Zeiss Victory FL Binoculars - Roof Prism
Price: $1899.99
Victory FL series are best even in twilight hours. They have introduced lotus flower effect. That is the water repelling characteristic of surfaces, to simply let water drops pearl off and to repel dirt. LotuTec acts as protective coating and cleaning and care is made especially easy. They hold some advantages like Dirt, grease and water repelling pearl-off effect, Simplified, streak-free and gentle cleaning, Reduced misting tendency, Contrast-rich and brilliant image. Without LotuTec most leaves, moisture and dirt particles collect on the surface and adhere. With LotuTec the drops simply pearl off. Dirt and finger prints can be easily removed from the smooth surface.

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Vortex Razor Binoculars - Roof Prism
Price: $769.99

Vortex pays attention to detail in everything they do to make sure they offer you the finest in rugged outdoor optics. “Say what we mean and mean what we say”. Vortex provide uncommon excellence and dedication to their customers in all aspect of their business

Vortex Razor Binoculars take advantage of the latest engineering and high-definition glass technology to deliver incredible natural color distinction, brightness from dusk to dawn, and razor-sharp detail - all highly necessary for successfully separating game from cover.
Not only is the Razor built to withstand avid use in tough terrain, the argon gas guarantees waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof performance. This advanced process protects your Razor binocular in the following ways:
•Argon gas does not absorb or react chemically with water.
•Argon gas eliminates internal fogging.
•Argon gas maintains its protective properties over a wider temperature range.
•Argon gas does not diffuse as quickly as other elements, extending the service life of the optics longer.

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Nikon Monarch 10×42 ATB Binoculars
Price: $371.99
Nikon has maintained an unwavering commitment to the study of light with the corporate philosophy, “Trustworthiness and Creativity”. They work with diligence and sincerity as a responsible individual. Their Aspiration mean not only to meet the needs of customers but also to provide customers with new value that exceeds their expectations. “Meeting needs. Exceeding expectations.” is their vision for the future.
Nikon 10×42 Roof Prism Binocular is one of the top choices of customers for nature-viewing. They have features like waterproof, fog-proof and shock-proof body design. Additional features like turn-and-lock eyecups and long eye relief. They have oversized focus knob for quick and easy focusing and mainly 25-year no-fault repair/replacement warranty. These features make this product more special and reliable for the customers to buy. So give it a shot!

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Canon 9332A002 12 x 36 IS II Binoculars with Optical Image Stabilizer
Price: $926.59

Canon is a leader in professional business, consumer imaging equipment and information systems. Canon’s extensive product line and digital solutions enable businesses and consumers worldwide to capture, store, and dole out information.
Canon’s 9332A002 12 x 36 IS Binoculars deliver outstanding optical performance and unparalleled, light and compact image stabilization capabilities at a very affordable price. The prism in the binocular is canons vari-angle prism. The optics in the binocular is 12x magnification which ensure a long-eye relief. It has a wide-field viewing optics which gives wide and extra bright field of view. The optics is multi coated with doublet field flattener. The edges of the optical lens are very sharp and contrast which promises excellent, sharp image.
Canon 9332A002 12 x 36 IS II Binoculars with Optical Image Stabilizer can be used continuously for 4 hours as it was designed with power saving capacity. The binocular can be operated with one hand when your other hand is busy with some other work. There is a compact roof prism designed with centre focus which will ensure handling it in one hand. The rubber coating in the binocular is water resistant and guarantees grip.

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Important tips before you buy:

Weight:

To hold the binoculars properly it’s better to buy a lighter binocular. Easier to hold better the view.

Exit Pupil:

This is the size of the image at the focusing point of the binocular. It is computed by dividing the objective size by the magnification. The exit pupil of an 8×40 binocular is 5mm (40/8). A larger exit pupil means a brighter image. Binoculars over 3mm are considered good for daytime birding and anything over 7mm is a waste.

Eye relief:

Eye relief is the distance from the rear eyepiece lens to where the image is formed. Eyeglass wearers should look for binoculars with at least 15mm of eye-relief and have eye-cups that can be folded down. This will allow them to enjoy bird-watching.

Close Focus:

Good birding binoculars should have a close focus of 10 feet or less otherwise you may find yourself walking backwards to try and see something. How close a binocular focuses depends on how it is made rather than on its power.

Body Design:

There are two basic types. i) Porro prism Binoculars and, ii) Roof prism binoculars. Roof prisms are lighter, rugged, easier to maintain and usually waterproof. Porro prism binoculars are cheaper, Optical quality is not markedly different though roof prisms being more expensive usually have better coating.

