These waterproof binoculars will not be damaged because these are coated with special things as well as the body is such that it will have no effect of water on it.

If you are hunting then also you will need the waterproof hunting binoculars if you are hunting in a place which has high humidity or it is at the time of the year when it will be raining.

In fact these waterproof binoculars are great when you are fishing as you are close to the water body and hence the chances of water splashes are the most.

How waterproof binoculars are made waterproof.

The waterproof binoculars are made waterproof when those binoculars have rubber O-rings as well as have the nitrogen purging done.

A lot of binoculars will have the rubber armored shell but generally that is there to prevent the water drops from not sticking and also absorb the shock of the fall. However the correct waterproof hunting binoculars will be those which will have the O-rings.

Moisture prevention

It is not always rain which can cause damage but also the moisture and the mildew. To prevent that from happening make sure that you have the proper nitrogen purging done and the binoculars should be in sealed housings.

The top brands of binoculars which are good for marine use and have the waterproofing done are the

Most of the marine binoculars have the compass along with as that helps locating the position as opposed to carrying another compass along with you.

Bushnell Marine 7×50 Binoculars with Rangefinder & Illuminated Compass.

Bushnell H2O 10×42 Waterproof/Fogproof Binocular w/Roof Prism

Canon 15×50 Image Stabilization All Weather Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries

Steiner 7×50 Marine Binocular

Celestron Outland 10X42 Waterproof Binoculars with Rubber Coating & Comfort Grip

Nikon prostaff binoculars

Tip: Make sure that the binoculars have the good construction and also you are able to hold them easily while they are wet.

Make sure that the binoculars are also resistant to saltwater corrosion. That is why always go for the best boating binoculars

Also when you are buying marine binoculars which are waterproof also check if they are image stabilized or not and the reason for that is that for all sorts of boating binoculars the  image stabilization will come in handy while you get rocked with shaking and vibrations on the boat or on your yacht

The compact binoculars for hunting based on the specification that we have specified above will not be able to have a good hunting as the size 30mm is not very good. Generally the best binoculars for hunting will require the hunting binoculars to be have the specification as 7×35 or even 8×42.

Some of the best binoculars Leica Ultravid Compact 8×20 and the Leica Ultravid Compact 10×25 in the compact category.

Another which is the e Zeiss Victory B T* Compact 8×20 binoculars and Zeiss Victory Compact 10×25 binoculars are very good compact binoculars. These are very highly costly though and these definitely do not fall under the budget category.

Bushnell Legend series are also very good in the compact category and that will mean that you can have

Steiner has compact binoculars which are Steiner 12×40 Predator Pro Compact Hunting Binoculars

Roof prism binoculars are generally compact in design than the porro prism binoculars. For more detailed design considerations you can read about these in my post here on roof prism versus porro prism.

In general the advice is that as far as compact binoculars goes that do not use these binoculars if you are really serious about hunting. Use them as a second pair .If you a kid going along with you on a hunt then these are the best as the diameter of the objective lens is small.

These are easily pocketable.

As far as the usabilioty goes because of their exit pupil being less they will not very great.

With those things in mind I am sure I am going to give you more information about the various binoculars which are in the range of the 10×42 binoculars and why we need these 10×42 hunting binoculars.

These are I believe the best when it comes to the full-size binoculars.

10×42 – the specifications
10 means the magnification and 42 is the diameter of the objective lens. 42mm diameter is very good for hunting as then it can be used in low-light conditions. The objective lens diameter is bigger and hence will receive large amount of light therefore making it ideal in low-light conditions.
10 however may blur some image quality as opposed to 8 magnification however that is somewhat offset by the larger objective lens diameter. All in all these prove to be very good.

Price

The 10×42 binoculars are mostly in the range of prices which are $150-$300 leaving out the three high prices ones which are the Swarovski, Leica and the Zeiss models.

The best model in the 10×42 binoculars range is the Nikon Monarch 10×42 ATB binoculars.

You can read the review about the Nikon Monarch ATB 8×42 here.

At 10 magnifications these binoculars will have a little less image quality than their counter parts at 8×42. These are definitely very lightweight with a weight of only about 21 ounces approximately.
In the ATB 10×42 range of Nikon there is another which is there which is very good from the purpose of the camouflage and it is the Monarch 10×42 Team REALTREE

Another good binoculars which are there at 10×42 range are the Pentax DCF HR II 10×42 binoculars.

Some other very popular models are the

Steiner Predator C5 10 x 42 binocular 250.

