(Voluntary full disclosure: this description was written and submitted by John E. Riutta, Observation Market Development Leader for Leupold.)
The Leupold Yosemite 6x30mm binocular is the first binocular designed for use by the entire family. It was created by a partner in the optics industry and myself. Our purpose was to create a binocular suitable for use by our children; a binocular that was not a toy and that would not cause children eye strain from poor optical design or frustration from inappropriate physical design. Additionally, it had to be affordable so that cost would not prohibit its being bought for children. In the end, we created a binocular useable not only by children but by the entire human population.
Too many people think it is perfectly acceptable to use compact binoculars for children but compacts are made for adults the magnification is too high and the overall design is simply not designed for children to easily use; as the father of a young daughter, I know this from experience.
Traditionally, binoculars have been designed for the average man. Consequently, they are usually too large for nearly all children and many women (not to mention a sizeable percentage of men). This results in many people not being able to use them comfortably or effectively.
The Yosemite 6x30mm binocular is designed for the average person. Most importantly, the interpupillary distance (IPD) on the Yosemite 6x30mm binocular spans a larger range.
Traditionally, binoculars are designed for men who average 66mm. Most adult women in the U.S. have IPD ranging from 56-66mm, averaging 63mm. Whats more, adult IPD is not even reached until the mid teenage years. Most traditional binoculars IPDs do not close to 56mm. In many cases, they only close to 60mm.
Other design modifications have also been made to make the binocular more universally useful. The body size is slightly smaller and the focus control is slightly larger; both to accommodate smaller hands. The magnification level of 6x allows for a wide field of view, 8 degrees, enabling beginners and less experienced users to more easily locate objects while viewing through the binocular. Finally, the Leupold Yosemite 6x30mm binocular weighs only 17 oz., making it light enough for easy carrying by anyone.