With the advancements in technology, it becomes less possible to engage children in doing outdoor leisure activities. Most kids now prefer to play video games or to spend their time in front of televisions. This can gradually cause adverse effects on them. It can affect them in health, social and even psychological aspects. That is why more parents should try to encourage their children to involve themselves with physical and outdoor activities. Good examples of activities that need the kids’ full attention are those which require binoculars.
Hunting, nature tripping, and bird watching are just few of the recommended activities parents should try together with their children. But using the binoculars suitable for children should be put into consideration. Since most binoculars are made for adult’s use, finding an appropriate one for your kids can be difficult. To help you with your quest in finding the right binoculars, we took the liberty of listing the factors one should consider.
Interpupillary distance, or IPD, is the distance between the center of the pupils of the two eyes. It is the most vital factor to regard in choosing the right binoculars for your kids. If the IPD of the binocular does not support adjustments to the desired distance of the user, a portion or all of the image viewed through one or both pieces of the binoculars will be dimly seen.
Children, especially those with ages below 10, usually have IPD measurements ranging from 53 to 57 millimeters, some even get as low as 50mm. Since most binoculars that are sold on the market are designed for adults, they usually have an IPD of 60 to 70mm. Now, we can conclude that most of the binoculars available around are not compatible with children.
Although there are some that indicate the interpupillary distance of their products, several binocular manufacturers still fail to specify this important information when advertising. Unless the consumer wears eye glasses, in which he would have an idea of his IPD measurement, it would still be difficult to determine one’s IPD, even if it the products indicate it.
A consultation with an optometrist will allow a person to have his interpupillary distance measured, providing him the required information needed to purchase binoculars with the IPD that matches his needs. As regards the binoculars with unknown IPD, the only possible way to determine if they are compatible with the user is by actually wearing them.
Another tricky part when making a purchase of binoculars is if they would be suitable for a child’s capacity and would allow the child to operate them without hassle. It does not mean that a binocular easily held by an adult can also be held by a little child. Children, as everyone knows, have special needs. Fortunately, modern technologies in optical design and lens coating allow little kids to have binoculars appropriate for their size. Gone are the days when the choice is only limited to large and heavy binoculars.
Aside from the problems with size and weight of binoculars, parents should also consider the capability of a child to operate the device. Children should also be able to easily reach the center focus dial using their index or middle fingers. If a child is required to reposition his grip on the binoculars because it’s too far from his reach, then the binoculars are not compatible with him. It is not acceptable to sacrifice the comfort of the child and to think that the child would get used to it. Also, this might lead to the child losing his interest in using binoculars.
So to make it easier for children, some suggested the use of independent-focus binoculars. This type does not require adjustments of the center focus dial. However, there had been arguments opposing this advocate. First is the diminishing supply of these types of binoculars in the market. Aside from the traditional 7x50mm maritime usage models, these independent-focus binoculars have become obsolete and difficult to find.
Another one is that their “one-time focus” setting for whatever distance requires the eyes to handle the device’s lack of focus. It can cause negative effects upon children and can pose threats to eye health.
If a binocular is proven to be suitable to a kid’s interpupillary distance, and can be easily operated and carried, the next factor to be considered is the selection of magnification level. The first thing to remember here is the person’s familiarity and experience with binoculars. Majority of children has no prior experience in handling binoculars. The challenge in this is how they can locate objects within the device’s field of view.
The purpose of binoculars is to aid magnification of things that can not easily be seen without using the help of the device. The portion which is seen through the binoculars, also referred to as the “field of view”, depends on several factors and most importantly, depends on the binoculars’ magnification level. It simply means that the lower the magnification level the binoculars possess, the greater amount of view the user will see. So, it would be easier to locate what the user desires to see in the field of view.
Although some may argue that lowering the magnification level of the binoculars defeats their purpose, one should not forget that minimizing the magnification level allows the binoculars to provide greater depth of field of view, and most importantly, clearer and sharper images.
When do we consider a magnification to be too low? While majority of the binoculars found in the market today are available in 8x and 10x models, what we consider low are those between 5x and 7x magnification. To ensure comfort, always make sure that the diameter of the objective lens is at least three times the magnification level, and if possible, even four times. It should be noted that these advice are also applicable to adults, especially if they have eyesight problems like cataracts. Using higher magnification level binoculars are discouraged.
Since the important factors in choosing the appropriate binoculars were already tackled. Always remember two things. First, if a child is to be given binoculars with the purpose of providing them the same experience the adults get, then it is not advisable to buy them toy binoculars. They deserve the same features “true” binoculars have.
Second, it is not recommended for children to use compact binoculars. Compacts are handy and are great for many uses but their optical parameters, specifically the size of the exit pupil, is not ideal for long-term use.
With the important notes listed above, selecting binoculars for your children should become a familiar process. It is more demanding compared to buying for an adult but even if they limit the options you can choose from, these reminders and extra effort will definitely be worth going through.
