What would a trip be without having a perfect and beautiful view of all the sites you wish to visit? What is the point of going on maybe a tour without having a good look at everything worth looking at? The fun is not even just looking at the sites or animals in sight, but clearly seeing what you are looking at. I personally have gone on trips where I looked at some interesting locations but I didn’t capture all the beauty there was to capture even if it was right in front of me because I didn’t have a binocular for safari to view them with and these were not locations you could get so close to. Binoculars for safari are truly a must have as they can be used for purposes outside safari too.
Going for a safari without binoculars is like going to the dentist without your teeth, simply impossible. A safari is a type of journey you take as a tourist in Africa, just driving in the wild to observe the true beauty of nature by viewing the wildlife, hiking, camping and just generally having an amazing sightseeing experience. Imagine going on this type of adventure without a binocular? What is now the point of going if you wouldn’t go with binoculars to savor every single moment of the trip and adventure? Because in the safari, you would encounter a lot of wild animals and some of these experiences are a once in a life time thing dependent on season and luck, and most of these animals, you cannot get too close to. Hence, one has to have a perfect pair of binoculars for this amazing adventure.
Not to fear, I am here today to guide you on the perfect binoculars you could use for your exotic safari adventures. Binoculars that are almost identical to a good pair of eyes.
How to Choose the Best Binocular for Safari
Now, one does not just go to a shop randomly to pick just any pair of binoculars, you have to know what function it serves, what you need it for and a lot of other things. I will be guiding you on things you should look out for when you want to buy binoculars for safari;
1. Eye Relief
First, you want a pair of binoculars that is comfortable against your eyes. You want binoculars that are the ideal distance between your eye and the binocular’s eyepiece. If you get one that’s too close to you or too far away, your user experience will not be very pleasant.
Also, if you wear glasses, you should get binoculars with a 15mm relief at least (or if you will be wearing sunglass for the most part of the trip.)
2. Lens of the Binoculars
To get the best views and to fully optimize your image quality, it is advised to go for fully multi-coated lenses. They are the best kind of lenses and a good lens is needed for shady parts. Binoculars from experience with lenses, 32mm to 42mm are the best because they work for every time of the day perfectly and they are not very bulky.
3. Magnification
High magnification, although very adequate and enjoyable most times are not adequate for safari adventures. Magnification is basically how large you see the image in the lens compared to how it is in real life.
High magnification is not so good for safari trips because most times, the higher the magnification, the lesser the stability and focus of the object. Magnifications greater than 10x often times lead to the production of unstable images.
4. Cost of the Binocular
This obviously is a real cause for concern. As is expected, most times more money usually means better quality. But if you are on a tight budget, you can get an okay binocular for like $50, and more manufacturers are making lovely binoculars for even less these days. If you have a flexible budget, you can get very good binoculars for $300 to $350, these binoculars have all the trimmings.
5. Weight of the Binoculars
The weight and size of the binoculars play an important role in the selection process. Going for a small and light binocular seems like a great idea because it will be easy to manipulate, carry around and it will not consume a lot of space but the image quality and stability wouldn’t be as good as the larger ones.
Medium sized binoculars are the best because they are not so heavy and the image quality is still amazing.
6. Resistance to Water and Shock
This is a very important feature in the selection process.
In safari, you don’t know what to expect and you will be in the open a lot. It could just randomly start to rain and most safari vehicles are open topped. So, the weather can suddenly go from dusty to humid to rainy, it helps to be prepared by having a pair of binoculars that will not be shocked by all these things.
Your binocular should be shock resistant because the safari trips usually include very rough, bouncy rides in big vehicles. This might cause your binoculars to drop or hit itself against surfaces, it is nice to have a pair of binoculars that can take all that and more.
7. Brand
It helps to research brands so that you will know what each brand really specializes on. Brands like Carl Zeiss, Nikon, Canon, Steiner are lovely brands that make solid binoculars.
8. The Field of View
The greater the lenses width, the greater the field of view. The field of view is basically the expanse of image you see via your binoculars. A wide field of view is nice because you will see more sights clearer and easily without having to turn or keep adjusting the binoculars.
Top 10 Best Binoculars for Safari
These are the best binoculars for safari you can ever wish for, they are certain to make your journey very worthwhile.
1. Vortex Optics Diamondback Roof Prism Binoculars 10×42
This is a perfect and very highly recommended safari binocular. It provides a 10x magnification through 42mm lenses. These binoculars also have phase corrected prisms and they are water and fog proofed. The neck strap is comfortable and is guaranteed to not bite into the skin, it is a very enjoyable binocular with a field of view of 345 feet and a thousand yards. This binocular is pretty amazing.
Pros
Very clear
Comfortable neck strap
It has a nice field of view
Adjustable eye reliefs
It is water and fog resistant
Cons
It’s quite heavy
It is not shock resistant
2. Hontry 10×25 Compact Binoculars
This binocular is really amazing because kids can use it too. It boasts of a 10x magnification and 25mm lens diameter. It is extremely stable and does not alter the color of the real image one bit.
Its optics are fully multi-coated and it has an astonishing field of view of 362ft at a thousand yards. It is foldable and compact so, it is easy to carry around. It is shock resistant and highly multipurpose too.
One issue with this binocular is that it’s diameter is not very wide and it is not water resistant.
