Key specs – 8x magnification; 42mm objective lenses; 8.12° field of view; 17mm eye relief; adjustable eyecups; 2m close focusing distance; 729g (with strap and lens caps)

Eye Relief: The distance between your eyes and the binocular eyepiece lenses. If you wear glasses, look for a larger Eye Relief number to allow for more space between your glasses and the binoculars. This point is important and the shorter the focus distance the more field of view it offers, however if you need a longer view then you should opt for longer distances, this depends on the use you want to make of it. How Much Money Should I Spend on My Binoculars? It is true that depending on what you want to use them for you should consider using a tripod, as they can be a bit heavy, especially if you are going to use them exclusively freehand; but I am not here to talk about that, but to let you know which are the best 20×50 binoculars and from there you can decide for yourself. Viewing through UpClose G2 is comfortable for eyeglass wearers and non-eyeglass wearers alike, thanks to its rubber eyecups. Keep the eyecups up for proper positioning of the eyes without glasses. If you are wearing glasses, simply fold them down and out of the way. A binocular’s objective lens diameter (listed in millimeters) shows the width of the front lenses (the side closest to the object being viewed). These lenses are used to gather light photons. Our eyes use light photons to see. As an objective lens gathers light, it provides a clearer, sharper image. The wider the lens, the more light that can be gathered.What’s more, you’re not just getting decent optics, but a solid, rubber-armoured build, smooth focusing and a comfortable, lightweight design. Sure, at 900g the Aculons weigh more than most equivalent Roof Prism binoculars, and they do get tiring over prolonged use, but compared to some budget 10 x 50s, they’re well-balanced and easy going. Nikon also bundles a case and a comfy padded strap. I think that with everything I have told you here and with the binoculars I have presented to you, you should be more or less clear about which model suits you best.

You are very correct. Zoom binoculars tend to have an inferior image quality than fixed magnification binoculars which is why most people stay away from them. If you are after compact binoculars then the Nikon Aculon 8-24×25 have a nice image in all zoom settings. Details below: Binoculars: Perfect for hunters who need to be able to see long distances and sometimes use rangefinders for distance and night vision.True, you don’t get such luxuries as extra-close focusing (take the 2.5m close focus claim with a large pinch of salt, it’s actually longer than 3m), and they’re quite soft at the edges of the field of view. The strap and carry pouch are basic, and eye-relief is a low 13.6mm. Glasses wearers would be well advised to try these out before buying. Overall, at the price, the Pentax SD 8×42 WP is a great buy, and well worth the extra over the usual budget favourites. High quality, soft touch rubber and brushed metal texture finishes provide classic performance in a great looking, modern design. Prisms: These flip the image right side up within a lens; without them, images would come through upside-down. Prisms also shorten the optical path, resulting in closer images. There are two types. Porro prisms are inexpensive but often only fit in larger binoculars, since the eyepiece is offset from the binocular tube to allow more room for prisms to flip the image on the way to your eye. Roof prisms make for slimmer binoculars, but they’re usually more expensive due to their more complicated manufacturing, allowing the prism to align with the eyepiece and the binocular tube. I’ve tested an 8x25 pair out on a few trails for birdwatching and was impressed with their comfort and fit. The eyecups are comfy on the eyes and fit well when I pressed them against my glasses, thanks to their pliable rubber. The eye cups are also solid for phone photography, and I was able to push my iPhone 12 camera lens against them for a clear photo of a few birds I spotted.

Both binoculars can be used for whale watching from the balcony. The main question is how far away the whales are. If you can see them already without binoculars, i.e. clearly see there are whales out there, and you only need an enhanced view then the Avalon 10×42 will work fine. It has the advantage that you can use these binoculars for other occasions too. But if the whales are often very far away, i.e. over 2 miles out at sea, then the Celestron 20×50 will work much better. Note that they are harder to use due to the stronger magnification but once you are looking at the whale you will defiantly see it in more detail. If your main use for the binoculars is indeed to look at whales and very distant subjects (boats, ships etc.) then the Celestron 20×50 is the right choice. The field of view ratio is 1000 m: 56 m and the field of view is 3.2°. So you’ll have everything in sight and you won’t miss a thing, you’ll see.

This aspect is the one that is in charge of giving you the sharpness that you need to be able to observe in a complete way, besides it goes together with the level of magnification and the size of the lens, the bigger the contrast, the better you will visualize the image. Minimum Focus Distance Field-of-view ( FOV) is another important point to consider when deciding which option is best. As both models provide a 10x magnification zoom, this will limit how wide the FOV can be. The Viking Badger 10x50 binoculars provide a FOV of 5.2°. This is a fairly narrow FOV though balanced out with the 10x magnification zoom available. In comparison, the Viking Badger 10x42 offers an FOV of 6.44°which is considerably wider. This ideally makes them more suitable for bird watching by making it easier to follow the target.