# Do You Have / Use Binoculars?



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I am thinking of buying a pair of binoculars for viewing nature etc.

They can be quite expensive. 

Does anybody here own a pair? I would love to read your advice / thoughts.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I voted "No, I don't have any but I would like to".


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

No, I have no use for them,sorry


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

No need, not since the couple across the way installed blinds.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I inherited binoculars from my father. Basically used as a decoration piece now.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

I have a pair that I keep in the car and take camping. Imagine the self-hatred you would experience were you to encounter wildlife without a pair of binoculars.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I sometimes use my strong digital camera zoom in stead (good for reading signs far away, for example).


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I could have used some when I used to go to rock music festivals and cricket matches but otherwise owning a pair has never really occurred to me.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Mine are not very expensive so I can't recommend them for serious wildlife viewing.

I use them mostly for identifying planets and other things I see in the sky. Old fashioned, I know, when most people can point their phones at the sky to identify planets these days, but I hate phones. I seriously actively hate phones.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Art Rock said:


> I inherited binoculars from my father. Basically used as a decoration piece now.


Just remembered I have the same from my grandfather, still answer mains the same


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I bought back in the 1980s a great pair from the since defunct Carl Zeiss Jena, manufactured in the GDR. Model Octarem 8x50. They are still as good as new.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I have many pairs of binoculars, used for several purposes. I have a pair of 20X, 80 mm that I use on a tripod for birdwatching instead of a spotting scope; also for astronomy. The rest are various 7 or 8 power binoculars for general birdwatching and nature observation. While one can pay huge sums for the very best binoculars--Zeiss, Swarovski, etc.-- one can get 95% of the clarity and quality for maybe a fifth of the price from reputable sources dealing in Japanese binoculars, such as Orion Binoculars and Telescopes. I would recommend a pair of 8X, 30 mm to 45 mm Japanese binoculars, nitrogen-purged to be waterproof, and fully multi-coated, for a good general pair of binoculars. Look to pay some hundreds of dollars; avoid anything selling for less.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Only when clara s is my neighbor.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I voted 'no, I have no use for them'. However, my sister's ex-husband was a keen birdwatcher & he used them all the time. Ask yourself how keen you are. If you just vaguely appreciate nature, don't bother; if you think you'd drive 20 miles to view a rare visiting bird, then buy yourself a pair - a decent but not top of the range pair of binoculars to test out.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

I have a pair of Soviet-made 7x50s, over 40yrs old, weigh many kilos, optically superb. Especially good in poor light and for biceps workout.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I don't often use them, but whenever I have reason or desire to use them, and things to look at, they can be quite nifty. I was in the grand nature reserve, Parque Doñana in Andalusia, and they were essential for seeing all the strange birds standing in the marshes.


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## Antiquarian (Apr 29, 2014)

I have several pairs. The largest is a Stellar 7x50 that is used for casual astronomical observation. I've tried larger ones, but have difficulty holding them for long periods of time due to their weight. I use an ancient compact pair of opera glasses that fold flat, but they really can't be considered true binoculars.


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Pat Fairlea said:


> I have a pair of Soviet-made 7x50s, over 40yrs old, weigh many kilos, optically superb. Especially good in poor light and for biceps workout.


I got ^^^^^ from my father in law but left them in St Petersburg because of their weight. I rather fill my luggage with some good brandies....


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Strange Magic said:


> I have many pairs of binoculars, used for several purposes. I have a pair of 20X, 80 mm that I use on a tripod for birdwatching instead of a spotting scope; also for astronomy. The rest are various 7 or 8 power binoculars for general birdwatching and nature observation. While one can pay huge sums for the very best binoculars--Zeiss, Swarovski, etc.-- one can get 95% of the clarity and quality for maybe a fifth of the price from reputable sources dealing in Japanese binoculars, such as Orion Binoculars and Telescopes. I would recommend a pair of 8X, 30 mm to 45 mm Japanese binoculars, nitrogen-purged to be waterproof, and fully multi-coated, for a good general pair of binoculars. Look to pay some hundreds of dollars; avoid anything selling for less.


Thanks! Noted. Would you recommend a tripod for some of the more powerful ones?


