Wildlife and Travel Buffs: Bausch and Lomb 12 X 25 Binoculars Versus Eagle Optics 8 X 50 Binoculars

Tips for a Life with Magnification

I learned how to use binoculars on a bird watching expedition in New Zealand with Earthwatch. At the time, I followed the advice of the principal investigator and bought an 8 x 50 pair of binoculars, finding them at a local drug store for about $30. I didn't know the difference then, but over the years I've learned a few things about the differences between that first pair and more expensive brands.

I should say though, if you're new to binoculars, you look for your viewing object--bird, plant, tree, airplane, star, first, then, without moving your eyes, you bring your binoculars up to your face. If your wear glasses, unless you fold back the binocular's eyecup, you're likely to have a distorted and minimized view.

On that first New Zealand trip, we learned to find the bird by ear, following the call of the bird, and then looking for it when the sound indicated direction and that the bird was close by.

More prosaic uses have evolved since that time. Since we always have binoculars with us, we often use them to read traffic signs in areas where we've never been. On many occasions, we've managed to skip more than one trip around a European style traffic circle, by seeing the sign early from a distance. In some countries, they even put the signage in huge print and include the options before you enter the circle. But not always. Binoculars can also stand in for a magnifying glass, allowing you a close look at shells, flowers, and bugs. Often, a view through the binoculars will cue us to a good photograph.

Our favorite brand of binoculars for birding is the Eagle Optics 8 x 50, since we bird frequently. Based on the recommendation of a helpful birder in a forest in Arizona, we tried them out and bought a pair. The 8 x 50 size is good for birding, the 50 foot field of vision and the 8 times magnification provides suitable precision at that distance, but also allows a really close magnification of a bird located within three feet of you. A 10 x 50 pair is less able to support close viewing, but helps at distance. The features of these binoculars that we love are:

1) the enhanced light captured by the optics which permits dusk viewing with ease,