Wide-angle binoculars are less about magnifying power and more about the field of view available to your eyes. They are the ideal optical companions for birding enthusiasts, hunters, and spectators to quickly find and keep track of moving objects. With a wide field of view, more is available to your eyes for a fixed magnification.
Best Wide Angle Binoculars
With so many brands on the market, finding wide-angle binoculars just right for you can be pretty tasking. Below, we help you save the shopping effort and time as we take look through a list of our top five wide-angle binoculars on the market that boast of amazing features.
1. Bushnell Spectator 4x30mm Extra-Wide Compact Binoculars
Topping our list is the Bushnell Spectator and with a 900ft. linear field of view, it is a true dominator. It is a great buy for the spectator, comes with moderate 4x magnification, and boasts of bright and crisp images thanks to its large 30mm lenses. Its ergonomics include foldable eyecups for eyesight adaptability, long eye relief, and low weight.
- Very wide field of view and compact design.
- Superb image quality and low-light performance.
- Highly ergonomic and easy to use.
2. Nikon 8245 ACULON A211 8×42
The Nikon 8245 ACULON A211 comes with a sleek design and is very compact and portable. Its BaK-4 roof prisms with large lenses give it an impressive 420ft. field of view and excellent performance even in dim light. Its rubberized armor give it a comfortable, non-slip grip, with a focus adjustment knob and adjustable eyecups for excellent ergonomics.
- Compact and lightweight.
- Wide field of view and great image quality.
- Excellent controls and ergonomic features.
3. Celestron – UpClose G2 8×40 Porro Binoculars
This great gadget from Celestron boasts of impressive ratings and comes with large 40mm lenses, 8x magnification, and Bk-7 Porro prisms working in tandem to yield an impressive 429ft. field of view and crisp images. Its rubber-coated armor is designed for comfort and yields a water-resistant seal that will ensure it stays functional in the harshest weather.
- Wide field of view and crisp images.
- Impressive magnification and low-light performance.
- Water-resistant and highly ergonomic.
4. Vortex Optics Crossfire HD Binoculars
Vortex continues to ascertain its dominance in the precision optics industry with gadgets like the compact and lightweight Crossfire HD Binoculars that boasts of 393ft. field of view and excellent image performance. Fully multicoated optics yield the brightest images, its ergonomic rubberized housing for comfort and all-weather performance, and adjustable eyecups for great user adaptability. It is also fog proof and waterproof.
- Compact and lightweight.
- Wide field of view and excellent image quality.
- Ergonomic and excellent weather performance.
5. Nikon 7237 Action 7×35
The Nikon 7237 Action is designed to conquer all elemental terrain and is backed with an impressive 488ft. field of view. It comes in a durable, fog proof and waterproof housing, and multicoated optics for the brightest and crispiest images. It boasts of excellent ergonomics; a long eye relief for eyeglass wearers, and easy to use focus adjustment knob and a rubberized armor for the most comfortable hold.
- Wide field of view and all-weather performance.
- Durable and highly ergonomic.
- Long eye relief and excellent controls.
Wide Angle Binoculars Buying Guide
The prime function of all binoculars is to magnify distant objects but sometimes, more emphasis is placed on the field of view. A wide field of view means large image dimensions are available to your eyes and thus you can keep track of objects easily. When scouting for the right binoculars with wide angles or field of view, there are some factors you want to look out for.
Our buying guide reviews the best wide angle binoculars based on their specified features to help you make the right choice quickly.
Field of View
The field of view is the size of the viewing background available to your eyes through the eyepiece. The field of view is measured as distance in meters or feet, or as an angle in degrees. When going for wide angle binoculars, it is intuitive that you look for binoculars with wide fields of view. This is one of the most important factors to consider as a hunter, nature explorer, spectator, or birding enthusiast where you’ll likely be looking at moving objects. A wide field of view will allow you to scan through a very wide area, much quicker than the focused view of a binocular pair with higher magnifying power. Quick moving objects like birds will also take longer to move out of your field of view as you focus on them.
Magnification
Another equally important consideration to make is the magnification of your binoculars. Also called the ‘power’ it is a measure of how close or large a distant object appears through the eyepieces. If you are hunting or birding a pair of binoculars with high magnification will help you easily identify game and get an up-close view of whatever movement catches your eyes.
It comes at a catch, however; the higher the magnification, the smaller the field of view. Thus, you have to find a balance between these two factors for the best performance. It is always a good idea to go for binoculars with adjustable magnification. That way, you can spot an object with a wide field of view, and then zoom in as you need to.
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