What Do the Numbers on Binoculars Mean
What Do the Numbers on Binoculars Mean

What Do the Numbers on Binoculars Mean?

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Have you ever wondered “What Do the Numbers on Binoculars Mean?” As a first-time buyer, you may find the serial numbers on your new binoculars a little confusing. First-time buyers of binoculars face a daunting and perplexing task. It’s surprising how difficult it can be to select the right pair of binoculars for your outdoor experiences.

To make an informed decision about a pair of binoculars, you should visit a store and try out several before making your final decision. For the same model, you’ll notice that there are a lot of choices. In terms of size, they’ve got everything from a 10×42 up to a 15×56. Beginners may find the numbering system on a binocular confusing.

Binoculars require careful reading and comprehension of the numbers printed on them. These numbers, on the other hand, can be challenging to decipher. Choosing the right pair of binoculars can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re looking for.

To avoid overspending on binocular features, you won’t use, use the information provided here to make an informed decision on your next pair. So, let’s dig a little deeper into these numbers. We assure you that after reading this article, you’ll be able to make sense of all those scary numbers!

What Is Objective Diameter in Binoculars?

The most significant number is the objective lens diameter. In “10×50” binoculars, the number 50 denotes the objective lens’s diameter. The measurement is in millimeters.

The diameter of your binoculars’ objective lenses significantly impacts their light gathering ability. The objective lens determines the amount of light that can enter the binoculars in terms of meaning.

Binocular lenses have a thicker center and a thinner edge, which causes light to bend inwards toward the center when looking through them. When used in low-light conditions, the larger objective lenses allow more light to enter, resulting in a brighter and more detailed image when used with other binoculars with the exact specifications.

Having a larger objective lens is especially beneficial when the distance between the observer and the subject increases or when any of the factors mentioned above hinders direct sunlight. Even in bright light, smaller objectives limit both image detail and color when the distance increases. Because of light’s fundamental physics, the finer details and colors blend with smaller focusing distances.

Heavy binoculars with large objective lenses are not ideal for long hikes, it is the most common accurate lens size for observing birds and other wildlife.

What Is Objective Lens Size in Binoculars?

Objective lens size gives you an understanding of how physically big the binoculars are and tells you about their light-gathering capabilities. When purchasing binoculars, how much light an objective lens can gather is a significant consideration.

Based on the size of their objective lenses, there are three types of binoculars: compact binoculars, midsize binoculars, and full-size binoculars. However, differences in optics, design and construction can cause models with the same size objective lenses to differ in size and weight.

  • the binoculars with less than 30mm objective lens size are called compact size binoculars  
  • in midsize binoculars, the objective lens size ranges from 30mm to 40mm 
  • full-size binoculars have objective lenses larger than 40mm 

If you plan to carry the binoculars in your pack, you should choose lightweight, compact models. Midsize models can provide brighter images and be more comfortable holding for extended periods. It could change with larger full-size binoculars, which some people find too heavy to hold for long periods.

What Does DPS Mean in Binoculars?

DELUXE PORRO SUPERIOR is the acronym for DPS. Prism construction, for example, is described as follows: The effectiveness of Porro and thy binoculars is excellent.

The Porro Prism

The Porro Prism
  • Ignazio Porro, an Italian inventor, is the inspiration behind the Porro Prism. Compared to other prims, it has a more recognizable and traditional appearance. With Porro Prism, making a product is easier and costs significantly less.
  • Porro prisms feature offset eyepieces to objective lenses. The most striking feature of this prism design is the unusual separation of the eyepieces from the lenses.
  • Porro Prism Reversed: This system also has eyepieces offset from the lens. However, the distance between the lenses and the eyepieces is greater.

Prism on the Roof

Prism on the Roof
  • There are two types of prisms: Porro prisms and roof prisms. Roof prism designs include the Amici, Schmidt-Pechan, and Abbe-Koenig variants.
  • These are all designed to make binoculars smaller and narrower than their Porro prism counterparts. The most apparent distinction is that the roof prism is more streamlined and visually appealing.

What Do the Numbers Mean in Binoculars?

The first two large numbers on most binoculars that you’ll see are written like this, ’10×42′. These two numbers describe the magnification and the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters. The numbers are either printed on the binoculars’ body or the focus wheel, depending on your model.

Binocular Magnification

The magnification power of binoculars. We’ll use a pair of 10×42 binoculars to illustrate our point. An object’s size (or distance) appears 10 times larger (or closer) when viewed through binoculars than when seen with the naked eye. At 10 times magnification, a 1000-yard object seems to be only 100-yards away. Things appear closer together when magnified.

So bigger is better? Not always, because excessive magnifications (12x and greater) make maintaining a constant image difficult unless you fix the magnification binoculars to a solid surface, such as a table or wall. You can also get zoom binoculars to adjust the magnification range.

Exit Pupil Size

An eyepiece’s “exit pupil” measures how big the light rays are when they emerge from the eyepiece. When the diameter of the objective lens is divided by the magnification, this is how it’s determined. The exit pupil of a pair of 10×60 binoculars would be 60/10 = 6 millimeters. Pupil size decreases to between 2 and 4 millimeters in sunlight. At night, they’ll reduce to 7mm.

Field of View

Lens thickness, eyepiece, position, and magnification all play a role in determining this number. There are many other design considerations, but we’ll leave them to the manufacturer for clarity. A 60-degree or greater field of view is considered wide.

The wide field of view makes it easier to see fast-moving objects, such as birds or sports, such as baseball games. At 1000 yards, a degree is equal to 52.5 feet. Using 6.5-degree binoculars, for example, you’d get an image that was about 341.25 feet wide at 100 yards.