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## Poppy Popsicle (Jul 24, 2015)

Dear ArtMusic, I have enjoyed reading many of your polls and I have even taken the time to respond to some of them. I have appreciated - I would even go so far as to say savored enormously - your ground-breaking statistical approach to critical issues such as whether or not one likes eating snails or mushrooms, or what pizza topping goes best with tonal or atonal music. But this time I feel you have crossed the boundery into perversity. I truly hope your next poll will not ask if we wear latex or impermeable anoraks whilst listening to esoteric music that flies in the face of widely accepted musical norms. 
Given that my moral compass has been severely perturbed by this poll, I regret to inform you that I cannot participate in it.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Once one has a pair of decent binoculars, they tend to develop their own reasons for you to use them. Next time you are outside on a clear night with binoculars, take a look at the moon--you will be amazed. Find out when Jupiter can be seen in the night sky and take a look--you will see the moons of Jupiter quite clearly, the sight of which blew Galileo's mind and started modern astronomy, and also modern observational science. You can see galaxies, star clusters, other planets. Where will it all end.....?


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

ArtMusic said:


> Thanks! Noted. Would you recommend a tripod for some of the more powerful ones?


Yes. Really required for anything above, say, 15X. Any decent, sturdy camera tripod will do, but if you get serious about binocular astronomy, there are special counterweighted mounts that are expressly designed for ease of use looking up at the sky. Check the Orion website. But any 7X or 8X binocs will show you the Jovian moons, etc., and will get you started.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Strange Magic said:


> Yes. Really required for anything above, say, 15X. Any decent, sturdy camera tripod will do, but if you get serious about binocular astronomy, there are special counterweighted mounts that are expressly designed for ease of use looking up at the sky. Check the Orion website. But any 7X or 8X binocs will show you the Jovian moons, etc., and will get you started.


Thanks! That's one of the reasons why I am getting them. I am thinking of a 10X. Can I really gaze into the skies at night and see the moon? You mention a 7X or 8X will let me see Jovian moons! wow! I don't know much about this.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Here's a link to Orion: http://www.telescope.com/Binoculars/Waterproof-Binoculars/pc/5/69.uts

I would look at the Orion Savannah Pro 8X, 42mm as a fine pair of all-purpose binoculars. If you look at the pricing for binoculars, the Chinese optics will be selling for $100 or less; the Japanese for several hundred. While the Chinese are making enormous strides in optics, both telescopes and binoculars, the Japanese instruments are tried and true. Of my 5 pairs, 4 are Japanese and say so; the other pair, a Minox, may be German but the binoculars themselves bear no trace of country of origin.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

ArtMusic said:


> Thanks! That's one of the reasons why I am getting them. I am thinking of a 10X. Can I really gaze into the skies at night and see the moon? You mention a 7X or 8X will let me see Jovian moons! wow! I don't know much about this.


I would avoid anything greater than 8X. The higher powers increasingly magnify the natural tremors of the hand if hand-held, and degrade the viewing. For serious astronomy, jump to 15X or 20X with a sturdy tripod and buy a binocular astronomy guidebook; there are several.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I have access to a tripod and I was expecting to use it for star gazing. Just wasn't sure which power to get and whether or not to get the Extra Low Dispersion Glass to correct chromatic aberration. I noticed ED glass is significantly much more expesnive.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

We own several pair, the smaller set getting used lots more when we are ushering at our performance hall as ushers sit mainly at the back of the house. 

Wife goes "birding" once a month and takes the larger pair along with my DSLR camera and long lens.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I have occasionally bought binoculars when on sale at my local drug store. Exactly one pair has been usable. Be warned.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

ArtMusic said:


> I have access to a tripod and I was expecting to use it for star gazing. Just wasn't sure which power to get and whether or not to get the Extra Low Dispersion Glass to correct chromatic aberration. I noticed ED glass is significantly much more expesnive.


