Technical

Perfect light

It doesn't take long for a photographer to figure out that the worst time to make a photograph is midday on a bright, sunny summer day. The light is coming from a bad angle. Shadows are cast in the wrong places on faces. The contrast becomes difficult to manage in all types of scenes. The beautiful blue sky is so much brighter than the ground that it washes out to a very pale, almost white in the final print.

On the other hand, the light at either end of the day, especially very early or very late, is spoken of with great reverence by photographers. They call it the “sweet light” or "perfect light." This richly colored light begins at sunrise, lasts about half an hour, and begins again about half an hour before sunset. However, this light changes so rapidly that you need to watch vigilantly and grab your shot at just the right moment.

As a rule of thumb, don’t shoot between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Of course, there are going to be a lot of times when you will have to shoot during the middle of the day, but remember to avoid it when you can.

Avoiding gray market products

"Gray market" is the term used to describe products imported into the U.S. that were intended for sale overseas. These products don't normally include accessories like cases, neckstraps, and rainguards that come with USA-warranted models. Many gray market products are dated models, lacking the latest features such as multicoatings, phase-coated prisms, and factory-adjusted close focus. Since gray market products are meant to be sold overseas, most U.S. repair centers will not service these products under warranty and will charge you for the repair.

Calculate exact exit pupil size or relative brightness

Use the following equation to make an apples-to-apples comparison between binoculars:

Let's use a pair of 8x25s as an example. Take the front objective (25), divide it by the power (8), and you will get 3.125. This is your exit pupil size. Next, multiply the exit pupil (3.125) by itself, and you get your relative brightness or 9.77. Now you can compare binoculars even when you don't have all the info. Visit our Binocular Specification page, and find out everything you need to know about the models we carry.