How To Use Binoculars – The Guide That You’ve Been Looking For!

You’ve done your product research, bought your binoculars and you’re ready to start observing, but there’s just one problem: you don’t know how to use the features for the best viewing experience.

Binoculars look easy, but there are lots of adjustments, options and settings you can use to improve your view. If you would like to learn more about using binoculars, read on!

Strap Adjustment

If you’re binoculars come with a strap that you can wear around your neck, you’ll need to adjust them to make sure they’re comfortable to carry and won’t keep hitting you!

How you adjust the straps will depend on the specific device, but you can normally thread the ends of the straps through the loop until they are dangling comfortably.

Eye Cup Adjustment & Eye Relief

The eye cups on your binoculars are what you will be looking through, so you’ll want to adjust them so you can observe comfortably.

If you are long or short sighted, you may be able to use the binoculars without your glasses because you can use the focusing mechanism to adjust to suit your eyesight.

If, however, you need to wear your glasses, you should still be able to use your binoculars.

Eye relief refers to the maximum distance that can exist between your eye and the lens while still allowing you to see the full field of vision available.

If you’ll need to wear your glasses when using the binoculars, look for binoculars which have 14 mm eye relief or above.

Many binoculars come with adjustable eye cups which can be twisted up or down.  If you wear glasses, twist the eye cups down so they won’t get in the way. If you don’t wear glasses, twist the eye cups up.

Barrel Adjustment

Not all faces are the same, so different customers will need different their binocular barrels to be at different widths.

If you need to adjust the barrel width so it fits comfortable in front of your eyes, hold the binoculars up to your eyes, look through the eye cups and twist the barrels until they line up.

Diopter Adjustment

First, you’ll need to pick an object that you can focus on. Ideally, this object shouldn’t be moving so you may want to pick a statue, a lamp post, or whatever is around.

Close one of your eyes and bring the binoculars up to your face. Peer through the binoculars with your open eye.

Rotate the central focus knob (or the separate diopter adjustment knob if that’s what you have) until the image is in focus.

Now follow the same procedure with your other eye. When you have done both, the binoculars should be properly adjusted for both eyes and the image you see should be clear and in focus.

Once you have adjusted the diopter, you should be able to use the central focus knob to bring the object into focus for both eyes without having to individually adjust them.

If you have any problems with this, refer to your user instructions or the company’s customer service team.

How To Attach A Tripod Mount To A Binocular

Find the tripod socket cover in the middle of the binoculars, between the two barrels.  The socket cover can be removed with a coin or screw driver if it has a slot, but if there is no slot you should be able to remove it by hand.

Once the cover is removed, you should be able to see a small socket. Put the tripod mount into the socket and turn until it is tight.

You should now be able to attack the socket on the bottom of the mount onto the tripod, adjust until it is tight, and it should be read to use!

Verdict

I hope this post has answered your questions and you’re ready to start using your binoculars. If you’re looking to buy a pair of binoculars, take a look at our other posts!

Read more about How To Use Binoculars – The Guide That You’ve Been Looking For! on Best Binoculars.