The most common statement of buyers remorse that I hear from people after they purchase a binocular, is that they though that a stronger pair was supposed to help them see more/better. Most people are under the assumption that what they need in a binocular is more magnification to see better. In all actuality I don’t believe this to be true.
In my experience, the usable power of a binocular is limited to the steadiness of the hands that they are in. More magnification is not always better.
You can count on the fact that there is going to be some wobble or shake in the image of a hand held binocular. The greater the magnification the more noticeable that shake will be. In some instances, the wobble will be so great that it will negate the increased resolution that higher magnification will provide.
A birder hiking a trail, a hunter stalking and animal, or an adrenaline filled infantryman just getting into his position will not be able to hold a pair of binoculars as steady as a person sitting on their back porch, a hunter sitting in their tree stand, or a scout sniper that has been in his hide for a couple of hours.
For a hand held binocular, regardless of application, I usually recommend 10x magnification as the upper limit. For someone that is walking and glassing all day, I might even recommend a lower magnification as in an 8x. As fatigue starts to set in, it might become more and more difficult for someone to hold the binocular steady. Now add 12x worth of magnification to his binocular and you imagine how difficult stability would be.
To get a sense of how much hand shake degrades the quality of an image, take your binoculars outside and look through them at something with some detail. Now run in place for about 25 seconds and look at the same image again. How’s that image looking now? You may be very surprised in the amount amount of detail that you loose to handshake.
I have been using a pair of Meopta Binoculars that I really enjoy. I got them for general observation. I use them on hiking trips, birding, and hunting. I got into the Meopta MeoStar 10×42 HD’s and can honestly say that the quality of image that the binoculars provide is awesome. They perform great in low light conditions. Meopta has recently released their MeoPix adapter which allows me to take pictures through the binocular with my iPhone. In a lower price point, the Meopta MeoPro 10×42’s are an unbeatable product for the money.
Meopta 10×42 HD
To help figure out if a magnification is suitable, take the distance you are viewing the subject at and divide by the power of magnification. That will tell you how close the image will appear. If we are looking at a bird 20 yards away with a 10x binocular, then the bird will seem 2 Yards away. If we are looking at an elk 200 yards away with a 10x binocular, it will seem 20 yards away.
What I want you to take away form this article is that more magnification is not always better. Sometimes what we need is quality not quantity.
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