Use

Diopter adjustment

Correctly setting the diopter on your binoculars will enable you to maximize detail and ensure comfortable viewing. It is important to keep both eyes open while adjusting the diopter to get an accurate setting. View the same subject with both left and right sides.

• Look through the left eyepiece with left eye while covering the right front lens with your hand. Focus using the center focus wheel until sharp.
• Look through the right eyepiece with your right eye while covering the left front lens. Turn the diopter ring until the subject is sharp.
• Make a note of the diopter position for future reference, or use a small dot of nail polish to mark the diopter adjustment ring where you set it for your eyes. Use a different color for everyone who uses your binoculars regularly. When you want to use them, just set it to your color and start viewing!your equipment, and wash your hands before use.

Using tripods

Bring some stability to your life: Try putting your big, powerful set of binoculars on a tripod. A tripod makes a huge difference in the ease with which you can look at objects. Plus, you can leave it set up by the window aimed right at your favorite subject! All you'll have to do is take a peek.

Most big binoculars have a tripod socket built in to them. Often, these sockets are not placed in an ideal location, but an awkward placement can be fixed by using an L-shaped bracket from Pentax which costs around $20.

Boating tips

Binoculars used for boating should be waterproof. To designate binoculars waterproof, the manufacturer must guarantee them to be fully submersible in water to three meters for five minutes without leaking. Most watersport enthusiasts prefer low-power models because they are much easier to hold still while on the water.

In addition, an exit pupil of 5mm or larger is recommended for two reasons. The first reason is to provide a bright image during overcast or dim conditions. Second, it is much easier to keep your eyes centered with a large exit pupil because the edges of the image won't black out when there is movement between your body and the binoculars.

Butterfly watching

The most important feature needed to observe butterflies is a near focus under ten feet. In fact, many of our regular butterfly watchers suggest a near focus ability of seven feet or less. As always, buy the best-quality binoculars you can afford to achieve the best clarity of vision.

Astronomy

A wide variety of binoculars can be used for general astronomy. For the serious hobbyist, brighter is always better. Buy a model with a minimum exit pupil of 5mm, 6-7mm models are preferred. Look for binoculars that have a tripod mount because holding anything over your head for a long time becomes uncomfortable. A wide field of view is also desirable; however, stars will distort towards the outside edges in many of the less expensive models with a wide field.

Here's a tip to get you started: A good pair of 10x50 binoculars will show you four of Jupiter's moons. Jupiter is one of the brightest objects in the night sky. Once you've seen Jupiter, looking at Earth's moon is a piece of cake.

Shorebird watching

Although binoculars may be used to view shorebirds, a spotting scope mounted on a sturdy tripod is required to see fine detail at the distances normally encountered when viewing across the distances created by marshes and bodies of water. Powers between 15x and 60x are preferred depending upon distance and viewing conditions.

Theater and concert viewing

General wisdom suggests using low-power models with a wide field of view to see a larger portion of the stage, but many people want to see the details of performers, costumes, and stage design that are too small to be seen with lower-power versions. Because you will usually be seated, holding them steady won't be difficult. Therefore, compact 8x to 10x models will best suit your needs.

Altitudes

When viewing at elevations of 10,000 feet or more, you may encounter problems focusing some binoculars due to increased pressure inside the binocular body. This is avoidable only by using internal focus models that do not focus by moving the eyepieces in and out. Most, but not all, roof prism binoculars employ internal focus mechanisms.