Obviously, there are many favored formats - each having it's own pro's & cons. However, I am curious if a shallow depth of field is common in the 8x32 format in general? Many seem to really like this format, but I would think that the percieved lack of depth would be a big detriment. Are there bins that seem to suffer more (or less) from this issue than others? If the shallow depth of field is a common issue, then where is the gain from using this format?
I believe that it has been pretty well established here that Depth of Field is determined solely by the power of the binocular. That is to say, all binoculars with 8 power will have the same depth of field. So any 8x binocular you use should have the same depth of field when used viewing the same object at the same distance. Differences in the focusing speed of the binoculars however can create an impression of difference in depth of field as it may be more difficult to obtain fine focus with one of them.
Also you should know that that the lower the power of the binocular the greater it's depth of field will be. For instance, a 7x binocular will have much more depth of field than a 10x will have. This is good to know if you often look into the branches of trees for warblers and such. Much more area in front of and in back of the object you have focused on will be in sharp focus with the 7x.
8x binoculars are popular because they are a good compromise of good depth of field but with a bit more power than 7x.
Other people will add more information here and it probably will be easier to understand than my comments.
Bob
I hope I didn't sound like an idiot in asking that question! I have read through the forums extensively (and after reading through so many, I forget which ones had the tidbit of info I am looking for) but didn't remember that detail. Not that I have a lot of experience, but my 8x42's seem to have a better depth of field than the 8x32's I tried(the focusing on each bin was vastly different, I admit). In reading throught the various posts in the forum, one of the outstanding comments regarding the 8x32's, seem to be concerning the shallow depth of field. I assume that perception of the depth of field or lack thereof bothers some more than others, much like color bias or CA. Perhaps the 7x42's is where I should be looking!
Please pardon my moment of stupidity!!!