Binoculars for a Safari

How to Choose Binoculars for use on a safari

There are several important factors to consider when choosing a set of binoculars and the information below will help you to narrow down your search:

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO USE YOUR BINOCULARS FOR?

Our binoculars are suitable for a wide range of activities, safaris included.

WHAT LEVEL OF MAGNIFICATION DO YOU NEED?

Binoculars are usually referred to by two numbers, for example 8x42, 10x42. The first of these numbers is the actual magnification of the binoculars: the size to which the subject is enlarged. We would highly recommend an 8x or 10x magnification for most applications. There may be a temptation to buy more powerful binoculars, however, bigger magnifications are difficult to hold steady (unless fitted to a strong tripod), offer a narrow field of view and give an image that is less bright. For optimum safari viewing, an 8x or 10x magnification is ideal.


HOW BRIGHT WILL THE ENVIRONMENT BE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO USE THE BINOCULARS IN?

The second figure in the binocular number is the size, in millimetres, of the objective (front) lens. For the same given magnification the bigger the objective lens the brighter the object will appear. Therefore an 8x42 will have the same magnification as an 8x25, but the image will appear brighter. (This is especially so in poor lighting conditions).
The actual brightness of binoculars of differing magnifications can be ascertained by dividing the objective lens size by the magnification. This gives us what is called "the exit pupil" diameter in millimetres (the bigger this is the brighter the image will appear). An 8x42 binocular would have an exit pupil of 5.25 and an 8x25 would have an exit pupil of 3.13.
The majority of our binoculars will work well in normal light, however for low-level light or night time you would want to purchase a binocular with an 8x magnification with a larger objective lens such as an 8x42.


WILL YOU BE WATCHING A FAST-MOVING SUBJECT?

A binocular's field of view can be important if you are as a narrow field of view will make this a more difficult task. The larger the magnification of a binocular the smaller the field of view will be. Information on field of view can be found within the details of each of our products.

HOW IMPORTANT IS WEIGHT TO YOU?

For activities such as hiking where minimizing your weight is important you should look at our compact binoculars which are around the half the weight of a standard binocular

DO YOU WEAR GLASSES?

If you wear glasses and wish to use the binoculars with them still on, you will need a pair of binoculars with a longer eye relief (at least 15mm). Eye relief is the distance from the last surface of an eyepiece at which the eye can obtain the full viewing angle. Information on eye relief can be found within the details of each of our products.

WILL YOU BE USING THE BINOCULARS IN WET CONDITIONS?

If so you may well want to purchase a waterproof binocular. Vivid binoculars are waterproof and are nitrogen filled which stops the internal lens elements fogging up when used in cold, damp conditions.

HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO SPEND?

As with most things, the more you spend the better the binoculars will be. Generally the more expensive binoculars employ higher quality materials and can therefore produce higher quality images. The images are usually sharper and brighter and the binocular will probably be more ruggedly constructed.

PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION

Simply let us know how you intend to use your binoculars and we will provide you with a personal recommendation on which binoculars would be best for you.