Optical Equipment

Binoculars
Binoculars are essential to get good magnified looks at birds you find. While most people are initially attracted to small, light-weight, inexpensive binoculars, the best rule of thumb for selecting binoculars is to get the largest, heaviest, most expensive binoculars you can afford.

A rule of thumb is that high-quality glass is heavier than poor-quality glass, hence better-quality binoculars are heavier. Also, the bigger the objective lenses (the larger lenses at the barrel end of the binoculars) the larger the field of view with a given magnification.
Speaking of magnification, binoculars usually come in 7x, 8x, or 10x binoculars (7x = 7 power = 7 times magnification). Most birders prefer 7x or 8x magnification, because they are easier to use in the field, easier to locate flying birds or birds feeding in trees, They are also less affected by body movements and usually provide a greater field of view than 10x binoculars.

Canon offers unique high-magnification image-stabilized binoculars in 12x and 15x, however, these models have a reduced field of view and are quite expensive, but may be a good option to a buying a spotting scope. Some birders appreciate close-focus capabilities, especially if they also use their binoculars for viewing wildflowers and butterflies, and no-fog optics are also preferred by some, especially people who spend a lot of time in pursuit of seabirds.

To start with, a $50 pair of 7x or 8x binoculars will serve you well. But try a $250 pair, and a $750 pair, just so you appreciate the merits of good optics and how they can help you in the field.

To find just the right binoculars, ask other birders if you can try their binoculars. As a rule, birders are happy to let you try their equipment, and are particularly helpful, offering suggestions about certain features and their personal preferences. Another option is to go to a well-stocked sporting goods store to try a variety of models, or you may be able to try a variety of models at a birding festival or other birding event. Eventually, you should find just the right binoculars.

Spotting Scopes
A spotting scope resembles a telescope, but is more sturdily built and durable to make it field-tough equipment. Spotting scopes provide higher magnification than binoculars. (Binoculars usually provide 7-, 8-, or 10-power magnification; spotting scopes usually provide 15- to 30-power and more magnification.) The higher magnification of a spotting scope requires a stabilizing tripod or alternative stabilizing equipment to keep the optics steady while you use it.

The primary parts of a spotting scope include the objective lens and eye piece. The objective lens is the large lens at the end of the spotting scope. The objective in selecting the best objective lens is to get the largest lens possible, which provides the best field of view.

The eye piece is usually interchangeable, and may provide a fixed magnification of 15x, 20x, etc., or it may provide zooming options from 15x to 45x, for example. Fixed magnification eye pieces provide better fields of view than zooms do, but zoom eye pieces offer the other obvious advantages of zooming in from 15 power to 45 or even 60 power.
Eye pieces come in straight or 45-degree angle models. Europeans tend to prefer angled eye-pieces, while Americans tend to prefer the straight model, but it’s essentially a matter of personal preference. It is usually simpler to find a bird in the field of view when using a straight eye piece.

Spotting scopes are not for everyone. They are heavy, cumbersome with a tripod, and expensive. And you must be an avid birder with an interest in such birds as shorebirds, birds of prey, or seabirds to really get the most out of a spotting scope. Even so, there is nothing to compare to a high-magnification look at birds through a spotting scope, and a bird too far off to accurately identify at 8-power can be viewed in all its glory with the use of a good spotting scope.