vortex Viper, both in 8x42. The Viper close focuses to an impressive 5.1 feet and weigh 23 ounces, while the BD focuses to 6.6 feet and weigh 25.7 ounces. They both cost just over $500. I feel it is a toss-up between these two.

You can also look at the Nikon Monarch 8x42 which cost even less, just under $300. They are still fogproof (nitorgen filled), close focus to 8.2 feet, weigh 21.5 ounces, and have coated lenses.

Bottom Line

There are many other good binoculars made by Zeiss, Pentax, Bushnell, etc. My favorites are Kowa and Vortex - Kowa Genesis for quality, ruggedness, and sharpness and the Vortex Viper for the price.

Eagle Optics is a good source for binoculars. PriceGrabber.com is a good website where you can compare the current market prices from many different websites.

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