How to choose the right binoculars
Binoculars are very useful when going to a concert. They allow you to see the performers on stage much closer. However, there are various types of binoculars, so which one should you choose? This article explains the three specifications you should pay attention to when selecting binoculars: brightness, magnification, and real field of view. Let's enjoy the concert more with the right binoculars!
Brightness
The first thing to check when using binoculars for watching a concert is "brightness". Concert halls are often very dark. If you want to see clearly and brightly, choose binoculars with a high "brightness" value.
Brightness is determined by the basic magnification and the diameter of the objective lens.
In other words, if the magnification is the same, the binoculars with a larger effective diameter of the objective lens are brighter. Also, with the same effective diameter of the objective lens, binoculars with a lower magnification would be brighter. However, since the visibility also depends on the lens material, coating, etc., it is advisable to actually compare them in stores.
Coating
Binoculars and monoculars use a lot of optical elements, so the light that reflects between the lenses and prisms can lose its intensity. This reflected light darkens the field of view and reduces image contrast. In binoculars and monoculars, optical lenses and prisms are coated in order to reduce the amount of reflection, improve brightness, and obtain a sharp image.
Magnification
The next thing to check is the "magnification". Magnification is written in catalogs and binoculars as follows.
Are you choosing binoculars with high magnification only because you want to see an object larger? The important thing is the distance to the object. It is better to know the size of the concert hall and choose the appropriate magnification.
If you divide "distance to the object" by "magnification", you can obtain the distance the object can be seen from.
Knowing all this, you may be thinking that a higher magnification is better because you can see closer. However, this is not necessarily true, as higher magnification narrows the field of view and makes it easier to get a shaking picture. If you are looking for a high magnification, you should choose a tripod-mountable type and use it fixed to a tripod.
*Please check concert or stadium regulations whether you can bring the tripod with you or not.
Real field of view
Real field of view is an actual area you can see without moving the binoculars expressed in an angle value. The wider the field of view, the wider area you can see, thus the easier to find an object.
In general, the higher the magnification, the narrower the field of view.
For example, in the case of 8x binoculars, it is recommended to choose the binoculars with a field of view of 6.5 degrees or more!
