[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

As we’re a bunch of hot-shot, know-it-all birders, we’re always getting questions about binoculars, telescopes and whatnot when we’re out and about prying rarities out of the bushes. We don’t mind, really.

I was renewing my (free, I think) subscription to Cornell Labs What About Birds? newsletter and they were giving away a couple of prizes for re-subscribing, one of them being a new (to me) Zeiss binocular, their Terra ED line, which comes in six versions from pocket-sized 10×25 to 10×42. Zeiss has long made great optical equipment so I googled for reviews on it and found Optics4Birding review of the 42mm version. It’s an excellent (in the sense of very informative) review, a paragon of reviews, in my opinion. I recommend anyone to it, especially people who write binocular reviews, as it mentions just about everything that anyone would like to know about a binocular before buying it, and it’s (IMHO) fair and objective.

My own best advice for anyone who is in the market for a binocular has been the same for about 30 years: go on a couple of bird walks and when you see a binocular that looks interesting, ask the owner if you may look through it. Your own comfort is of paramount importance and there really isn’t any way to know that without hands-on use. Birders are [generally] helpful, friendly sorts. Follow whatever instructions/suggestions/requests they offer. They’ll also tell you what they like/dislike about their binocular while you try it. If they don’t, ask. But don’t hog it and give it back immediately if a “good bird” comes along. Don’t forget to ask the price.

What you should be willing to pay depends: the vast range of possible cost ($25 to $2000), how long you’ve been birding, how certain you are that you wish to continue, the size of your wallet, your comfort level. Avoid “fixed focus” or “fast focus” which are suitable for football games and little else. Binoculars are a bit like cars: you get what you pay for but on a hyperbolic curve, i.e. lower end = big improvements for little bucks, upper end = little improvements for big bucks.

That said, if you read the review linked to above, you’ll have an excellent idea of what to look for in a binocular while you’re holding it in your very own hands.

We have four prior postings about binoculars & their use:

My New Binoculars June 2014

Binoculars: What Are All the New Features and What Do They Mean to Me? July 2019

Everything You Wanted to Know About Using Binoculars (But Were Afraid to Ask) Dec 2019

Advice on Binoculars June 2023