These are specifically manufactured with the American hunters in view and have some of the very best features and a good polycarbonate body for toughness and ruggedness.
It have very image resolution and has the fully coated optical system.

In the Predator series 12×42 is also available but definitely 10×42 is the best.

Bushnell 10×42 Excursion EX Binoculars

Bushnell has these 10×42 binoculars but these definitely are not for hunting and rather have been made so that any traveler can use it. It has a very cool classic look.
Bushnll have another in the 10×42 series which are the Bushnell H2O 10×42 Waterproof Binoculars but these have been made for the anglers as well as for the skiers/kayakers.

Barska 10×42 WP Huntmaster Binoculars

Again specifically made for hunters these are also very very good and have a great image quality and are very rugged made to weather all conditions.

High-end or luxury 10×42 binoculars

The high end binoculars in the 10×42 specifications are the
Carl Zeiss Victory FL Binoculars (10×42)

In general during day time when the light is more than adequate then the main factor for comparing the binoculars is the magnification of the lenses. During night time the aperture size should be the main factor which is controlling the image resolution.

How does that impact you?

For a simple reason that most birding enthusiasts as well as hunters use the twilight zone that is before sunrise and after sunset for their activities.

The twilight factor on mathematical basis is calculated as square root of the diameter of the objective lens and the magnification power of the lens.

Image Credit Gustty

That means a 7×50 binos will have a “twilight factor” of 18.7 and 10×50 will have the “twilight factor” of 22.4

The twilight factor will suggest here that you will be able to see better with a 10×50 in the twilight conditions.

However nowadays with a good coating available the twilight factor is now not a major thing as before. You can have good coatings which will help you get more light in.

Before buying the binoculars you will have to make sure that you understand what all the terms which you keep hearing like the “fully coated” or “multi coated” mean.

Why does the lens need coatings?

The answer lies in the light transmission as most of the lenses if not coated can lose up to 4% of the light when it enters the lens. You will say that it is merely 4% but the fact is that that there are so many surfaces that a light transmits through that it is an established fact that the light will lose about 50% percent of its original brightness if all the lenses are uncoated.

What is the material of the lens coating?

The basic material which is coated on the lens surface is Magnesium Fluoride.

Coated – In the binocular market coated will mean that at least one air to glass surface has the antireflective coating on it.

Fully Coated – This means that lenses or air-glass surfaces are coated with the material.

Multi coated – This means that at least on lens has the up to 15 thin layers of the coating material on it.

Fully multicoated – This will mean that all lenses or air-glass surfaces will have multiple coating of the antireflection material on their surface.

Tip: Always check for the specifications before buying the binoculars. You can easily tell if the lens is coated or not as you can see a green or a purple tint on the lens.

Be careful while cleaning the lens as these chemical layers are very soft and can easily be scratched while you are busy cleaning the lens.

The new trend is ruby red coatings which are not much better than the normal coated lenses apart from the fact that these are mostly available in lower end binoculars.

How much is good eye relief?

The most important consideration is that given the eye relief you should still be able to have a good field of view. The normal eye relief is 9 to 13 mm.

Why is it important for the people who wear eyeglasses?

For people who wear eyeglasses the eyeglasses can increase the distance between your eye and the eyepiece of the binoculars. Now if the distance is more then you will see a part of the image.

Most manufacturers provide the ability to have the eyecups came down for the people who wear eyeglasses but then that is generally not a good solution. You should buy binos which are built specifically for people who wear the eyeglasses. The eye relief for these binoculars is more than 14 mm.

If you wear thick eyeglasses then always go for binoculars which are 17mm or above. A lot of people use spare eyeglasses which are of thinner lenses while viewing through the binoculars. This way you do not need to buy the special binoculars and can buy almost any binoculars available in the market.

Tips: As a general rule have your eyecup down when viewing from the eyeglasses and if you are viewing through the naked eye then get these eyecups in up position.

Always make sure to check the eye relief specification on the binoculars. A lot of manufactures do not put this specification out. You can do a manual test to get this specification. This manual test will involve holding a piece of paper behind the binoculars and viewing the binoculars against a light source. You will see a image of the source as a bright spot on the paper. The distance at which the spot will appear the brightest is the eye relief distance.

In binocular terminology it is either specified in degrees or in feet. When we measure this in feet then it is known to be liner feet at distance of 1000 yards.

How does the binocular field of view matter?

The field of view matters as you need to choose an appropriate binocular based on the kind of needs that you have. You will need a wide angle of view in case you are watching a sportsperson on the football field. You will need to have a view whereby you can see the entire field. The same holds true for the birding binoculars. For birding binoculars also this is true as you need not focus generally solely on the bird but you need to have a major focus on the entire wide area where the birds are .

