Binoculars
Canada's Best Selection of Binoculars
Shop a carefully chosen selection of binoculars from incredible brands like Leica, Celestron, Pentax, Kowa, Zeiss and more.
All Star Telescope is Canada's Binocular Store
We have knowledgable personnel who can answer all of your questions and help you find the right pair of binoculars. We've selected a great collection of binoculars that we would actually use. That means we don't carry every single model, instead we carry great products that we love using and recommending. Whether you're looking for a great beginner set of binoculars, or an alpha binocular, we are happy to help.
Binoculars for Astronomy, Birding, and More
Binoculars are a great way to view the night sky. If you're just starting out and want to learn the night sky a pair of binoculars and a planisphere are the often the best place to start. For more experienced astronomers, binoculars are still the most immersive way to view the Milky Way.
Binoculars are also a great way to explore the world around us. When the sun is up, they're an indispensable tool for birding and other exploration. We enjoy birding, especially with our kids. We joke that it's a scavenger hunt you don't need to set up.
Binoculars are also a great instrument for observing the sun. There are dedicated solar binoculars from brands like Lunt and Celestron. You can also add a solar filter to your binoculars to look at sun spots and eclipses.
Binoculars By the Numbers
Binoculars are typically advertised with two different numbers (e.g. 10x50). The first number is the level of magnification, and the second number is the aperture. Anything that offers more than 10x magnification is very difficult to use without a tripod. Higher magnification also magnifies the natural tremors in your hands.
The second number is the diameter of the objective lenses of binoculars or the front lenses. The diameter of the lens determines the light gathering ability of the binocular, with the greater light gathering ability of a larger lens translating into greater detail and image clarity. This is especially useful in low light conditions and at night.
Doubling the size of the objective lenses quadruples the light gathering ability of the binocular. For instance, a 7x50 binocular has almost twice the light gathering ability of a 7x35 binocular and four times the light gathering ability of a 7x25 binocular. This translates to a brighter, more detailed image.
Based on the magnification and objective lens of your binocular, below are some suggestions on what you can use your binocular for.
| Magnification Level | Objective Diameter | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25mm - 30mm | 32mm - 35mm | 40mm - 43mm | 50mm - 56mm | 60mm | 70mm | 80mm | 100mm | |
| 6x - 7x | Hiking, Camping, Sporting Events, Concerts | Birding, Travel, Sporting Events, Concerts, General Purpose | Sporting Events, Astronomy | |||||
| 8x - 9x | Hiking, Camping, Sporting Events, Concerts | Birding, Travel, Sporting Events, Concerts, General Purpose | Birding, Travel, General Purpose | Birding, Astronomy | Astronomy, Seawatch | |||
| 10x - 12x | Hiking, Camping, Sporting Events, Concerts | Birding, Travel, Sporting Events, Concerts | Birding, Travel, Hunting | Birding, Astronomy, Hunting, Law Enforcement | Astronomy, Seawatch | Astronomy, Seawatch, Law Enforcement | ||
| 15x - 16x | Travel, Sporting Events, Concerts | Astronomy, Hunting, Law Enforcement | Astronomy, Seawatch, Law Enforcement | |||||
| 20x - 25x | Astronomy, Seawatch, Law Enforcement | Astronomy, Seawatch, Law Enforcement | Astronomy, Seawatch, Law Enforcement | |||||
Our Favourite Binocular Sizes
If you’re looking specifically for astronomy binoculars, a 10x50 is our favourite hand-held format. Good anti-reflective coatings are a fantastic feature as well. Larger binoculars with a tripod are also an excellent option.
Binoculars are also great for birding and wildlife viewing. Our favorite format for birding and terrestrial viewing is 8x42. They give bright views and a nice wide field of view. They’re also versatile enough to use for astronomy.
Other Things to Look for in Binoculars
Compactness and Ruggedness
Compactness and ruggedness are two major features to consider when looking for a pair of binoculars. Compactness relates to whether roof, porro, or other prisms are used in the binoculars, which affect the weight and size of the binoculars. Water resistance, waterproofing, and rubber armour designs make the binoculars more durable to withstand the rigours of portable, outside use in all kind of weather.
Binoculars rely on pairs of prisms to fold and erect the image in each tube assembly (binocular half). Doubled roof prisms are small and light enough that a pair of binoculars designed around them can have short, straight, and lightweight tubes. Thus, they are very compact and are the better choice when weight and size are key considerations.
Porro prisms and other types of prisms are bulkier and, when paired, result in a tube design that bends out at a side angle. Porro prism binoculars have the classic bulged tube designs and are larger than roof prism pairs.
Weather-resistant binoculars have minimal openings that can allow water to enter the optics. Waterproof binoculars go further and are designed to totally exclude water. They also may be nitrogen purged--filled with dry, inert gas--as an additional barrier to internal moisture, rendering them fogproof as well.
Rubber armoring provides a final level of external ruggedness and helps protect your binoculars from abrasion, damage, or loss of collimation (alignment) if accidentally dropped. The rubber also makes them easier to grip in damp or wet weather conditions.
Exit Pupil
The exit pupil is the width of the beam of light leaving the eyepiece, usually measured in millimeters (mm). The larger the exit pupil, the brighter the image will be under low-light conditions. Exit pupil size is calculated by dividing the objective lens size by the magnification power. For example: You want to know the exit pupil of an 8x42 binocular. 42mm / 8 = 5.25mm. The exit pupil of our Sport Optics should correspond with the amount of dilation of your eye's pupil after it is fully dark-adapted. This number will be between 5mm and 7mm (the maximum amount for the human eye).
- For daytime viewing, a large exit pupil is not necessary but that does not mean that a binocular cannot be used for daytime viewing if it has a large exit pupil.
- For marine application, a large exit pupil is favored as it is more forgiving and allows for more movement of the binocular while keeping the image in view.
- For night viewing, a binocular with a 7mm exit pupil will provide the maximum amount of light to the eye.
Eye Relief
Eye relief is the distance in mm between your eye and the binocular/ spotting scope eyepiece that allows the full field of view to be comfortably observed. It measures the spacing from the last surface of the eye lens of an eyepiece to the plane behind the eyepiece where all the light rays of the exit pupil come to a focus and the image is formed. Your eye should be positioned here to see the full field of view of the eyepiece.
Eye relief should be at least 10mm; 15mm will provide the best comfort, and you may need more if you wear eyeglasses.
Put your eye so it's just behind the eyepiece to take advantage of its eye relief. You’ll lose field of view if you place your eye farther away and may even move your eye out of the beam of light from the eyepiece. Getting too close will prevent you from blinking and may also cause a black ring to appear around the field of view.
Summary
Binoculars are a great tool to have. They're easy to carry around with you and to travel with. They can be an incredible instrument for astronomy, and they're the best equipment for birding.
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a pair of binoculars. We have a great selection of the best binoculars from Leica, Pentax, Celestron and more that will help you with birding, astronomy and anything else. If you have any questions, we're here to help you make the right choice.
