When you are new to the binoculars world, it is very easy to make these common mistakes. If you are a newbie, avoid making these mistakes I am about to outline when you are choosing binoculars as a beginner. These are mistakes I have equally made when I was choosing my first binoculars and I know a majority of people that have made these mistakes.
Avoid these mistakes below if you are a newbie.
Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Binoculars as a Newbie
Very High Magnifying Power
This is a mistake most beginners make. They think high magnification means better binoculars. After all, the function of binoculars is to help you see closer to whatever you are viewing. But that is not true.
High magnification binoculars unless they are of high quality, often don’t offer the best quality of the image. They often than not create a dim, low-quality image. This is because higher magnification often requires thicker glass to be used. These thicker glasses do not allow enough light to pass through them hence resulting in a lower quality image.
This is particularly bad for low-quality optics.
One of the major challenges of higher magnification binoculars is unsteady image due to handshakes or body movements. This is because binoculars with higher magnifying power often are sensitive to movements. Body movements while holding these types of binoculars create unsteady or blur images.
The only time higher magnification binoculars are suitable to use is if they are image stabilized or you are mounting them on a tripod and for the purposes of long-distance viewing or astronomy or terrestrial use.
Otherwise, for general uses,
8x or 10x is the ideal choice for almost all use cases
Furthermore, higher magnification binoculars often have a narrow field of view. This is because the more zoomed in you are on the object, the less you will see the overall picture. When you are starting out you want to be able to capture all the images in full view without having to move your binos around to see.
Going for the Cheapest Binoculars
The cheapest binoculars, like seriously?. Please don’t make this mistake. Unless binoculars are on sale don’t buy the cheapest you can find. Otherwise, you will be better off without them. Most often than not the price usually translates into the quality of the binoculars.
However, I am not implying that you should pull out a large sum of money for your binos. Most beginners binoculars don’t often use their binos often hence don’t really require the highest quality. But there are good quality binoculars out there that you can get for a $100 or more.
Choosing Binoculars with Digital Camera
It sounds great to have binoculars that have a built-in camera.right! but unless you are willing to spend a lot of money on binoculars with a built-in camera, then you are better off with either getting a dedicated camera with a powerful lens or a high-quality inexpensive option with an adapter that enables you to attach your camera or even your smartphone to the instrument.
There are lots of good ones on the market that will give you great results. That is way better than falling into the trap most people fall into by believing that with some small money they can get binoculars with a built-in camera. Unless you are willing to spend thousands of dollars on the very best, then is way better to opt for the above options.
Zoom Binoculars
It sounds fancy to say you have binoculars that can change magnification without having to buy another pair. But unless you get good variable magnification binoculars, you are better of with a fixed magnification. If you are on a budget, go for the fixed pair because of cheap zoom or variable binoculars won’t give you the quality images.
with Zoom binoculars, anytime you make changes to the magnification you have to change the focus as well to get a clear and crisp image. Which can be time-consuming at times.
So unless you get a high-quality zoom binocular, you are likely to end up with a device that disappoints.
To sum it up buying binoculars can be overwhelming because of the different models and brands out there. But as a beginner, avoid wasting your money on a binocular that will not add value. With these above steps, you can select a bino that will work well for you.