How much should be the field of view (FOV) ?

Lets us talk about the measurement in length. At a distance of 1000 yards you should be able to have a field of view of about 300 to 375 feet.

Talking about the angular degrees then most of the binoculars have an angular degree field of view between 6 degrees and 7.5 degrees.

As far as the angle conversion to feet is concerned it will mean that one angle degree is equal to 52.5 feet at a distance of 1000 yards.

Image credit Geodetic.com

Again when measured in degrees most of the times you will see the specification listing the two kinds of FOV. The first kind is the apparent field of view and the second one is the real field of view. For example if the real field of view is 5 degrees then the apparent field of view will be 5 degrees multiplied by the magnification of the binoculars. So in assuming a magnification of 8 will mean that the apparent field of view is 8×5 i.e. 40 degrees.

Tip: Most of the time the wide angle binos are the best but then it is always better to take into account the need that you have for the binoculars.

How to see the exit pupils of the Binoculars?

If you hold the pair of binoculars at an arm’s length then you will see a small circle of light in each the eyepiece. This circle which you see is the exit pupil. As a thumb rule the exit pupil diameter is the obtained by dividing the aperture in millimeters by the magnification.
For example, if the specification is 7×35 for the binoculars then the exit pupil of 5mm.

What does it mean to me if the exit pupil of a binocular is less or more?

The exit pupil of the binocular should match the entrance pupil of the human eye. In normal cases the human eyes’ entrance pupil for a young adult is 5-7mm.
This is important to know because generally that determines the image’s brightness.

If your entrance pupil diameter is less than the exit pupil diameter then outer edge of the small circle of light that is coming out of the exit pupil will fall on the sides of your entrance pupil and you will see a dimmer image.

In case your entrance pupil diameter is larger than the exit pupil diameter of the eyepiece then you will be able to get all the light and will see a brighter image.

That will mean that you should make sure that the entrance pupil of your eye is equal or more than the exit pupil diameter of the eyepiece.
Young adults have about 7mm diameter in low light conditions.  As you age the entrance pupil diameter will reduce.

What are the roof prism binoculars?

Roof prism binoculars have all the three things namely the eye piece, the objective lens and the prisms all in one straight line. This helped as then the design of the roof prism binoculars was more elegant and in general there would be no such thing as the zig-zag pattern of the Porro prism binoculars.

It is easier said than done. The design was more complex internally for the roof prism binoculars and hence it was tough to manufacture. That is why the low -end binos will always be those if Porro prism system and the high -end will be roof prism binoculars.

Roof prism binoculars vs. Porro prism binoculars

Roof prism binoculars are much better looking than the Porro prism binoculars as far the design is concerned.

On the price front the Porro prism binoculars are much better than the roof prism binoculars.

In terms of light efficiency the Porro prism binoculars are much better than the roof prism ones. However now with the phase-coatings being used on the prism glass the roof prism binoculars have become equally good compared to the Porro prism binoculars

What are prisms? 

If you only used an eyepiece and then used the objective lens to see the image of the object that you are looking at then you will see the image inverted that is upside down as well as you will have the image which is reversed left for right. To correct that prisms are used in between the eyepiece and the objective lens. The prisms are used for bending the light which corrects the inverted image.

There are two types of prism systems that are used in the binoculars of today. These are the Porro prism systems and the roof prism systems. In fact there are three types and the third system is the reversed Porro prism binoculars.

The glass with which these prisms are made is known as BAK-4. Details about this later in the subsequent posts.

What are Porro prism binoculars?

Just to give you an idea look at the image below of the Porro prism below. Porro prism binos were popular in the 1960’s but now the more popular are the roof prism binoculars. They have an offset zig-zag design. This design was introduced because the light in the case of Porro prism binoculars travels in a zig-zag pattern and hence the eye piece, the prisms and the objective lens could not be in the same straight line.

With roof prisms that problem was resolved though not easily and hence generally you will see that roof prism binos are more costly than the Porro prism binos.

Porro prism binoculars are more efficient than the roof prism ones as they have better simpler mechanism to control the light.

Reversed Porro prism binoculars are very compact and can easily be the best for very compact travelling binos.

Of late however the roof prism binoculars have easily made great advances in their light management techniques and hence now they are at par with the Porro prism binoculars for light efficiency and optical experience. The way it has been achieved is via the use of the Phased coatings.