Viewing Angle

We always measure the angle of view in degrees. The greater the number, the greater the area that one can see. Anything greater than 6 degrees is considered a better angle of view. When you see a very high degree number, such as 72 degrees, the manufacturer may be referring to the actual angle of view. We calculate this figure by multiplying the angle of view by the magnifying value of the binoculars.

A 10×50 binocular with a 7.2-degree viewing angle will have a 72-degree actual viewing angle (7.2 x 10 magnification).

Relief for the Eyes

The ideal distance between your eye and the eyepiece is eye relief. However, putting your eye farther away from the optical instrument than the eye relief results in a blurred image and a smaller field of view.

You’ll need the longer eye relief if you wear glasses, and it has to be at least 15mm long. Even if you don’t wear glasses, binoculars with a long eye relief can still do an excellent job because you can easily extend the eyecups.

What Does 10×50 Mean in Binoculars?

The first number before the x stands for magnification and tells you how much the object has been enlarged.

Using a 10×50 binocular, you can see an object ten times closer than if you were using your eyes alone. The closer it appears to the object, the greater the magnification. In addition, the field of view narrows.

In addition, “10×50” is the second most important number. It lets us determine how large the objective lens will be. We refer to 10×50 binoculars as 10x50s because they have 50mm objective lenses.

What Does 10×42 Mean in Binoculars?

In other words, a picture seen through binoculars will appear 10 times closer than the original naked eye image.

Let’s take a look at an example to help you out. For example, if you’re using 10×42 binoculars to look at something 1000 yards away, the image will appear only 100 yards away. When purchasing binoculars, it’s good to keep this in mind.

The second number, i.e., 42mm, is the lens’s diameter in 10×42 binoculars. The number 42mm provides clarity of the object. 

What Does 8×42 Mean in Binoculars?

It shows that the binoculars have an 8x magnification and a 42mm objective (front) lens. It means it will show you 8 times larger pictures without compromising the clarity of the object. 

What Does 30 X 60 Mean on Binoculars?

30×60 means They magnify the image 30 times its original size and have a 60mm objective lens. The larger the objective lens, the more light gets through, and the picture becomes sharper and brighter.

What Does 7 X 35 Mean in Binoculars?

Even if you are familiar with the meaning of 7×37, we must remind you that in this model, the image will be magnified seven times and 35 mm is the size of the objective lens, which will determine the sharpness and brightness of the image depending on the lens’s size.

Are 60 x 60 Binoculars Any Good?

We Know that Magnification is Indicated By the First Number (Before the “X”).

A 60x binoculars enlarges objects by a factor of 60, giving the illusion that they are 60 times closer. However, 60 meters away means a human would appear to be standing just 1 meter from the observer’s perspective.

If you don’t know what that means, we’ll tell you – it’s the kind of magnification used in some of the most powerful telescopes in the world.

This kind of magnification has several drawbacks:

  • Having a view like this would be extremely unstable. To keep the image steady enough to make out what you’re looking at, you’d need a tripod.
  • As a result, you’d be looking at a tiny portion of the scene at a time. Seeing a planet, for example, wouldn’t be too difficult; however, trying to see an animal, for example, would be nearly impossible.
  • The more you zoom in, the less light your binoculars pick up, and the darker your image appears. At 60x, it would take large lenses to gather enough light to see anything.

We Know That the Number After the ‘X’ Indicates the Size of the Object Lens.

The objective lens is the large front lens on your binoculars.

For “normal” binoculars, a 60mm lens is a reasonable size. 42mm and 50mm are the most common lens sizes for full-sized binoculars. A 60mm lens would necessitate a large binocular. It will be a hefty one, as well.

Unfortunately, none of the binoculars advertised with these specs have lenses this large.

What Does it Mean If a Pair of Binoculars is Described as Having a Field of View of ’60×60′?

Well, nothing, other than they’re trying to deceive you. In other words, it’s a ploy. Using these staggering figures, they hope to appear more impressive than the rest of the field.

How Can I Tell If This Particular Pair of Binoculars is Up to Snuff?

Numbers don’t lie. In this case, they do. However, if a product’s description is misleading or outright false, that does not automatically mean the product is inferior. But since you realize the seller is telling lies about one number, how then do you know which other stats they may be lying about in the product listing? Some tell-tale signs will immediately notify you if the product is a fluke. Let’s discuss them.

The following features are common to all “60×60” binoculars:

  • Their cost is low. I’m talking about the $20 to $50 range, a bargain in the optics industry. If you want a good pair of binoculars for $50, these aren’t your best options.
  • They’re Chinese products.
  • Sometimes you can’t even tell if they’re from a well-known company because they’re so obscure.
  • A lot of the product images are heavily retouched.
  • Often orange, they have these strange lens coatings. In our opinion, such coatings on a reputable brand’s binoculars are just another marketing ploy.

What Is the Strongest Magnification for Binoculars?

160x has been one of the most potent magnification powers available in a binocular. This magnification implies that the binoculars can zoom in on any scene 160 times.

However, while greater magnification can zoom in on objects, it narrows the actual field of view, making it challenging to find what you were focusing on.

Furthermore, higher magnifications necessitate more stable binoculars; otherwise, the image will become distorted.

Final Words – What Do the Numbers on Binoculars Mean?

As you can see, the two small numbers written on the side of your optics provide a wealth of helpful information about your binocular specs. A decent binocular viewing experience can be enhanced by understanding these considerations. At this point, you should be able to decipher the meaning of the magnification and objective lens size numbers on your binoculars.

However, the story does not end there. So, as you can see, it has opened the door to interpreting the other binocular numbers and learning about extra features that will influence your choice of binoculars. Our sincere hope that this guide has provided you with more knowledge regarding your current set or a future purchase.

Specs on paper are one thing, but testing and handling them is quite another. The clock is ticking. It’s time to get out there and hunt!