The downside of using binoculars for viewing the sky is that one must both keep the binoculars still, and hold them above your tilted-back head, if standing up. A ordinary camera tripod will partially solve these problems if you sit on a chair or stool, looking up. Another solution is to lie on your back on a firm pad, and just hold the binoculars, if small. The special parallelogram-type counterweighted binocular mounts for astronomy also solve these problems by both taking all the weight of the binoculars and allowing maximum freedom of movement of the binoculars as you look at this and that. My advice is that you begin with a pair of decent binoculars like the Savannah Pro 8X42, and start by looking at the sky lying down or on a chaise, with a guide to binocular astronomy. In order to get anywhere looking at the night sky, you must become familiar with the constellations and other star patterns that are essential for figuring out where to look and what you are seeing. You need to master this part of backyard astronomy before investing seriously in astronomy-related equipment, otherwise you will become frustrated and lose interest. With big binoculars, like my 20X80s, for instance, one quickly finds that a red-dot sighting guide or tool is of enormous help in aiming the binoculars accurately at some point in the sky where you expect to see a particular sky object (galaxy, planet, etc.). I guess my chief piece of advice would be: Decent all-purpose binoculars and also basic sky knowledge first; then serious investment in specialized astronomy-oriented equipment. Meanwhile, you'll have the use of a fine pair of versatile binoculars.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

^ Makes sense. A good set of binoculars also gives me terrestrial use. Plus I can't afford expensive telescopes (over $1,000 say). I am thinking of a 8x42 or 10x42. That should suffice.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I come from a birdwatching family, so we each got a pair of binoculars as a Christmas present sometime in high school. I'm good at identifying birds up close, but awful with binoculars -- although sometimes when a heron or a merganser or a pair of mallards alights on our back pond, I'll pull them out to make sure I'm not just seeing a tree branch or a rock. Then there was the time on my trip across the country that I got off the highway in Amarillo to lean on the roof of my car and watch the full moon rise over the prairie through binoculars. . . without realizing that the low building between me and the horizon was a U.S. Atomic Energy Commission weapons assembly plant. I got out of there before I was spotted . . . or reached.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Does anyone ever bring binoculars to concerts? I've certainly seen them used for such occasions.


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## Antiquarian (Apr 29, 2014)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Does anyone ever bring binoculars to concerts? I've certainly seen them used for such occasions.


I do. Sometimes when I'm in the gods, the only way to really see the facial expressions of the performers is through my folding opera glasses. I like them because I can slip them inside my jacket unobtrusively.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Does anyone ever bring binoculars to concerts? I've certainly seen them used for such occasions.


Very nice! I would like a pair of opera binoculars too!


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I also have a pair of binoculars for opera, too, from the manufacturer Eschenbach Optik.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I love mine and the only reason I voted for 'seldom use' is because I don't use them when it's cold. In the summer, I like walking and identifying birds, animals etc.

These are mine.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Strange Magic said:


> I have many pairs of binoculars, used for several purposes. I have a pair of 20X, 80 mm that I use on a tripod for birdwatching instead of a spotting scope; also for astronomy. The rest are various 7 or 8 power binoculars for general birdwatching and nature observation. While one can pay huge sums for the very best binoculars--Zeiss, Swarovski, etc.-- one can get 95% of the clarity and quality for maybe a fifth of the price from reputable sources dealing in Japanese binoculars, such as Orion Binoculars and Telescopes. I would recommend a pair of 8X, 30 mm to 45 mm Japanese binoculars, nitrogen-purged to be waterproof, and fully multi-coated, for a good general pair of binoculars. Look to pay some hundreds of dollars; avoid anything selling for less.


I paid £750 for my pair - in the late 1980s. Sounds a lot? Well, they have cost me a fraction of a penny every time I have used them. My next pair, if I ever change my main pair, will cost almost £2000 because I will buy the best that I can because birding is a serious passion for me. I might pay £500 for a lightweight 'second' pair for taking with me on trips that are not birding trips.

Do you need to pay so much? No - not at all, but you DO need to get proper advice before you buy. Do not try to buy a pair for many uses - watching stars with a tripod, watching a sunset balancing them on the car roof or swinging them quickly up to your eyes to spot a fast moving small bird in a woodland canopy - these all require a different type of bins. If you are serious about nature watching, you need a pair that is light, that work well in various light conditions, that are easy to focus, that have a wide field of view and that are not too powerful (x8 are good for general purposes and anything more powerful are not terribly useful in the field for most viewers).

