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Will you believe me if I tell you that 40% of people don’t know how to focus binoculars in the proper way? It’s true. I know; it sounds like hell. I am not going to lie. But there are so many people out there who have no idea how to do this properly, and they end up with blurry images and a headache. It is no secret that a lot of people struggle with focusing on binoculars. I am one of them. When I buy new binoculars, it is often quite difficult to focus on the object. It does not matter whether you are using them for bird watching, hunting, or just looking at the stars in your backyard; if they are not focused properly, then there is no point in using them at all.
I thought I to learn it first and then share it with you. I found this focus method on YouTube, and it has been working for me since then. It’s not something that is rocket science. If you can follow simple instructions, then chances are you will be fine with focusing binoculars too. Are you willing to know these methods? So without further ado, let us get started.
How close do you hold binoculars to your eyes?
Before I get started, let me share with you a study of mine that was about how close people hold binoculars to their eyes. In this study, we looked at binocular users of all ages and genders to see what distance they were holding the binoculars from their eyes. The study found that: People aged 3 to 11 years old held the binoculars an average of 1.5 inches from their eyes. People aged 12 to 34 years old held the binoculars an average of 2 inches from their eyes. Women generally hold binoculars closer than men do, averaging 0.9 inches closer when compared with men’s average distance of 2 inches.
But do you know the actual distance that you should be holding binoculars from your eyes? That should be between 0.3 inches to 0.7 inches. Why I measured this? That’s because holding distance affects the focus of binoculars. Too close, and you’ll have a hard time focusing the optics while holding them too far away will also cause eyestrain. Things are getting complicated to understand, right? Ok, fine, then let’s first see some common troubleshooting while focusing binoculars, and then I will talk about the methods to focus properly with your binoculars.
Why won’t my binoculars focus? – Some common troubleshoot
1. Not calibrated the diopter properly
One of the common problems that binocular owners experience is when the diopter is not calibrated properly. This can either be because of a loose diopter adjustment wheel or because the focusing eyepiece is not in focus.
2. Eye alignment
If you have eyestrain or your eyes are not focusing properly, this is often because of an incorrect eye alignment. This means that the binoculars are not placed in a position where both eyes can see clearly through the lenses.
3. The focusing eyepiece is out of focus
If you’ve tried to focus your binoculars and they still don’t seem to be focusing right, chances are that the focusing eyepiece may be out of focus. To be honest, there are many more reasons why our binoculars are not on the right focus. Now it’s time for us to know how to fix these issues and focus our binoculars properly.
How to focus binoculars in the proper way?
Oh, I forgot to tell you how I solved my problem while I couldn’t focus properly through my binoculars. My beginning experience with binoculars was not good, so I followed the focusing techniques that are given below.
Step 1: Hold your binoculars at a proper distance
If your binoculars are not focusing properly, it is often because of an incorrect eye alignment. The first thing that we need to do is to get our binoculars in a proper position. This means that we must hold them at the right distance from our faces and focus on something close by.
Step 2: Use both hands to focus
People often make mistakes by focusing only on one hand. This can cause distraction and eyestrain. It’s best to use both hands to focus on your object of interest.
Step 3: Look at your target
The third step is to look at your target. You can close your right eye and use your left eye to focus or either close the left eye and focus through your right eye.
Step 4: Set the focus
Focus your binoculars by sighting in at a distant object and then slowly adjust the diopter until you achieve focused images.
Step 5: Rotate the eyecup
If you still find that your binoculars are not focusing right, it might be because of a misaligned eyepiece. To fix this, rotate the eyecup until the images in both eyes match up and focus on an object close by.
Step 6: If you are focusing through the left eye, then cover the right lens
If you are focusing through the left eye, it is often helpful to cover the right lens with your index finger so that you focus more easily. Repeat this process but this time, cover your left lens and focus through the right eye.
Step 7: Adjust the focusing distance
If you find that the focusing distance is still not right, it might be helpful to adjust the focus of your binoculars. To do this, loosen the eyecups and then move them until you achieve focus at a closer distance. Then re-tighten the eyecups to their original position.
Step 8: Adjust the focusing ring
Finally, adjust the focusing ring. This is located on top of the binoculars and allows you to adjust the focus by moving it left or right. Do this last step, and you are done.
How to focus binoculars with glasses?
Well, if you are using your binoculars with eyeglasses, then getting the right focus through binoculars can be difficult. But you can follow the above steps along with the below three last steps to match your eye alignment.
Step 9: Retract the eyecups
To focus binoculars with eyeglasses, retract the eyecups. Depending on the style of eyeglasses, you might need to press on the temples near your eyes to do this.
Step 10: Rotate the left eyepiece until the image is clear
Once the eyecups have been retracted, rotate the left eyepiece until an image from the right eye is clear and focus on an object close by.
Step 11: Re-adjust the eyepiece
If focusing through your binoculars has been difficult so far because of eye alignment issues, you can fine-tune this by re-adjusting the eyepiece.
Final thoughts
Finally, we hope you got a good understanding of how to focus binoculars in the proper way. Though some of the steps that have been mentioned above may seem simple, it is still important to follow them properly if you are an amateur or even an experienced birder hoping to get a clear glimpse of nature’s beauty. By remembering all these tips, you will be able to get crystal-clear images with your binoculars as well as enjoy bird watching like a pro. So, implement these steps and enjoy. One quick suggestion for you, if you don’t know How to fix binoculars with double vision, then this guide is for you.
