3 Worst Mistakes Beginners Make using Binoculars & How to Avoid Them

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In this video, I show you the Top 3, Biggest, Most Common Mistakes Binocular Newbies Make and how you can Avoid them.

Using the eyecups incorrectly, incorrect or lack of use of the diopter and not aiming the binoculars correctly, there are 3 of the most common mistakes I see those new to binoculars make which certainly plays a big part in reducing the quality of the view and even meaning not being able to locate your intended target fast enough.

Links Mentioned in the Video:

How To Use Binoculars With Glasses: Eye-relief & Eye-cups Explained:

How To Focus Binoculars & Calibration

Individual Focus Binoculars or Single Diopter Adjustment?

How to correctly aim your binoculars:

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I have a pair of binoculars that were the last Christmas gift my mother gave me, I lost her in 2019. But it is as I am staying at home due to Covid 19 and really enjoying the birds in my yard that I am motivated to really put the binoculars to use. I have made all of these mistakes and look forward to learning how to best see with the binoculars. Thanks!

jennifermayes
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I had a friend who would adjust my Zeiss binoculars IPD so that he saw two overlapping circles when viewing a subject. I asked him why he was doing that when you correctly need a single large circle to have them properly adjusted. He told me he has seen many movies where the audience is viewing through a binocular and they show the double over lapping circles. I am afraid many people are under the wrong advice when looking through binoculars with incorrect IPD adjustment.
BBR, you may want to add that to your instructions

InCountry
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Wonderful, wonderful. I thought my binoculars were broken, faulty, or the lens covers were flapping over the lens, so I kept squinting through them to try to get a decent view (never managed it!). I was going to get rid and buy a monocular. The first piece of advice was to unscrew the eye cups. Problem solved. Thanks so much, I thought I had wasted £200!

andrewp
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One day I just randomly walked into a wildlife-store and bought a pair of Vortex Diamondback 8x42 binoculars.
Why? Well, honestly I have absolutely no idea what was going on inside my head! 😂 I've never had an interest in binoculars before - or had any particular reasons to buy a pair.

But, for some reason... I did.
And it was one of the best purchases I've ever made!
I ALWAYS carry them in my backpack wherever I go - and wow, who knew that something as common as a simple little leaf could be so fascinating?! 😁

Aerox
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Didn't think I needed to watch this. I was wrong. Cheers!

benmarshall
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It's amazing how few beginners do not realize that their binoculars, especially those with roof prisms, can be dual use. Not only do binoculars bring distant objects closer to the viewer, but also they can make close objects appear farther away. All you need to do is reverse the binoculars so the objective lens is close to your eye. Amazing!

jeremykeller
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Just a tip for beginners who are getting some hand-me-downs or buying used. Try also using a pair of binoculars known for good brightness. I had no clue about this as a casual beginner with old Tasco prism binoculars built probably in the late 1960s. Then I was on a birding trip and tried someone else's bins. Oh, my God! The difference was huge. The images were so much brighter. I had not realize you could lose a substantial amount of the light due to the glass. Apparently, in the 1930s Zeiss added a coating that increased transmission by 50%. Now, additional improvements are not as dramatic, but the lens coatings on old bins can wear off and cheap new bins (including cheapo toy minis with plastic lens) won't even have good lens coatings that optimize light transmission.

When I tried those modern bins, I realized I had been looking at things in darkness. When a subject is already in the shadows or the sky is gray, even losing a few percent of the light can make the difference between your brain perceiving something or not. I had previously not known you could lose ten percent of your light through bins. I thought it all went through. Until you try the top-of-the-line binoculars, you won't know what quality you are using. I have no intention of buying top-of-the-line, but at least I learn what I could be missing and gauge my purchase decisions accordingly.

bruzote
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Jason, I appreciate all your reviews, additional information about binocular qualities, features, optics quality evaluation, and proper use, thank you.

I would also add, check the binoculars for proper collimation (the axis of both barrels should be aimed at the same distant point). Probably not often a problem with new binoculars made by higher quality manufacturers, but one never knows for certain. Or collimation might be off in a high quality used binocular made by any of the higher quality manufacturers.

A few months ago I purchased my first 8x42 binocular, an impulse purchase while vacationing on the coast. Branded with the name of a large marine supply store chain. Model Shoreline 8x42. The image seemed good, bright & clear, and it also has a short close focus of about 4.5ft.

