BinocularsBlog – Advice on Digital, Waterproof, & Compact Binoculars for Bird Watching, Sports, Astronomy, Night Vision, & more!

The new "buzz word" in binoculars, these days, is a label of HD or ED. These special optical glass objectives supposedly offer better color correction, hence better definition and contrast, though the claims are typically exaggerated by the binocular marketing folks. It's the binocular trickle down effect at work, with more and more low and mid-priced binoculars boasting ED or HD in the product label. I've seen this effect at work in the binocular market over the years with other optical advances, such as full multi-coating, phase-correction coating (PC) on roof prisms, waterproofing and so on. All of these binocular features were originally introduced on the most expensive binoculars, but over time trickled down to the lower end of the binocular market. All in all, today's binocular, no matter what the price, is better than ever.

I grew up in a day when the vast majority of binoculars were covered in leather or "leatherette". Tells you how old I am, I guess. Leatherette just spelled binocular to me, as it was something not found to any extent on other optical instruments. Armoring on binoculars were actually quite rare when I was young - armored binoculars with rubber coverings didn't appear in any great numbers until the 70s and 80s. Today, of course, armored binoculars rule the binocular roost. If you want a leather covered binocular with that "old time" look and feel, your options are quite limited. You still get that old leatherette on some astronomy binoculars, but it is very rare on smaller binoculars. Guess that's why I had to grab a Leica 10x25 BL, the L denoting a leather cover. Naturally, the L version also comes with a leather case.

Approaching the dark of the moon and that means astronomy for this gal, though I'll need some help from the weather. My astronomy binocular sits ready, though, mounted on the tripod, anytime the sky should clear. That's the beauty of binocular astronomy - just grab the binoculars and start observing. It's something I really appreciate on these cold winter nights. Of course, I also appreciate the beauty of some of my favorite winter star clusters. Maybe it's my imagination, but the icy cold air just makes winter star clusters all the more dazzling. Stop by and I'll show you a few. Bring coffee or hot chocolate.

Some of our folks have returned form the Shotshow - the premier shooting industry trade show - with some good news from Nikon. In their efforts to devote all resources to the Nikon EDG binocular in 2008, Nikon unfortunately dropped their excellent Premier LX binocular at the same time to devote all their resources to the EDG binocular. That was unfortunate, as the Nikon Premier LX was a very good roof-prism binocular, indeed and has won many fans over the many years it was in production. For 2009, though, the Nikon Premier LX binocular is back! That will fill a very empty price point in the Nikon binocular line and please all of us fans of the Premiere LX binocular. Who says' you can't go back? Thank-you, Nikon.

I hear about some strange uses for binoculars when dealing with so many customers, but who am I to talk? Have to say that I have also found many ways to use a binocular that go beyond typical use. When I flyfish out west, for instance, I often use binoculars to spot rising fish or to see if someone else is fishing a run far upstream. At the other end of the world, so to speak, I often use binoculars in large shopping complexes to spot stores and restuarants of interest. In other words, if you carry a binocular at all times, like I do, you will find some very different ways to use your binocular.

Technical data and specifications don't tell the whole story when it comers to binoculars. For one thing, there is build quality and the only way to predict that, but only in a very general way, is price. If you want a binocular that can go the distance over years of hard use, there is no getting by with a cheap binocular. Even price is subject to subjective factors, such as preferences for handling, brand, overall appearance and so on. To be sure, I have owned some superb binoculars that did not earn the status of my favorite binocular and some less expensive binoculars that did. Go figure.

With temps well below zero, time to remind binocular users to take some simple precautions on these frigid days. Biggest problem in sub-zero weather with a binocular is frosting on the eyepieces caused by condensation of your breath on the eyepieces, which quickly freezes when you lower the binocular away from your face. Try to direct your breath away from the binocular when raised to your face. Keeping the binocular tucked inside your coat where things are nice and warm and then bringing it out into the cold can also cause problems with condensation. I usually just keep the binocular outside my coat. Lastly, I always carry a zip-lock bag. I put the bino in the bag before I bring it inside the house and wait a half-hour or more for the binocular to come to room temp before removing it from the bag. That way moisture condenses on the outside of the bag, not on the binocular. Stay warm.

With the unsettled weather in our area, we astronomers are not spending much time under the stars with binocular or telescope. This winter's stormy weather has even kept from doing much with the birding binoculars. On the other hand, all the snow means cross-country skiing, so I will be experimenting to see how XC skiing works with birding. I know there is a sport that mixes cross-country skiing with shooting, so why not birding? Stay tuned.

Last week the moon was perfectly placed outside my bedroom window and, to add icing to the cake, it was not so bright as to produce much glare. Not bad considering it was nearly full. This meant only one thing - I had to grab my astronomy binocular and have some fun. The crater Tycho was unusually well defined and free of glare in the Nikon 10x70 and by steadying the binocular on a tripod, I began to explore other craters in the vicinity. Crater Schiller, due to its elongated shape jumped right out, even at only 10x in the binocular. If you have a binocular, any binocular, you might be very surprised at just how much you can see on the moon. Seeing Schiller was like taking a 238 thousand mile trip without leaving my bedroom. Great gas mileage, too.

I've come to the point of near-obsession with compact binoculars, or, should I say, premium compact binoculars. I now own and use a Swarovski Pocket 8x20 Nabucco, a Nikon Premier LX 10x25, a Leica 10x25BL and after a lot of field testing a Zeiss Victory 8x20, I will be adding one more in the near future. I know, I know, I can only use one binocular at a time, but it's just that I enjoy compact binoculars, especially high quality compact binoculars and use compact binoculars far more than large binoculars. Small binoculars are a perfect match for my bicycling and, now, cross-country skiing life style and for my occasional night at the opera, the Swarovski 8x20 Nabuccoa is perfect. Do I have a favorite? To be honest, I love them all and would be hard pressed to pick. There are subtle differences, but all of these great binoculars measure up nicely to this very fussy optics nut's expectations. .

2008 was a good year for me with the binoculars. No, I didn't add any new birds to my life list or even see any birds that I would call truly rare for this area, but I did find some local spots that attracted birds you would not expect for my neighborhood and I did discover many tiny birding "hotspots" within only a dozen miles of home. Much of this local birding was the result of my endless traveling on a bicycle and my habit of always carrying a compact binocular. How many miles did this old gal log in 2008? I ended the year with 10,082 miles (yes, that's ten thousand plus). That's a lot of miles, a lot of birds and a lot of great memories. On to 2009. Have bicycle and binocular, will travel.