Birding Binoculars are made specifically for birdwatching. Pick something that is light enough to carry around your neck for a while, but sturdy enough for everyday use. It takes some time to get used to holding binoculars steady. Pick your binoculars based on image quality. Viewing objects up close and quickly can be harder to focus, so you need to get some that will work good when needed quickly. Make sure your glasses will fit inside your binoculars before you buy them.



Trying binoculars in person is the best way to see if they will work well for you. Start with something that has a large field of view. When you become better at using binoculars, you can then get a higher-powered pair. Make sure you take into consideration if you wear glasses because some binoculars are meant for them, and some are not.

Basically, binoculars are made from two telescopes connected together. The lens closest to the object is called the objective lens, and the lens closest to your eye is the eyepiece. The object becomes bigger, but upside down and backwards. In order to straighten out the object, a prism is needed. A prism is a piece of glass that acts like a mirror when light hits it, even though it might not have a reflective backing.

Porro prism binoculars were very popular until the 1950-1960's when roof prism binoculars were made available. Roof prism binoculars shorten the length between the lenses making roof prism binoculars weigh less and not as big. Roof prism binoculars require precise handling of equipment because they require a more complex light path to work. The porro prism binoculars are a lot cheaper, but roof prism binoculars are considered by many to be the best.

If you are thinking of buying binoculars for bird watching then I would suggest buying the best binoculars you can afford. Binoculars hold their value and are easy to sell. Always pick ones that will hold up well. You won't believe how many times I have bought binoculars that only lasted about 2-3 months because I dropped them on the ground so many times. I used to buy really cheap $50 binoculars all the time but I have changed my mind, I bought a pair for $400, which is a lot of money, but that one has lasted me about 2 years and I expect it to last much longer than that.

Everyone has their own favorite kind of binoculars. Decent binoculars hardly feel like anything on your eyes, but cheap ones will cause you discomfort. Make sure you go out and get a good pair.