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Guide - Binoculars for birdwatching
Reading time: 10 minutes - October 04, 2022 - by Markus Igel

Birdwatching with binoculars - what are the best binoculars?

No matter what time of year, animals and birds in particular always offer the potential to be observed undisturbed with binoculars. In this article, we want to give you some advice on which binoculars are particularly suitable for birdwatching and why these binoculars are particularly good for birdwatching. When looking for the right binoculars or spotting scope, always be aware of your budget.

What are the most important criteria for binoculars for birdwatching

If you are considering buying binoculars for birdwatching, you should pay particular attention to the following criteria:

  • Magnification
  • Objective lens diameter
  • Central focusing
  • Weight

We will explain the details below so that you are well informed when buying binoculars. Ideally, binoculars that you want to take with you should not weigh more than 800g.

What are the best magnifications?

We recommend the following magnifications for birdwatching:

  • 7x magnification
  • 8x magnification
  • 10x magnification

Different binoculars have different specifications, so a pair of binoculars can be described as 10x50 or 7x35 as well as 8x40.

What field of view should the binoculars have?

A wide field of view allows you to quickly spot animals in the air by holding the binoculars in front of your eyes. The disadvantage of this is that you are not as close to the animal. A large magnification has the disadvantage that the field of view becomes narrower and it takes a little longer to focus or find the animals or the scene has to take place in a narrower space. For example, a 7x magnification is too far away for birdwatching when migratory birds are in flight. An 8x magnification may be more suitable here, as you are closer to the object, while at 10x magnification you may be too close to the flock of birds.

The magnification also has an influence on the brightness that you perceive when you look through the binoculars or spotting scope. Suppose you have two pairs of binoculars with two different magnifications but the same objective lens diameter. The binoculars with the larger magnification provide less light, which is comparable to cameras and the sensor size. This makes it more difficult to observe owls and the like at dusk or in the evening light, as the image will appear darker at this time and you will not be able to see much of the situation. You would have to use binoculars with residual light amplification, but these are often very expensive.

The magnification also has an influence on how much the image shakes or is shaken. Some binoculars have built-in stabilization, which reduces the shaking of the hand in the image. This is particularly important if you have trembling hands.

Binoculars with a high magnification certainly have their raison d'?tre, but other factors should not be ignored.

Which objective lens diameter is particularly suitable?

Previously, we talked more or less about the magnification of the binoculars and how this affects everything. Depending on the magnification and diameter of the binoculars, the image will appear darker.

The larger the diameter of the objective lens, the more light is captured by the binoculars and the brighter the bird becomes. The main problem with increasing the objective lens diameter is the increasing weight and the loss of the feel of binoculars. Large binoculars are not exactly practical for traveling/hiking.

Which binoculars are best?

As a guide, we recommend five times (5x) the magnification for the best binocular performance. A good balanced binocular is a magnification of 8x and an objective lens diameter of 40mm.

Focusing the binoculars

Binoculars have various focusing methods for birdwatching, central focusing should be possible so that it can be operated with just one finger. Many binoculars also have a focusing system for each eye, allowing the binoculars to be adapted even better to the characteristics of the individual eyes.

Swarovski AX Visio 10x32 with AI animal recognition

We didn't really want to explicitly highlight any binoculars in this article, but this binocular innovation from Swarovski offers a special feature that makes it perfect for birdwatching: animal recognition.

This was created with the collaboration of Merlin and offers an animal diversity of over 9000 animals. This includes far more than just birds and mammals. In Europe, even butterflies and dragonflies can be recognized and identified. These can also be photographed and filmed with binoculars.

Spotting scope or binoculars for birdwatching?

Here it is primarily a question of weight and the intended use. The factors for choosing a spotting scope and the effect of magnification remain the same.

Binoculars are great for magnifying birds at short distances. However, if the distance increases, binoculars are not the ideal tool for observing and recognizing birds. In this case, it is better to switch to a spotting scope, because only then is it possible to observe birds at long distances. With the help of a spotting scope, it is even possible to determine the sex of birds that are far away. Please also refer to the previous section on the field of view.

A spotting scope is therefore best suited for large areas and individual birds, as you can see the whole area from a platform or elevation. Binoculars are more suitable for smaller areas that you can already see well with your eyes. The binoculars should then only serve as a support if you want to see the birds magnified. Many hobby observers like to use spotting scopes because they think about animal welfare. This allows the animals to be observed from great distances without disturbing them. This is particularly important during the breeding and nesting season. For ambitious observers, spotting scopes with an optical magnification of 25 to 30 times are sufficient. Professionals and amateurs often use spotting scopes with 60x optical magnification. However, these models also differ enormously in price, which is why beginners are usually offered cheaper models to get them started.

A spotting scope can also be perfectly complemented with a tripod. This ensures that the image is stabilized, allowing you to concentrate even more on birdwatching. In addition, unlike binoculars, holding a spotting scope does not become tiring after a while, as the spotting scope is a support, you just have to hold it upright so that it does not tip over. The only disadvantage is that you can't lay it down in some places, otherwise it may get scratched or fall over. Binoculars can simply be hung around your neck using the carrying strap.

Tips for birdwatching

Of course, we don't want to leave you without the most important tips for birdwatching, so we've collected the best tips here:

  1. Most birds can be observed during the migration periods in fall and spring
  2. Birds can be observed around the clock, but in the morning and evening hours the light is also one of the best, and birds can be observed very well on a morning walk
  3. If you are looking for a particular bird, you should obtain detailed information about it. So if you are looking for a kingfisher, you are most likely to find it if you have gathered all the information about it beforehand. You can also use bird guides or the NABU app, which describe the best spots
  4. Take a notepad with you and collect data on where you have observed which bird, then you may find it more often in the same place in the future. Simple information such as: Song thrushes are not seen in winter. There are more blackbirds than last year
  5. Adapt your clothing to the weather. Birdwatching is not a snapshot in time, but usually involves patiently waiting and keeping an eye out. You have to be prepared for the fact that it can get cold in fall and winter and take this into account when choosing your clothing
  6. Listen actively and try to identify where the bird's voice is coming from to make it easier to spot with binoculars
  7. Do not approach the nesting sites of birds, as they are on heightened alert at this time, they will react more irritably, furthermore this is a factor of stress, which is not good for the birds
  8. Wear clothing that does not contain neon colors so that you are less conspicuous to all birds

Conclusion

At the end of the day, binoculars need to feel good in your hand and meet your requirements. We regularly advise our customers in the store and let them test the binoculars extensively so that you can find the right binoculars for you! We hope that we have been able to help you find binoculars that meet your requirements with this guide. A spotting scope is often more suitable for the breeding seasons and for ground animals or for observing birds that are relatively close to the ground.

When choosing your binoculars, pay attention to the previous tips, such as five times the objective lens diameter for magnification. You should also pay attention to the close focus limit, which should have a close focus of 5 meters.

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