Travel Binoculars, < $500 ?

[SempreMare]

Am looking for a very good pair of travel binoculars for < $500.

 

I'll use these across at least 4 trips in the next 2 years, including to Alaska this summer.  Lots of land time and boat time looking at marine wildlife and glaciers.

 

If you had those needs, what specs and features would you consider essential?

 

 

[Hezu]

I think the main items to look at when comparing binocular specs are:

1. Magnification and objective lens size

-  these appear in the model descriptions as two numbers separated by "×", the first is the magnification and the second the objective (= the front) lens size in millimeters

- the greater magnification allows you see details of distant objects more clearly (assuming the weather conditions do not blur the image), although that also means the field of view is narrower.

- larger objective lens gathers more light and thus works better in low light and gives better colours and brighter image,

but then there is the downside of the larger and heavier lens, namely...

2. weight and size

- smaller and lighter binoculars are obviously easier to carry and handle - or of course, in the latter department the smallest models may be slightly less comfortable ergonomics.

 

Thus finding the suitable balance in these factors is the most important point when choosing. For most cases, I think something like 8×42 or 10×42 model might be the sweet spot or if you would prefer smaller binoculars then 8×32 still works fine. Of course, if it would be possible to test various models at some store (or perhaps at some sort of event for eg. birding) it is much easier to pick the most suitable model for your needs.