h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi, some very good observations on "Bins" most of which I agree with wholeheartedly. There are a couple of aspects I would mention.
Firstly with respect to Bird-watching. If too high a magnification is used, such as the pair I have @ 12x50, the object to be viewed is difficult to find, and any shake is amplified. 7x30 is probably more useful.
In most instances, some form of armouring is preferred, ie:- rubberised, reducing the likelihood of the prisms dropping. In most instances "Field Glasses", as opposed to "Compact" Bins are usually used out of preference when used on a regular basis.Compacts are more for a casual stroll, or slinging in the glove box of a car.
Finally the lens quality is very important, as the clarity and definition is vastly improved on a pair of bins at <£200 than >£200, and so makes viewing more rewarding. Hope that helps.

Good points!

Thanks. There is one other aspect of Compacts that I do not like. The central linkage is a weak spot. If dropped, and not from a great height, sat on or they hit the side of a bird hide, the linkage can shear. The only way this can be useful is if a spotting scope or monocular is required. This has happened to me twice and I've never broken a pair of Fields, although I have damaged the prisms. They do get a lot of use though. How about Scopes?
Are you a birder yourself (not to be confused with a twitcher) as you appear to have a good all-round knowledge of Bins?

No, I'm not a birder or a twitcher. I just look at what is around me.

Here are a couple of other things to look for when buying bins:

1) On the subject of eyeglass wearers, look for binoculars that have a longer "eye relief". This is the distance away from your eyes that you can hold the eyepieces. The major manufacturers usually have a line of bins with this in mind.

2) One other very important thing to consider when buying binoculars is their "field of view". While binoculars with larger magnifications have smaller fields of view than those with smaller mags, field of view is also determined by prism and eyepiece design. No matter what type of viewing you prefer, a pair with a larger field of view will be more enjoyable as there will be more area to view at once throught the eyepieces and thusly when you've spotted what you want to look at, it will more likely be in your field of view when you bring the binoculars up to your eyes. It's always frustrating to try to find your subject with a narrow view.