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Binoculars - a safari goer's guide
A feature in an old issue of Wanderlust, which I was reading over the weekend, has started me thinking about the best binoculars for safaris.
We often get questions regarding binoculars when clients are looking through the packing list – ‘Is it really necessary to have a pair each?’ or ‘Can we borrow some from the lodge/guide’ or ‘We’re about to buy some for the family, do we really need to spend £75 each’
You will need a pair each, you won’t be able to borrow them I’m afraid and you don’t necessarily need to spend £75 each.
Very good binoculars do make the difference between wonderful game viewing and struggling to see things in half light or at a great distance. They are expensive, but they will last a lifetime if looked after. The top models are generally regarded to be those by Swarovski (normally top of a safari guide’s wish list), but those by Zeiss and Nikon are also highly rated.
At a general level you need to think about a couple of things:
- how big do I want them to be?
- how much do I want to pay?
Size is generally dependent on the size of the front lens; the second figure in a description of a pair of binoculars e.g. 7 x 35 where the 7 is the magnification and the 35 the size of the front lens. The bigger the front lens the better the light gathering and therefore the sharpness of the image particularly in the half light of early mornings or evenings. However if your binoculars are too big they become heavy or too big to slip in your pocket and carry all the time. It’s a balance between them giving a sharp image and being a pain to have with you.
Ignoring the £3 a pair ‘binoculars’ you get with 20 litres of petrol at a garage, you can pay anything from £15 a pair through to almost £1,000. For your first trip, you may decide to stay at the lower end and see whether what you get suits you, progressing up if you feel you want something which offers you more. Both Jessops (www.jessops.com) and Cotswold Outdoor (www.cotswoldoutdoor.com) hold fairly impressive ranges and have impressed us in the office with their customer service. I hope this advice is a useful start.