But after returning home, where instead of mostly looking at the surf line or fishing boats at sea or shore birds. I was more often viewing buildings. Where I noticed if looking at a horizontal roof line, as the binoculars were moved a few inches away from my eyes, the roof line image was lower in the right side than on the left. Or if looking at a distant lamp post. The lamp post image remained vertical in the left ocular, but moved downward and tilted to the right several degrees in the right side ocular. It's a kind of fault not easily noticed looking at natural landscape, but it does strain one's eye sight with much viewing time. After some persuading, the company replaced them with new ones that are correctly collimated.

The primary good thing to come out of purchasing that first $180 8x42 binocular was I discovered how useful that size roof prism binocular can be, that ended up sending me off on a quest to discover why, one 8x42 cost ~$200, but another one might cost $2, 500. And wonder why people are willing to pay it. What in the world can someone see through a $2, 000 + binocular that they can not see with a $200 binocular? In a quest to understand the quality differences I've ordered, tested, returned or kept several binos from different price ranges.

Among binoculars kept are: Kowa BD II XD 6.5x32, Hawke ED X 8x42 (from your recommendation), Vortex Razor XD 10x42, Calela's Instinct Euro HD 8x32 (which is an HD version of Meopta Meostar B1.1, that has a pretty darn good image. Impressive enough I later ordered the 10x32 model, too), and (thanks to Swarovski's post NL Pure introduction, discount of prices of their other models) an EL 8x32. I've concluded at my age, 65+, with its decreased eye pupil dilation ability, and likely most viewing won't be early morning or late evening -- an x32 binocular will probably be the better choice for 95% of my viewing.

I figured the best way to gain an understanding of the differences in quality is to use, over an extended period of time, binoculars from a woe spectrum of price ranges. With use under different light conditions, I am starting to understand, see, and appreciate the differences in quality of binoculars from $200 to $2, 000 price ranges. Doubling the price seems to gain a small increase in optics quality, and a larger increase in ergonomic refinement.

TyJee
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Great video! Solved my main issue right away.

georgendiane
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Great videos... I've recently entered the world of stargazing and without any help from friends /family.. These videos have been quite helpful

atulkishan
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Really enjoyed looking through your Binocular Reviews and Binocular Tripods and on your bbr website

itsfahys
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Solid tips thanks mate. Just got my first pair of binoculars

JT-yemv
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The third piece of advice is so useful!!

riverhe
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Dankie Jason, now I know how to aim at last!

rupertmcnaughtdavis
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Eye cup settings is missing on my binoculars; I did like the third hint on how to find a bird inthe bush by looking at it and bringing the binoculars up

bajajji
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Buying binoculars that are so powerful that you can't hold them still enough to view your subject. Like a pair of Celestial binoculars and trying to watch a foot ball game with them. If the pair of Bionoculars your thinking of buying has a mounting hole to a tripod adaptor you better let the sales person know if your planning on using them hand held. Don''t be afraid to ask if you can take them outside before you buy them. I have found that smaller is better but trying to get my girlfriend to agree well I had to show her the value in that.

MrBigsky
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Thanks for the ocular description, I wondered how they work and I do have a weak left eye and a astigmatism ☹

julianmcculloch
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Add the single large circle especially as you show the false figure of eight view when showing the two eyes being in focus. The sound on your video has a large echo to it I think you need a better acoustic setup. But good video overall.

alanguile
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Not twenty minutes ago, mistakes 1 and 2. Great video I won't make them again!

graym
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Luckily (or perhaps unluckily) my glasses mainly correct my astigmatism so I really don’t need to adjust the diopter or the eye cups. Knowing what they do is useful for handing my binoculars to someone else, however. Great video!

I just got into binoculars after owning many sorts of rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and camera lenses. Your videos have been useful, thanks! Currently only own two binos, a Nikon Prostaff 3S 10x42 (that has been around the world many times already) and a Vortex Vanquish 8x26 that I use for my carry around hiking binos. I plan on picking up a nicer pair, probably Vortex Viper HD or Nikon Monarch 7 in 8x flavor because I’ve finally picked up bird watching as well. It’s funny because I own several thousand dollars worth of Viper HD optics (20x85 spotting scope and long range MOA rifle scopes) but I never saw the need to have a really good pair of binos.

cccycling