First off I must disclaim any expertise in the matter, but I
hope that any mistakes in this discourse wilt provoke the real experts to write in. I have
only been active in the Society’s activities for over a year and I find that white a
pair of ‘bins’ is useful to achieve a deeper appreciation of nature, advice on
what to get is difficult to nail down.
Part of this blas� attitude can be attributed to the industry
itself. Up market manufacturers seem to prefer to market their products through their
brand image rather than technical specifications, while the others probably prefer to
avoid quoting specifications anyway. Coupled to this, nature lovers have a rather
disconcerting tendency to overcompensate for the indifference of the general public by
reserving their harshest criticisms for their friends in the struggle for conservation. In
case there is any ding-a-ling barbs aimed my way, I shall endeavour to view them
‘constructively’ with an inch or two of skin in between. Progress, like justice,
is blind. And thank you for being the sounding boards.
The factors that are relevant in YOUR choice of binoculars are
as follows, in order of MY choice of importance:
1. Your
commitment. You must know yourself. If you believe you can stay committed, buy the best
pair you can afford, otherwise play safe and try a compromise solution. In which case, you
will probably need to ‘upgrade’ as your roots grow thicker or the
‘hook’ sinks deeper whichever way you want to look at it.
2. Clarity.
Unfortunately there are no commonly accepted measurements for this. If you can see the
pimples on a painted face from 100 feet away in an overcast day, you won’t be far
wrong. In addition, the WHOLE image should be clear, not just the middle part clear and
the circumference blurry (still O.K. if you don’t want to spend too much). Look into
dark as well as bright areas that you KNOW well (preferably survey the area close up and
mark targets to search for) to check for clarity of tiny details that the image offers.
Also look for simple shapes – a straight line should be straight without any double
image, a circle round, etc. Specialist manufacturers whose brands are also well known in
the camera and lens industry tend to have better products in this respect, as they are
more skilled in grinding lenses. As luck will have it, they tend to be more expensive.
3. Comfort -
focusing control. Not much talked about, but some makes have only a tiny touch-turn
whereby the image is focused. In addition the focusing wheel may suffer a serious backlash
problem. If you have clumsy restless lingers like me, avoid these like the plague.
4. Comfort -
alignment. The mass-produced ‘bins’ are often permanently misaligned - you never
get a perfectly round merged image. The most you get are two roughly overlapping circles.
They still work O.K., except that you may get dizzy or nauseous more easily. If you can
live with it - fine. If not you need to cough up the bucks to get a better pair.
5. Near
focus. Some makes have a near focus of over 20 feet.
Believe it or not, binoculars are often used in range of 12 to 20 feet,
especially in dense forest, making ‘bins’ with near focus of over 20 feet
maddening to use.
6. Weight and
size. If you are in the field the whole day, tugging a heavy pair, you will know the
importance of light weight. Some people
prefer compacts as they are easy to pack and carry, but they compromise on brightness (see
below). Some of the more expensive binoculars tend to be exceptionally heavy. Oddly, it is
easier to hold a heavy pair steadily - for a short while at least. It gets progressively
more difficult unless you are Arnold Schwazenneger.
7. Construction.
A good, solid, water-resistant construction will give you years of reliable and
satisfactory use. Some makes are pressurised with nitrogen and water-resistant to 14 feet
underwater. Although It is unlikely you will use the binoculars in these conditions,
dropping them in streams or puddles is more common than you think.
8. Magnification.
The choice depends very much on the use. Punters are content with magnifications of 4xto
5x. Birdwatchers in Malaysia normally use 8x to 10x, the tower number if you require a
better field of view or are more active in forest areas and the higher for more open
country. Unless you have rock steady hands and the aim of an expert marksman, it is not
advisable to go more than 12x - you will have difficulty trying to locate the target.
9. Brightness.
Distinct from clarity (sharpness), brightness is a measure of the amount of light that
passes through as opposed to clarity that is a measure of the integrity of the image. The
bigger the lens (the number after the x as in 8x30 - magnification 8 times and lens size
30mm) and the better the quality of the glass, the more light passes through. Brightness
does give the impression that you are seeing things more clearly and is a REAL advantage
in poor light conditions, but if a straight line appears wavy or like two, brightness
alone will not be much good.
10. Coatings. Some coatings
are meant to protect the lens from scratches, others to keep off stray light from
interfering with the image (a diffused, foggy effect). If you use the binoculars often in
backlighted conditions (eg, a raptor specialist or your favourite trail forces you to look
INDIRECTLY into the morning sun - only God can help you if you look directly into the sun
with a pair of binoculars), multi-coating helps a bit. It may also save you the
hair-pulling experience of staring in desperation at a split-second, blurry, fogged up
image of that once in a lifetime lifer.
There is nothing like having a pair for comparison. If you can,
borrow a pair you know to be good and bring Ito the shop to compare against the ones you
are interested in. Take your time, keep your head and make sure you don’t lose them
(I meant the borrowed ‘bins’). Good kick!
� 2000 Tai Keat Eam
