Experts take the guesswork out of choosing binoculars

By Bob Difley

If you don't have the time to personally test 20 or 30 pairs of binoculars in order to choose the right one, you might want to check out this report by 40 reviewers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that tested 78 binoculars. Each tester compared at least ten models, with each binocular examined by at least ten reviewers. A core team of five experts examined every single pair of binoculars.

Weight, close-focus distance, and field of view at 15 feet are measured objectively, while other features are rated on a five-point scale: image quality, depth of field, ergonomics and "eyeglass friendliness." Editors rank binoculars in order of overall quality in four price ranges. It is interesting to note that the editors say binoculars in the $500 to $1,000 range are not worth the extra money over those in the $200 to $500 range. You can read the full report here.