
Some years ago, when our interest in bird-watching started, I bought a pair of Kite Forster 10 x 50 binoculars. It is a relatively new brand from Belgium, with production in Japan. At that time, it was a well-reviewed model for bird watching. Very good value for money, also for experienced birdwatchers.
If I remember correctly, there were the 8 x 40 and the 10 x 50 versions. They both magnify about 20 times (a 5 degrees field of vision), but one difference is that the 10 x 50 model shows a brighter image. So much so that it is brighter than in real life. This is super handy for watching in low-light conditions, i.e. twilight, which is when many animals are active.
Another difference is that the ‘pupil’ is relatively big. The pupil is the size of the image at the eye-end of the device. It means that it is easy to look through and find the image in the ocular. This is particularly handy when you sit in a shaking safari car or boat and want to keep your eye on an animal.
The 10 x 50 model is bigger and heavier than the 8 x 40. I thought the extra weight and size ( and higher price ) was worth the discomfort and I haven’t regretted it ever since.
The pictures below give a rough impression of the magnification that the binos achieve.
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