The Binoculars Advisor
by Michael and Diane Porter
  Answers to questions from real people with real questions about how to choose a binocular. The questions are listed at right.
Situation: What is the least expensive decent binocular I can get?
 Advice: Try the Eagle Optics Triumph 8x25 (magnifying everything 8-fold) or its slightly more powerful sibling, the Eagle Optics Triumph 10x25.
The Triumph is a nice little light-weight binocular. Some binoculars don't
work well for people who wear glasses, but these do. It can focus close for butterflies, and it feels good in the hand. And it won't break the bank!
 The Audubon Compact 8x25 and 10x25 are the same binoculars but with different outside coverings. We consider them interchangeable with the Eagle Optics Triumph. But some people prefer the black-and-grey exterior of the Audubon Compact or the metallic appearance of the Triumph
Situation: Is there a binocular that will focus close without making my eyes feel strained? I want to be able to see a butterfly up close, and I want to see it with both eyes at the same time.
 Advice: Check out the Pentax Papilio. It focuses as close as 18 inches! And you see the whole picture with both eyes, not just a sliver of overlap like other ultra-close-focusing binoculars. We loved this small binocular so much we had to get one the moment we saw it. Lucky for us, it isn't expensive. It seems like a great gift for a birder who already has binoculars but who also is interested in butterflies.
Copyright 2007 by Michael and Diane Porter.
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