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This guide is for anyone considering buying a pair of binoculars, monocular or spotting scope to enjoy nature. You’ll not only discover the best binoculars for nature viewing, including bird watching, wildlife scoping and more, but we also have a video review of the ZEISS Conquest HD 8x42 Binocular. Our best buy binoculars table will help you choose from what can feel like a minefield of choices and find the perfect optics to suit any budget. Read more for options from the world’s best known brands ZEISS, Swarovski, Nikon, Leica, Olympus, Canon, Steiner and Pentax.
Table of contents
Many of us enjoy outdoor pursuits, from country walks and hikes to wildlife and landscape photography and simply to enjoy some downtime away from our daily routine. A pair of binoculars or a spotting scope adds a new level of enjoyment to outdoor activities, enabling us to ‘zoom in on real life’ and observe animals in their natural habitat, with far more detail than we can with the naked eye.
Binocular technology offers a range of features to enhance the viewing experience, with lightweight and comfortable designs, which are ergonomically made for easy carrying and prolonged use. We can see much further into the distance with a suitable magnification to discover shy wildlife, watch birds and other animals go about their business, as well as view crystal clear details of subjects with clarity from afar.
Photographers often pack a pair of lightweight binoculars to scope subjects and compositions, being far easier and lighter than using an unwieldy super telephoto lens. We can also discover distant routes across the landscape, find places to set-up a wildlife hide and discover which direction to go to capture the action.
You can also use a pair of binoculars with a close minimum focus distance to enlarge details on nearer subjects, viewing natural details in a similar way to a macro lens. Digiscoping is also becoming increasingly popular with accessories designed to mount a camera or smartphone to your optics. These enable you to photograph images and record video of distant nature, the night sky including the moon and planets, through a scope or monocular at impressive magnifications. A monocular provides the ultimate low weight solution for distant viewing, favoured by ultralight hikers and outdoorsman.
If you’re in the UK every season offers unique highlights for viewing and experiencing nature in its element. Naturally we’ll be most comfortable during the warmest months from April through to September, which coincides with much of the natural world being at its most active, but colder seasons also provide plenty to observe.
During March, April and May nature leaps into action and we’ll hear the dawn chorus as birds are nesting, swifts and bats return to our shores and mammals are born as food sources rejuvenate for the year ahead. Spring is a wonderful time to get closer to nature, as there’s so much to experience and enjoy. It’s a particularly busy time for nature photographers who capture wildlife and landscapes, with insects, foliage and colours returning to a previously monotone landscape. Daffodils, anemones and bluebells mark spring’s progress with deer, rabbits and squirrels seen throughout forest locations. Spring is also a favoured time of year for stargazing with binoculars or a scope. A higher magnification pair of binoculars with a larger aperture such as 10x50 or greater is perfect for viewing celestial objects and the Milky Way, which can be observed through to July.
The summer months provide a time of plenty which sees juvenile birds and mammals growing and discovering their role in nature. Dragonflies, butterflies and wildflowers are abundant as days get warmer and longer, which provides us with plenty of opportunity for viewing nature. Remember to bring some shade, sunscreen and a Walkstool Comfort seat to while away the hours comfortably. Look out for lizards, frogs, hawk-moths and other creatures in the undergrowth during this fabulous time of year.
As the days cool and grow shorter, wildlife remains active with incredible spectacles to enjoy. You can view the deer rut from a safer distance, and other mammals become increasingly active during their quest for mating and food. It’s a great time of year to keep an eye out for hedgehogs, squirrels and foxes during a time of increased activity. Mushrooms start appearing as migrations begin, with moths and warblers amongst those leaving the UK, all against a spectacular backdrop of autumn colour. It’s worth noting that an optic with a larger aperture gathers more light, which is recommended for twilight observation of these kinds of creatures.
Despite the cold, dark and shorter days, winter provides plenty of opportunities for us to enjoy quiet nature viewing. Some of the most incredible starling murmurations can be seen between December and March, along with mountain hares, owls, woodpecker, squirrels and of course Robin red breast to name just a few. If you can bear to get out during these cold and wet months you’ll be rewarded by plenty of natural scenes to witness with fewer people around to disturb the natural environment.
