How to Choose Best Binoculars for Bird Watching in the Kruger National Park
It is most important, when planning to go bird watching in the Kruger National Park, to do so while well equipped, and one of the most important pieces of equipment will be your binoculars. Now binoculars come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and it is essential that you know how to interpret some of the specifications that you should find written on any decent pair of binoculars.
On all good binoculars you will find a pair of numbers separated by an "x", for example 10 x 50. But what exactly do these figures mean? Well, the first figure indicates the magnification of the binoculars, in this example the magnification is ten times, so 5 x 50 would indicate a magnification of five times.
Top brands include Bushnell, Celestron, Meade, Zeiss, Leica, Swarovski, Nikon, Canon and others. Please also check the page about selecting the right binoculars for spotting game or wildlife.
The second figure is the diameter in millimeters of the objective lens - that is the lens that is at the wider end of the binoculars. The wider the objective lens, the more light that is let into the binoculars. So a 10 x 40 would let in more light than a 10 x 20 - in fact it would let in four times as much light because that depends on the square of the radius.
Now these two figures are very important when going about choosing a pair of binoculars. Obviously the higher the magnification the better, especially for bird watching in the Kruger National Park. But it is essential that you remember a couple of things - the higher the magnification, the more noticeable will be the natural shaking of the hand that you experience.
Anything more than ten times magnification the shaking will be so bad that you will need to make use of a tripod - something else to take into consideration. At the same time anything less than seven times magnification will mean that you will have difficulty in making out the finer details of a bird. It is therefore, if you have no intention of making use of a tripod (more equipment to lug around through the Kruger National Park), a good idea to choose a pair of binoculars between 7 x and 10 x magnification.
How will the size of the objective lens effect your decision? If you are going to be doing bird watching either at night of in relatively poor light conditions (for example in the thick bush of the Kruger National Park or in thick woodland or forest), then it will be far better to opt for a pair of binoculars with a relatively large diameter objective lens.
Bear in mind though that the larger the lens, the larger the casing to carry it and ultimately the heavier the binoculars will be. I use a pair of 10 x 50 Bushnell binoculars, which I find ideal for bird watching, but they are too heavy for my wife, so it is very important to try the feel of the binoculars before committing yourself to them.
Other things to take into consideration - well, if you are the real outdoor type of person, whatever the weather, it would be important to have a pair of binoculars that are waterproof. Some of the light that hits the objective lens is lost by reflection and refraction. Many of the better makes of binoculars have coated lenses - this is to optimize the amount of light that passes through the lens.
Generally speaking the higher the grade of coating on the lens, the more expensive the binoculars. Prices can vary enormously depending on the make, the lenses and their coatings - a new pair of binoculars can cost as little as $40 or $50, but at the other end of the scale you can be set back as much as $1000. You should be able to purchase a perfectly adequate pair for under $100.
Binocular design fall into 2 categories ... based upon prism system used, roof prism and Porro prism. It's very easy to tell them apart. If the objective lenses and the eyepiece lens are in line with each other (ie a straight type of construction as distinct from an angled construction) then they are the roof prism design. Roof prism binoculars are very compact. In higher quality binoculars there is probably not much difference in viewing quality and whatever difference may be there will be very subjective rather than objective.
If you look after your binoculars well then they should last you for years - I have had mine for about fifteen years and they are just as good as the day I bought them. If you really cannot afford a new pair of binoculars, shop around in second-hand shops. If buying second-hand, make sure that the lenses are on good condition - no cracks or scratches. And don't buy a pair if you get a split or distorted double image - that could cause major eyestrain or headaches.
Quality optics in binoculars is essentially what you pay for (as well as brand name like Zeiss for example).