Pros
It is very clear
The glass surfaces have multiple coatings
Super light weight
It has an adjustable eye relief
It is shock resistant
Cons
It’s too small
Not water resistant
Small lens diameter
3. Bushnell Powerview Compact Folding Roof Prism Binocular
This binocular is pretty awesome because it offers a variety of magnifications so, you just select the product you need, exactly the same quality.
This binocular has fully coated optics, it is shock resistant and it has a focus system.
It also has eyecups you can fold so that you can protect your screen when its not in use. But this binocular is not water or fog resistant.
Pros
Fully coated optics offering great views
Shock resistant
It has its own carrying case
It has a neck strap
Cons
The thin straps may bite into one’s neck
It is not water resistant
They are not suitable for weak lightings
4. Vortex Optics Diamondback Roof Prism Binoculars 8×32
This amazing binocular has 8x magnification and 32mm objective lenses and it is very durable.
The lenses are fully multi-coated and has an impressive field of view of 426ft, 8.1 degrees. It has an adjustable eye relief and it is pretty easy to navigate. But the objective lens diameter of this binocular is pretty low.
Pros
Very clear
Adjustable neck strap
Amazing field of view
Light weight
Adjustable eye reliefs
Cons
It is not resistant to shock
The lens diameter is quite low
5. Adasion 12×42 Binoculars with New Smartphone Photograph Adapter
This binocular is superb because it comes with a phone adapter that aids photography. It has 12x magnification and an objective lens of 42mm in diameter, talk about major stability.
It has a field of view of 367ft and a thousand yards and it is very multipurpose. This binocular would be perfect if it weren’t so heavy and if it were resistant to shock.
Pros
Large magnification
Large lens diameter
Water and fog resistant
It has a phone adapter
Cons
Quite large
It is not shock resistant
6. Occer 12×25 Compact Binoculars with Low Light Night Vision
This binocular is pretty nice because it has a large 12x magnification and a 25mm objective. It also has a comfortable adjustable eye relief and the lenses are fully multi-coated and have BAK4 prism for higher image quality.
It has a nice field of view pf 273ft to a thousand yards and it is very portable on top being waterproof albeit not being shock resistant.
Pros
Outstanding image quality
Great magnification
Excellent focus
Uses Porro prisms
Nice weight
Cons
Short lens diameter
Short field of view
It is not shock resistant
7. Adorrgon 12×42 Powerful Binoculars with Clear Weak Light Vision
This astonishing multipurpose binocular has a 12x magnification with a 42mm objective lens diameter. It has an impressive field of view 367ft at a thousand yards, it also has fully multi-coated lenses and BAK4 Prism. It boasts of clear vision in weak light and it is shock resistance but not water resistant.
Pros
Great magnification
Lovely image quality
Nice lens diameter
Nice field of view
Carrying case
It has a neck strap
Cons
It is not water resistant
It is pretty weighty
8. Thompson Center Porro Prism Binoculars
The first thing to note about this binocular is that it has weak light vision. It also has an unbelievable 12x magnification with 50mm objective lenses in diameter, it has fully multi-coated lenses and BAK7 standard porro prism. It is shock resistant and it has neck straps, lens covers for all the lenses and comes with its own carry bag. This binocular is actually pretty heavy and it is not water resistant.
Pros
It has very good optics
Amazing magnification
It is easy use
Carrying case
Cons
It is quite heavy
It is not water resistant
9. Celestron – Outland X 10×42 Binoculars
This binocular has an impressive 10x magnification with a 42mm in diameter objective lenses. These lenses are fully multicoated and has BAK4 prisms.
It is water proof and it has adjustable eye reliefs. It also comes with a smartphone adapter.
The major issue with this binocular is that the eye relief is a tad too sensitive.
Pros
Great magnification
Water resistant
It has protective rubber covering
Carrying case
Adjustable eye reliefs
Phone adapter included
Cons
It is not resistant to shock
It is quite heavy
Not so great focus
10. PHELRENA Compact HD Professional Binoculars
This high definition binocular has a magnification of 20x with an incredible 50mm diameter of objective lenses. It has fully multi-coated lenses and a BAK4 prism. It is very easy to focus and it is water and shock resistant, it also comes with its own carrying bag. But this binocular is not as sharp or bright as the optics suggest.
Pros
It is lightweight
It is water and shock resistant
Neck strap included
Carrying case included
Cons
Poor image quality
Uncomfortable eye reliefs
Very poor image quality at night
FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked question when it comes to looking for the best binocular for safari.
Should I take binoculars on safari?
Yes, yes you should take binoculars on safaris to get a clearer view of the animals, especially the ones that may be hiding in the trees and the ones that are camouflaged with their surroundings.
What are the best binoculars for safari?
Well, there are a lot of great binoculars around. We have the Nikon, Bushnell, Alderron, Occer, Celestron and so many others.
What strength binoculars do I need?
Well, it depends on the purpose of your need. But remember, the higher the magnification, the more the stability. At the same time, you want to consider the size.
How do you pick a good pair of binoculars?
There are so many factors to consider when picking binoculars like the cost, the magnification, the lenses, the field of view, the weight, the size and of course, the purpose of the binocular in the first place.
Are 10 x 42 binoculars better than 8x 42?
All things being equal, yes. They are better because they have a greater magnification and image quality and clarity will be so much richer and more enjoyable to the sight.
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Conclusion
I know this little guide has been of great help to you in your journey to find the best binoculars for your safari trips. Following this guide will help you get the best binocular you can get regardless of how tight your budget is. A safari would be incomplete without binoculars and hey, you can use it for other things too even if you are not taking a trip.