Binoculars have particularly technical features and naming conventions, with lots of brands to choose from, which can be overwhelming if you’re a beginner to using binoculars. These tips will help you to understand what the names mean and which features could suit your style of viewing when buying a pair. In some regards choosing binoculars follows a similar process as buying cameras lenses, with many manufactures designing both optics and lenses due to their similarities.
If you enjoy bird watching a good binocular enhances the experience by allowing more detailed observations from much greater distances. Viewing from further away means you are less likely to disturb birds and can watch for longer while observing their natural behaviour. Bird photographers will use binoculars to locate their subjects and help get nearer without having to wield long lenses, gimbals, tripods and other equipment they carry.
As described with beginner binocular tips, choosing binoculars for bird watching primarily comes down to the most appropriate magnification and objective diameter for your subject and budget. Bird watching binoculars benefit from the inclusion of special elements which enhance the image, as we often observe small birds from a distance.
After choosing the magnification and objective size other deciding factors include whether you intend to watch birds at a location where your equipment may get wet such as a reservoir, water-based nature reserve or during inclement weather. Waterproof binoculars, rugged construction and fog-free lenses are great features to look for in any of these situations. Try and stay as lightweight as possible for easy movement or if you walk further. It’s also essential to choose binoculars which include a diopter to adjust fine focus on your bird subjects.
We’ve rounded-up 12 of the most popular and versatile binoculars (including a spotting scope and monocular kit) in this best buy binoculars for nature viewing. All of these provide a great viewing experience with different models suited to a range of applications and for all budgets. It’s clear from these products that the larger spotting scope and single monocular offer substantially varied weight savings or gains verses binoculars.
Model |
Price |
Key features |
Weight |
£999 |
Water resistant / HD lenses / LotuTec® and ZEISS T* coating / Perfect for multiple uses |
795g |
|
£99 |
Rubber-armoured coating / multi-coated lenses / Great value for money |
910g |
|
£199 |
Waterproof and fogproof / Rubber armouring |
650g |
|
£419 |
Robust design / Waterproof and nitrogen-filled / SCHOTT ED glass / Great ergonomics |
725g |
|
£1,649 |
SCHOTT HT glass / Magnesium body / AuqaDura and HDC coating / highest rated water/fog proof performance |
790g |
|
£399 |
Minimum focusing distance 1.5m / ED lenses / Phase-correction coating / Waterproof, anti-fogging |
665g |
|
£129 |
Waterproof / Fogproof / NBR Long Life rubber armouring / UV Coatings |
297g |
|
£169 |
Fully multi-coated optics / Aluminium die cast body / Rubber armoured / Waterproof and nitrogen-filled |
900g |
|
£1,219 |
Optical Image Stabiliser / Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens / Porro II prism optics / Super Spectra coating |
1180g |
|
£1,625 |
HD optics / optimised lens and prism coating / Field flattener lenses / Excellent ergonomics |
800g |
|
£3,150 |
FL glass / LotuTec® and ZEISS T* coating / 95mm lens diameter / Nitrogen filled |
2,078g |
|
£249 |
Digiscoping monocular kit / includes Macro Stand and Smartphone Adapter / waterproof |
150g |
We’ve added the following new binoculars to our catalogue which include the latest viewing technology across various budgets for nature observation.
Watch the video where Gareth gives a hands-on review of the rugged, twilight-capable ZEISS Conquest HD 8x42 Binocular, SFL 10x40 and the SFL 8x40
If you’re new to using binoculars out in the field observing nature these tips will help you set-up and get started for brilliant results.
Park Cameras are fortunate to have wonderful customers and photography ambassadors contribute to our blog. We’ve published numerous wildlife and bird articles over the years which can inspire and teach us how to photograph wildlife and get the most out of viewing nature. These posts are sure to inspire you to get out into nature, so why not grab a cup of tea and take a moment to read some of these posts.
We’ve collated a list of external Wildlife observation resources to discover the best time to view wildlife, how you can get involved as well as inspiration to get us outside and enjoy the natural world.
The natural world around us provides unlimited benefits for our health and wellbeing as well as many hours of enjoyment simply observing. Whether you enjoy walks, hikes, sports or simply general outdoor activities, browse our range of binoculars from the most popular brands to find your perfect optic for nature viewing.
By Nick Dautlich on 27/04/2022
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