I do not really know what is the diffrience among Nikon, Canon,Bushnell and Hawkeye. can somebody help me to introduce them? And I want to get one pair of binoculars for bird watching. Which one should I choose?
From the first vignette in Binoculars, Fallacy & Fact:
1 “WHICH IS BETTER?”
People planning the purchase of a new binocular, or comparing what they’re now using to a friend’s, will invariably ask: “Which is better?” This is a tough question at best and usually calls for many more answers than the questioner had considered.
Even so, the binocular shopper may visit the phrase again and again when considering aperture, magnification, prism type, anti-reflective coatings, and more. Undoubtedly the list will grow as he or she tries to decide which features are most important to their viewing pleasure and which are being described accurately. And how many times on binocular forums or in sales conversations do we see questions relating to buying a “decent” binocular, a “quality” binocular, a “dependable” binocular or the like. These queries may be made in innocence but as phrased they are meaningless.
Exactly what constitutes “decent”? Should it be defined by a 16-year old student in Texas, an aerospace engineer in Washington State, an orchardist in Michigan, or a history professor at Harvard? And, where is the line separating “decent” units from all the others arbitrarily considered to be something less than decent?
Likewise, what constitutes “affordable,” when at any price point there may be 200 or more entries? Should “affordable” be defined by the person who refuses to use anything less than a Leica or Zeiss or the person who thinks spending more than $79.95 is a waste?
The fact is without revealing definite preferences, on which the researcher often has yet to decide, the answer is elusive and a thoughtful and experienced mentor can be at a loss to help.
Probably the most common benchmarks are good, better, or best. But who can offer a definition for those terms? Do they relate to light grasp, aberration control, weight, glare suppression, eye relief, or any one of a handful of other considerations?
Example: Two observers might ask if a certain binocular will provide a “good view” of Mount Rainier (It’s a Seattle kind ‘a thing).
To the first observer the question means: “Will I be able to see mountain goats from my office on the 21st floor of the Columbia Center?” To the second it means: “Can I get a view of the mountain in its majestic setting?”
Both versions of “good” are valid and may represent the exact goal the observer has in mind. But while one has realistic expectations, the other is looking for a level of magnification and resolution unrealistic for a handheld binocular.