from Tracy Drake, Manager and Naturalist at the Madrona Marsh
Preserve, Torrance, CA
On February 14, 2015, Tracy Drake led California Naturalist students
on a bird walk at the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum. Along the way
she taught how to properly use binoculars. Here are some tips from
Tracy:
- Buy the best pair of binoculars you can afford. Usually, a magnification of 8x40, 8x42, or 10x42 will be sufficient and cost between $200 and $300. Don't buy binoculars in a hunting store as you will most likely find ones with orange tinted lenses. You want the lenses to be clear so that you have the best possible view of a bird's coloring.
- Consider whether you want to buy binoculars with a wide or long view. Binoculars with a wide view allow you to see more of the environment to the left or right, but will not allow for long distance spotting of birds.
- Adjust your binoculars every you use them. Our eyes change shape subtly when we sleep, and this affects how well the binoculars will work.
- First, make sure that you adjust the angle of the barrels so that the ocular lenses fit comfortably at your eyes.
- If you wear glasses, fold the rubber eye cups down so that the lenses sit closer to your eyes.
- Set the diopter adjustment ring at 0. (So that 0 matches up with the dot.)
- Find something in the distance, preferably text, on which to focus. With your left hand covering the left objective lens, use your right hand to turn the diopter adjustment ring in both directions until you find a point at which your vision is most clear.
- Uncover your left lens piece and adjust the center focus until you can see your object with crystal clarity.
- If you already own a pair of binoculars, it is wise to make sure that the inner mechanism is working properly. Focus on a horizontal line in the distance. If the line appears intact (as below), the binoculars are functioning fine.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- If the line appears broken, with one side higher than the other (as below), the binoculars no longer function properly and will need to be replaced.
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