Birdwatching
Best binocular magnification for bird watching: 8x or 10x?
8x or 10x for birdwatching? How magnification changes field of view, brightness and shake, and which suits woodland, gardens, estuaries and hills.
Guides
Buying advice, how-tos and answers to common questions.
Basics
What the numbers on binoculars mean (8x42, 10x50)
What 8x42, 10x50 and 12x50 mean: magnification, lens size, exit pupil, field of view, eye relief, close focus and the other figures on a binocular spec sheet.
Stargazing
Binoculars for stargazing: what to buy and what you can see
Why 10x50 is the classic stargazing size, what binoculars show of the Moon, Jupiter, the Pleiades and Andromeda, and how to hold the view steady.
Care
Looking after binoculars in wet weather
Using and drying binoculars in rain, fog and sea spray: what waterproof and IPX7 mean, nitrogen purging, cleaning wet lenses and storing them dry.
Buying advice
Compact vs full-size binoculars: which should you carry?
Compact or full-size binoculars? How 25 mm and 42 mm lenses differ in brightness, field, steadiness and weight, and which suits walks, travel and dusk.
Night vision
How digital night vision works, and what it cannot do
How digital night vision binoculars use a camera sensor and an 850 nm infrared lamp, how they differ from image intensifiers and thermal, and their real limits.