*Binoculars are one of the handiest camping, hunting, fishing and traveler accessories around. So whether you want to observe birds, bucks or or a football game, a good pair of binoculars is indispensible.

*Prisms are what let you see a correctly oriented image when you look through a pair of binoculars. Roof prisms make a more compact set of binoculars which many sportsman prefer. To be really good, roof prism binoculars have to be in the high price class. Porro prism binoculars can be identified by their offset tubes. The porro prism design is usually optically superior to the roof prism design. They are easily adjusted to fit your eyes(distance) between your eyes). Bak-4 prisms are the best becasue they are made of superior optical glass that produces clearer images.

*Most binoculars have antireflection coatings on their air to glass surfaces. You will know this coating is present if you look into the front lens of the binoculars and see red, blue or green reflections. If the manufacturer describes it as "coated", then this means there is a single layer coating. "Fully coated" means that all air to glass surfaces are coated. "Multi-coated" means that generally the first and last air to glass surfaces are coated. These coatings improve the magnitude and reduce glare in bright light so multi-coatings are the best.

*Binoculars are described by a pair of numbers, like "10x 36". The first of the numbers refers to magnification which is why most people buy binoculars. For example, 10x means the object will be seen 10 times closer than the naked human eye can see. Zoom binoculars have varying degrees of magnification but work best in the lower range. The higher the magnification the dimmer the object will be and the smaller the field of view will be. The second number in the binoculars pair of numbers refers to the diameter of the front objectives in millimeters. This is important because the larger the diameter the more light enters and this allows you to see better in dim light. Hunters who like to hunt at night, like binoculars with large diameters, like "50" . Binoculars with large diameters are generally much heavier.

*The exit pupil is determined by the diameter and magnification. When you use smaller compact binoculars, you are losing alot of light. As humans age, they lose the ability for their eyes to adapt to dim light. Because of this, the exit pupil size we need decreases. (suggest 7mm in middle age and 5.0mm in elderly)

*The field of view is the area you see out of your binoculars. This is important for viewing moving objects like animals or at sporting events.

* Favorites: camping and fishing "7x 50"; travelers use compact binoculars with "7-10x" magnification; astronomers "7-9x" magnification with "50-63" diameters; hunters "6-9x" magnification and "30-40'" diameters.