Pentax 62216 Papilio 8.5x21 Porro Prism Binocular Review
Pentax 62216 Papilio 8.5x21 Porro Prism Binocular
Pentax 62216 Papilio 8.5x21 Porro Prism Binocular
Pentax 62216 Papilio 8.5x21 Porro Prism Binocular
Choosing binoculars is something that confuses a lot of people. It is important to be familiar with numbers like 7x35 when you go out to make a purchase. There are also many specialized features like compact binoculars or waterproof binoculars which you are going to have to keep in mind. If you keep in mind what you want to use the binoculars for it should all will fall into place fairly easily, so this is something you will want to think about before you start looking.
Magnification and diameter of the lens are by far the biggest things that you are going to want to consider when you are choosing binoculars. Somewhere a number like 6x30 will be clearly marked on the binoculars to let you know what this is. Magnification is determined by the number that comes first and that is simply how many times closer an object will look. Lens diameter is the number you see second and it is measured in millimeters. The field of view is going to be larger if you use a bigger lens diameter. Ideally you would like to get binoculars where these numbers are as big as possible but that isn’t always the smartest idea. It can be hard to pick up moving objects if there is a high degree of magnification, so that might be a problem for some uses. Having a large lens diameter will allow you an excellent field of view but it comes at the price of large and heavy binoculars, not a good idea if you have to carry them a long way.
The brightness of a pair of binoculars is determined by the size of the exit pupil and this is another bigthing that will need to be considered. You can figure out the size of the exit pupil by dividing the diameter of the lens by the magnification. The bigger this number is the more light will get to your eye. This can be a problem in bright sunshine but is almost a necessity if you use your binoculars at night. For daytime use or general purpose binoculars an exit pupil size of 3 to 5 mm is perfect but for use at night you will want at least 7 mm.
Comfort level will by and large determine most of the other factors that you will need to consider so there are really no hard and fast rules. Things like how the binoculars focus or what type of prism is used can be a big deal to some people while others aren’t going to care. You will want to keep in mind any of the specialized types of binoculars that may need like water proof binoculars or stabilized binoculars. Keeping how you are planning to use the binoculars in mind will help to make sure that you make the right selection for your needs.
