Magnification Power

Magnification power is important when choosing a pair of binoculars for birding.

When looking at a pair of binoculars you will find two numbers that look something like 10x40. The "10x" refers to the magnification power. When describing the binoculars say "10 power" or "10ex".

What it means, in this example, is the binoculars make the object appear to be 10 times closer than it actually is. This is how a pair of binoculars can make a bird that is 60 feet away appear to be only 6 feet away.

The "40" refers to the diameter of the binoculars' objective lenses in millimeters (more on this later).

For general birding a of 7x or 8x is usually preferred.

A few reasons for this are:

Higher power binoculars are usually heavier.
More powerful binoculars are harder to hold steady as you focus on an image, do to "Hand Shake".
Many lower power binoculars have a wider angle of view and better light-gathering ability than higher power models.

Zoom binoculars have a power of magnification which varies. They will be marked something like, 7X to 15X. These binoculars are usually bulky and heavy. You may also have a hard time holding the image steady at higher magnifications.

Some binoculars include "Image Stabilizers". These are internal prisms that counter the vibrations caused by unsteady hands. This may be useful to you, but don't make it your deciding factor.

Choosing the best birding binoculars will greatly enhance your enjoyment of watching wild birds, even if only at your backyard bird feeders.

Magnification power is important. Learn more about binoculars for birding, here.