do you use binoculars to help spot wildlife?
- Thread starter wotan1
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I used to all the time but these days with a 800mm lens I figure that works too! I do always have them under my front seat in the car and use them from the car quite a bit, much easier to pick up the binoculars rather than a lens and camera in a car.
raptor photo
Well-known member
No, my camera provides enough zoom to see what's what. If it's far out enough that I can't figure out what it is through my lens, then I really don't care about it.
I use Nikon 10 X 42 in the field primarily for spotting when hiking or moving to select a location. Much less tiring than trying to "spot" with a telephoto lens. 7 degree FOV is close enough to give me an idea of what I would see with my telephoto (400 mm is 6 deg 10 min FOV)
I brought a pair of Monarch 7 10x42 binos with me to Etosha park in Namibia last August. I was so excited looking for shots through my lenses that I forgot they were on the back seat of our bakkie.
If birds are my target, I always have Zeiss 10-42s with me. If I'm after bugs No. 
Doug Herr
Well-known member
Clearer view, especially when the bird is out of camera range. They can be handy when I spot a distant bird and want to know if it's worth the effort to get close enough for photographs. I use compact Zeiss 10x25.
NatureBoy
Active member
I have to say Im suprised at the number of people who dont use them. I almost never leave without them.
10 X42 Vortex. A LOT lighter than my telephoto lens to hold up and observe. Helps a lot with recon and planning to get to where the birds may be moving to sometimes. Just so used to them birding before i got a camera.
10 X42 Vortex. A LOT lighter than my telephoto lens to hold up and observe. Helps a lot with recon and planning to get to where the birds may be moving to sometimes. Just so used to them birding before i got a camera.
NatureBoy
Active member
Agree 100%
I can't imagine going out without them. For me, photography is a way to enjoy and experience nature but I don't have to come back with a photo for that enjoyment. Of course I'm ecstatic if I get something good.
Binoculars help find interesting subjects for photography and are much lighter than my camera and lens. If I leave something behind, it will be the camera rather than the binoculars.
I got more interested in photography as a way to id and record what I found in nature. It's a learning tool. Then I got really interested in the artistic side, which makes the photography way more fun.
I have the best binoculars I could afford at the time, Zeiss conquest HD 10x42s. I'm thinking of upgrading but another camera body is 1st. The Zeiss we have were recommended as the best midrange bins by Cornell about 10 years ago.
Binoculars help find interesting subjects for photography and are much lighter than my camera and lens. If I leave something behind, it will be the camera rather than the binoculars.
I got more interested in photography as a way to id and record what I found in nature. It's a learning tool. Then I got really interested in the artistic side, which makes the photography way more fun.
I have the best binoculars I could afford at the time, Zeiss conquest HD 10x42s. I'm thinking of upgrading but another camera body is 1st. The Zeiss we have were recommended as the best midrange bins by Cornell about 10 years ago.
foxysport
Active member
Using Canon 10x42 IS WP for the last half a year or so. The birds are almost never completely stationary so it is essential to establish their trajectory/patterns of hopping or flying. There could be a raptor that is far away and if I can identify it and it is heading my way, I'll be on it. For songbirds, I often have no clue whether a tree has them somewhere at the top maybe, and if/when I find them, when will they stop for a breather as they cannot keep hopping around indefinitely. When they stop for a bit, I point the camera and shoot but not before. By the way, the IS makes a huge change: for example, far away raptors in flight look like a well-shot movie and I can observe stress-free what they are doing, are they carrying anything, and where are they heading. Also, just basic observation of the behaviour is very useful by itself for familiarising oneself with what one is faced with. Bottom line, a transformational tool for me.
NatureBoy
Active member
We are on the same page. Recording the amazing outdoors! As a hunter with a camera I’m used to sometimes laying on the ground and like Vortex Viper HD good with excellent view that can be used hard at the same time. For straight birding / Nature I’m grabbing my Leicas.
Im sure the Zeiss are Great still.
Oldnintheway
Well-known member
Yes, always, camera strap over one shoulder, binos over the other. I'm more often looking for whales and holding a camera + long lens up to my eye for the time that it takes is not practical. For birds, even when they are close in the brush, they are needed for ID. I am currently carrying Tract Optics 10x42 and quite happy with them.
Yes, and a rangefinder - which is suggest is more important
Calson
Well-known member
I shorten the neck straps on my binos and my cameras so they hang down about 6 inches so they are out of the way. No need to hang them off a shoulder and take a chance of them falling off and hitting the ground.
Chiguy
Member
I never leave home without them I do a lot of wildlife and use the Nikon Prostaff P3 10x42 great glass bright and sharp
I have some vision issues so I often use them to spot specifically what I see moving in the trees or at a distance. That allows me to decide if I want to move that way or move on to something else. My husband got me Vortex Optics Diamondback HD Binoculars 10x42 and I keep them in my car. They are fabulous to use even if I’m not planning to photograph anything. When I am on a hike with my camera, I put the bionculars on my left shoulder and then put the camera on my right. I can easily move my camera to the ready position without the binoculars being in my way. I have a different set of bionculars (cheaper and less reach) that I keep at home for backyard critter watching.