Go to a proper vendor and take your time in choosing. In Britain, there are plenty of specialist vendors who go to nature reserves or country shows and who will show you a wide range of models and prices - they will let you try them out, they will discuss your needs, they will not pressure you into buying what you don't need. Maybe it is the same in other countries, maybe not - if not, then use a search engine and look for reviews from people who know what they are talking about.

and if you're not really that committed - then spend much less.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

HH's advice about trying before you buy is very sensible; also about separating astronomical and spotting-scope usages from birding and general nature observation--stick with 8 power max for this. I would add a note of caution about viewing sunsets with binoculars, unless the sun is very much already reduced in brightness by being at the very horizon; then it's often easy to catch the Green Flash as the sun sets into the sea. Otherwise, looking at the sun with any kind of optics is a big No-No.

The 20X80 binoculars, with tripod, are for me infinitely more comfortable than a spotting scope for birding. The use of both eyes eliminates the eye-watering fatigue of a 'scope, especially on a windy winter day, and also more than compensates by increased clarity for the lack of magnification above 20X.

I use a pair of individual-focus 7X50 binoculars for low-power astronomy and as an adjunct to my telescope. A pair of 8X32 roof-prism binocs stay in one car, and a pair of 8X42 Porro-prism are in the other. All the above are Japanese. The Minox 8X25 roof-prism binocs are my grab-and-go pair--very light and waterproof. All of these together probably cost me £1000. One Japanese brand that is renowned for clarity is Fujinon. I currently do not have a pair, but the finest binoculars I owned--and left behind at a kayak launch site, never to be seen again--was a pair of Fujinon binoculars. Ouch!


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## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

KenOC said:


> I have occasionally bought binoculars when on sale at my local drug store. Exactly one pair has been usable. Be warned.


That many? You have beat the law of probability.


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## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Does anyone ever bring binoculars to concerts? I've certainly seen them used for such occasions.


Absolutely! Wouldn't be without it. My "concert" binocular, a Nikon 7X20 porro bought some years ago at a closeout sale for a pittance that allowed me to buy another for my wife. It is lighter in weight than any small bino of similar design today, and optically excellent. Worn by a neckstrap, it's almost like wearing jewelry. Breaching the personal space of performers is its main purpose these days, but I have also used it for looking at wildlife, terrain, scouting and on all sorts of occasions when it would be interesting, necessary or wise to see what's out there. If you are interested in bino-ry, I recommend the smaller, lighter ones for the reason that you tend to take them with you while leaving the big one at home, which is the way it is with me.

BTW, the item is a binocular, unless you are referring to more than one.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

I have a small light Nikon I sometimes take hiking; it's good for studying distant rock faces and other features, as well as wild life. I've used it for astronomical observation too.


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## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

A use I have for a binocular is for studying a photo subject at long range. One my gigs is photographing ensembles at the Ohio Music Education Association yearly conferences, which I have been doing for the the last 20 years. For the larger ones performing in the auditorium, I set up in a lighting booth, tall ladder or (once) cherry picker (different venues) overlooking the stage from a distance where it is difficult to pick out individual musicians. A binocular enables me to study the group in order to find hidden faces so I can instruct them to move so they can be seen.








(Obviously, binocular not needed here.)

On a personal note: as a teenager, I was in my high school band as first chair alto clarinet at the OMEA, performing on this very stage. Our showpiece performance was the last movement of the Shostakovich 5th. Decades later, during the first year I photographed this event, I was taking light meter readings on stage while a high school orchestra was in rehearsal, and happened to be standing with the clarinets when they struck up their first piece, the Shostakovich 5th.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

znapschatz said:


> BTW, the item is a binocular, unless you are referring to more than one.


You are of course correct-- one wonders where the "a pair of" usage comes from. "A pair of oculars" might be the original phrase. But the old habit is hard to break.


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## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Strange Magic said:


> You are of course correct-- one wonders where the "a pair of" usage comes from. "A pair of oculars" might be the original phrase. But the old habit is hard to break.


Definitely. I have a hard time with it myself. Before correcting, I used the term, "pair of," in the very sentence reporting the proper usage.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Strange Magic said:


> You are of course correct-- one wonders where the "a pair of" usage comes from. "A pair of oculars" might be the original phrase. But the old habit is hard to break.


Pants. (Just a theory)


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## georgedelorean (Aug 18, 2017)

I use mine for checking my targets on the range after a few shots to see how I'm shooting.


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