Binoculars are what makes bird-watching pleasurable - so invest in the best that you can afford, they are sure to give you years of memorable moments.

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Travel Binoculars

Binoculars are most often used by people who travel. Binoculars are mainly helpful in journey travel, such as traveling to national parks or safaris, where the explorer might want to view wildlife. Travel binoculars are usually lighter and more solid than usual binoculars. They effortlessly fit in a carry on bag, and some are tiny enough to fit in a pouch.

Machinery of Travel Binoculars

It’s always good to know the working of binocular before you choose.

Prism

With the help of prism you see the images right-side-up when looking through the binoculars. Travel binoculars usually have roof prisms, which are present inside the optical tube of the binoculars. It reduces the space and makes it great to travel.

Lens Coating

Glass surfaces are coated that touch the outside air. The coating helps transmit the light. Its better to look for binoculars which are fully coated. Multicoated binoculars reduces glare.

Magnification and Objective Lenses

Magnification is the power of the binoculars. Magnification is usually confirmed in two numbers, such as 8 x 25. The first number means how much the binoculars magnify an object. An 8x magnification means that the object looks eight times closer than natural eyesight. The second number is the objective lens diameter. The lesser the diameter, the more compact your binoculars are for travel. However, the larger the diameter, the more light you will have entering your binoculars. The objective lens is the lens that faces the object.

Exit Pupil

The exit pupil is the lens by your eye. If you hold the binoculars at arms length, you will see a small spot of light through the eyepieces. This is the exit pupil.

Field of View

You will have a limited field of view, which is the area you can see when looking through your binoculars. This area is measured in degrees. If you are going to be watching moving objects, look for a large field of view.

Source: http://www.travelequipments.com/travel-equipments-articles/discount-binoculars.htm

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Steiner Predator? Binoculars - Roof Prism
Price: $949.99
Steiner-Optik GmbH, a German-based firm, was founded in 1947 by Carl Steiner. This is a company that manufactures binoculars which have, over the years, earned sterling reputations. The 12×50 feature the famous game sensing High Contrast lens coatings along with superior low light performance. It is a solid work horse for great distance. It is the best choice for long viewing under all lighting conditions in open country. The 12×50 Predator is easy and comfortable to use for hours on end. This unique optical coating delivers a highly contrasted view of deer, elk, turkey, and most woodland animals against a foliated background, which gives you an edge by allowing you to spot animals quickly and easily. Super clear and sharp optics.

Specifications:

Weight : 29 oz
Field of view : 210 feet @ 1000 yards
Eye relief : 15 mm
Dimensions : (inches) 6.2L x 4.6W x 1.8H

Technical Details:

Magnification : 12x
Object lens diameter : 50 millimeters
Prism : Porro
Lens coating : Predator coating on objective lenses, magnesium fluoride multicoating
on all air-to-glass surfaces
Focus system : Individual
Accessories included : Strap and attached objective lens cap
Weatherproof : Water resistant
Shockproof : Yes
Warranty: 10 years

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Wired online has reviewed 4 image-stabilized binoculars in an article March 26th, 2008.

The four binoculars reviewed are;

• Fujinon Techno-Stabi 14 x 40

• Bushnell Stableview

• Nikon StabilEyes VR 12 x 32

• Canon Image Stabilizer 10 x 42 L IS

The Fujinon Techno-Stabi got the highest rating. The Canon Image Stabilizer was trashed mainly for shoddy construction.

See the article: Rock Steady: Four Image-Stabilized Binoculars

Techno-Stabi High Power Image-Stabilized Binoculars - 14×40 - 14 x Magnification
Price: $999.99
Techno-Stabi High Power Image-Stabilized Binoculars - 14×40 - 14 x Magnification The Fuji Techno-Stabi high power binocular features 14×40 or 10×40 viewing in a waterproof, compact case. The Techno-Stabi virtually eliminates the jittery images caused by hand tremor and irregular motion found when using binoculars on boats. Utilizes two direct drive motors, each independently controlled by piezo vibration sensors, to provide instant image stabilization with minimum power consumption. For outstanding optical performance, the optics are fully coated for maximum light transmission and brightness. The roof prism is phase coated to deliver superb clarity and resolution. Includes a handstrap. A color changing (red to green) battery condition LED indicator keeps you up to date on power status. Operates on 4 AA batteries. 13mm eye relief. 4 degree actual field of view. 14×40 Sh. Wt. 5 lbs. 14 x Magnification

Brand: Fujinon

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How to Choose the Right Pair of Binoculars for You

There are several factors to consider in making a good choice of binoculars.

