Wide-Angle Binoculars Does field of view change with magnification?

What are wide-angle binoculars?

Wide-angle binoculars have a larger field of view which means you have a larger viewing area within the image. This is not to be confused with magnification or the power of your binoculars, but is related, more of that below.

This can be quantified or expressed as The field or angle of view, most manufacturers quote these figures in their technical specification and can be compared.

How is it measured?

Field of view

The field of view (FOV) is the measurement that indicates the width of what you see through the binoculars at a specified distance, it is most often shown as 1,000 yards or 1,000 metres.

Wide angle binoculars will have a larger number at 1000 yards/metres.

For example, 175 metres at 1,000 metres is wider than 150 metres at 1,000 metres.

The other way to measure or quantify is the angle of view (AOV), but what is the difference?

Angle of view

Instead of quoting the width in yards or metres, manufacturers often quote as an angle of degree for example, 8.8°.

How can we convert this to a figure that we can understand?

For example, Kowa BDII XD 8x32 has an impressive angle of view of 8.8°.

To convert the angular field to the linear field, multiply the angular field (8.8°) by 52.5.

8.8x52.5=462 462 feet at 1000 yards. * N.B. This calculation works for feet.*

In the example represented in the middle diagram, the angle of view of these binoculars is 6° so the linear field is 315 feet at 1,000 yards.

With our newly gained knowledge, which would you prefer a binocular with 8.8° angle of view, or a 6° binocular?

Generally, the lower the magnification the greater the field of view and the higher the magnification, the smaller or shallower the field of view.

It is still possible to buy a 10 or 12x magnification binocular with a wide field but the technical design limits how much extra field can be gained.

With optics there is always a compromise.

Are Wide-Angle Binoculars better?

It is always preferable to have binoculars with a wide field of view, for Birding and Astro use, this is almost essential.

Looking through a pair of wide-angle binoculars is almost like looking in ‘’widescreen’’ it is so much quicker and easier locating the bird or constellation of your choice.

Binoculars with a more restricted view make the whole viewing experience more difficult and frustrating, it’s often the difference between spotting your subject or not.

As Wide-Angle Binoculars are more desirable are they more expensive?

Wide angled binoculars were the preserve of the top- end binoculars with a high price tag to match, but Kowa have launched the BDII range, all models have this ‘’high- end’’ feature at a more ‘’mid’’ price point.

Not everybody has to pay more - for more!!