EdenWebshops
Tool paradise since 1999
Binoculars for bird watchers
Which type of binoculars are the most suitable for bird watching? On this page, we explain exactly what a bird watcher needs to pay attention to when choosing a pair of binoculars.
Magnification
Binoculars with a magnification of 8 or 10 are often the most
popular choice for bird watching. (We are not talking about
spotting scopes here as this is a separate
discussion).
A magnification greater than 10x will yield a very narrow field of
view and an image that is difficult to stabilise, making it hard to
observe birds in flight.
Binoculars with a magnification under 8x do not bring the image
close enough.
Width of the field of view
A wide field of view is an essential requirement for observing birds in flight. Without it, you would quickly lose sight of the birds. The field of view is dependent on both the magnification and the construction of the binoculars, so pay careful attention to both these factors when choosing your binoculars. A field of view of 140 metres at a distance of 1,000 metres is excellent for binoculars with a magnification of 8x. For binoculars with a magnification of 10x, this would be approximately 115 metres.
Quick focusing
For a bird watcher, it is extremely important that the binoculars can focus quickly on a moving object and retain a sharp, clear image while this object is in motion. Some binoculars require the focusing wheel to be turned several revolutions to be able to switch focus from close to far whereas others, such as our Eden Quality 8x42 binoculars, for instance, are able to focus from close to far with just one full revolution of the focusing wheel. We advise you to pay careful attention to this when purchasing your binoculars as it is often overlooked.
Optical aberration
Many highly expensive binoculars distinguish themselves by only having a very slight aberration or distortion. This means that straight lines really appear as straight lines instead of slightly curved ones. However, for bird watching, this is not important at all.