How important each binocular factor is to your selection will depend on how you plan to use them.

Important binocular properties;

• Magnification

Binoculars are almost always identified as number with X then a second number, such as ‘7X50′. Magnification in this example is 7X. Natural expectation for people is to want higher magnification but higher magnification comes at a price more than money. The higher the magnification the harder it is to hold what you are looking at steady. Since most uses of binoculars are hand held, having excessive magnification is not desirable.

• Brightness

The second number after magnification is the example above 7X50 is the diameter of the ‘objective’ lens in millimeters. The objective lens are the larger ones on the far side of the binoculars (see diagram courtesy of Nikon below). The size of the objective lens is important to brightness as the larger they are, the more light they are gathering for your eyes at the other end. If you think of photons as a quantity of ‘information’, the more photons the lens gathers and bring to your eyes, the more ‘information’ your brain will have to enjoy. However the trade off for larger objective lens are the binoculars will be more heavy and bulky.

• Exit Pupil

The light that does get to your eyes has an effective area called the ‘exit pupil’. This can simply be calculated using the 7X50 specification if you divide the 50 (objective lens diameter in mm) by the magnification (7X), which in this case is slightly more than 7mm. The pupils of your eyes are less than 4mm wide in bright daylight so in this case there is ample efficiency. However in low light situations the pupil expands to 7mm when you are younger (not as much as you get older). So if you are older than 40 and using 7X50 binoculars in a low light situation you will likely see a darker view than with a pair of 7X35 binoculars with a 5mm exit pupil.

• Weight & Bulk of Binoculars

Weight is not an optical property but can be a crucial factor in how useful the binoculars you choose are. As mentioned above having high magnification won’t mean much if they are too heavy to lug and hold steadily up to your eyes. More expensive lighter lens materials can offset this if you can afford it. Also more expensive “roof prism” binoculars are more compact are an option again if you can afford it.

• Field of View

Field of view for binoculars is most often expressed as ‘X’ number of feet at 1000 yards. The higher the magnification the smaller the field of view will be. You can improve field of view for a given magnification with more expensive “wide angle” binoculars. For birdwatching or Astronomy 300 to 400 feet at 1000 yards will be acceptable. It is a challenge for 10X magnification binoculars to be above 300 feet at 1000 yards.

• Optics (lens, prisms, and coatings) Quality

• Ideally you want to avoid poor quality optics , start with good quality, and then decide later if you want to move to superb quality optics. There is no point to buying bargain basement binoculars or poorly maintained used binoculars as your experience will be disappointing. Preferably all optics are coated and better still multi-coated. Coated optics improve light transmission. Look for the phrase “multi-layer coated optics” and be wary of the phrase “fully coated optics” as this might mean that only external air to glass surfaces are fully coated but other internal lens and prisms may not be. Light transmission loss occurs at all surfaces without anti-reflective glass coatings. I will explain how to visually check for coatings in a later post.

• Resolution - High quality lens provide good color fidelity, are free of optical aberrations, and provide excellent detail.

• Stabilization

Expensive electronic ‘gee-whiz’ adjusting system that noticeably improves the view, especially in hand held use targeting moving objects. An interesting experiment is to take a ‘value priced’ pair of binoculars and look at the moon holding them as steady as you can. Then mount the same binoculars on a steady camera tripod and look at the moon again. You will be shocked at the extra detail that you can see due to stability.

• Rugged, Waterproof, Fogproof,

Having rubber overmold on the binocular body does not always mean they are rugged. Search for drop specifications if rugged is important for how the binoculars will be used. Waterproof is important for hunting and marine use as well as fogproof. Waterproof is specified usually in a JIS or IEC 529 rating (click on the link to understand more about waterproof ratings). An IEC rating of IP64 will suffice or look for IP67 if you want to take your binoculars swimming. Fogproof binoculars have the air inside replaced with a gas such as Argon or Nitrogen.

• Porro prism vs Roof prism

Binoculars you are most likely to be familiar with are porro prism with a prism system moving the two light paths from the objective lens closer together on the way to the two eyepieces you look into. “Roof” prism binoculars are “straight through” looking. This lens system is more expensive but has the advantage of allowing for smaller compact configuration and storage. They also look better as a fashion statement if that is important.

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