SHC
Member
I often am keeping an eBird checklist while I’m photographing. Having binoculars helps with IDs for things that I am not necessarily going to photograph. I’ve been using Nikon Monarch 7 10 x 42s, but my family recently gave me a pair of Nikon M7 10 X 30s, and they’ve been great. Very compact and light but with excellent image quality.
Carry them all the time; use them most of the time. Of course you won’t be photographing a critter that you see in the binos but can’t see with your 600mm lens, but they’re invaluable, as many above have suggested, in finding subjects in order to relocate yourself for a shot.
As to Swarovski- there are many less expensive brands out there, but IF you become a dedicated bino user, the difference between Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss and all the rest warrants paying the premium. It’s not just IQ - The big 3 offer incredible “brightness” and detail. Difficult to explain, but if you are using them often and for long periods, the differences become quite obvious and significant. If you just want a pair of binos to occasionally locate a subject to photograph (as opposed to enjoying lengthier sessions observing the subject), pretty much any pair in the lower tier will serve you well.
Strongly suggest the 8x25 to 10x40 focal lengths to be best overall choice. Just like your photo lenses, field of view and ergonomics should factor into your choice, especially if you wear glasses.
As to Swarovski- there are many less expensive brands out there, but IF you become a dedicated bino user, the difference between Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss and all the rest warrants paying the premium. It’s not just IQ - The big 3 offer incredible “brightness” and detail. Difficult to explain, but if you are using them often and for long periods, the differences become quite obvious and significant. If you just want a pair of binos to occasionally locate a subject to photograph (as opposed to enjoying lengthier sessions observing the subject), pretty much any pair in the lower tier will serve you well.
Strongly suggest the 8x25 to 10x40 focal lengths to be best overall choice. Just like your photo lenses, field of view and ergonomics should factor into your choice, especially if you wear glasses.
I have binos handy on most wildlife and BIF outings. I find them useful in ways that others have posted above. This pair is good quality and reasonably priced on Amazon for $467 -
Vortex Optics Viper HD Roof Prism Binoculars 10x42
This harness, on Amazon for $30, is very functional as you can carry the binos in several configurations:
Rick Young Outdoors | Ultra-Light Binocular Harness
Vortex Optics Viper HD Roof Prism Binoculars 10x42
This harness, on Amazon for $30, is very functional as you can carry the binos in several configurations:
Rick Young Outdoors | Ultra-Light Binocular Harness
Ditto the suggestion for a harness.
BrianSmall
Active member
Yes, they are an essential part of my equipment every time I'm in the field. I never go out without them. I use the Nikon Monarch 10x42.
No.
I am birder (ebird check lists etc..) and bird ID photographer. I have a great pair of binocs that sit in my closet or I loan out when leading birding outings for our local Audubon chapter. I have been a hunter all of my life and am blessed with good vision so far and target acquisition for me is faster with my Z9 & Z800 than with binoculars and I can scan by pushing the button and turning subject detect off. With a one button push to DX mode from FX and even another magnification of doubling an image taken this set up gives me a variable focal length spotting scope in my hands.
I frequently can find and ID birds that others in a birding group can not with binocs or even spotting scopes. I am frequently asked by binoc and scope users to verify the ID of a bird they are seeing. Sometimes it is a "bird to far" for all of us and we just can not see it plainly enough for ID. I have also gotten my images home and proven my ID wrong in the field when processed snd viewed on a high resolution 27 inch monitor
Most birders I bird with around here do not use just a camera and some only binocs and spotting scopes.
As my wife reminds me I am the exception as she scans for birds with her binoculars.
I am birder (ebird check lists etc..) and bird ID photographer. I have a great pair of binocs that sit in my closet or I loan out when leading birding outings for our local Audubon chapter. I have been a hunter all of my life and am blessed with good vision so far and target acquisition for me is faster with my Z9 & Z800 than with binoculars and I can scan by pushing the button and turning subject detect off. With a one button push to DX mode from FX and even another magnification of doubling an image taken this set up gives me a variable focal length spotting scope in my hands.
I frequently can find and ID birds that others in a birding group can not with binocs or even spotting scopes. I am frequently asked by binoc and scope users to verify the ID of a bird they are seeing. Sometimes it is a "bird to far" for all of us and we just can not see it plainly enough for ID. I have also gotten my images home and proven my ID wrong in the field when processed snd viewed on a high resolution 27 inch monitor
Most birders I bird with around here do not use just a camera and some only binocs and spotting scopes.
As my wife reminds me I am the exception as she scans for birds with her binoculars.
EricKlees
Well-known member
Of course! I use them to see what's what. I look for things at distance so I can see how the light is hitting something and I position myself for the best spot and wait for it to come closer. If you try to do that when they are already close, you will likely flush birds or mammals away from you. Using binoculars is part of my field craft. I am a detail guy so for me I don't press the shutter unless I am generally half filling the frame or more. Birds I will shoot a little further out, and with the Z9+800PF I can crop 100% and still retain VERY good detail in the feathers and still sell up to 24x36 prints.
Mal Paso
Active member
Nikon 12X42 Monarchs. I have used Leica and they are better but Nikon is what I'm willing to pay for a non "taking" lens.