In "Hawks From Every Angle" by Jerry Liguori, the author makes the following statement regarding the selection of binoculars. “The magnification one chooses should be based on what is most comfortable. I use 7X (magnification) binoculars for watching hawks because I prefer an extra wide field of view; however many birders prefer the added power of 8X to 10X binoculars.”
The book is the finest hawk-watching guide I’ve seen and Jerry’s binocular advice is as good as it gets!
John
John,
I know we have corresponded on the merits of Leica Ultravid 7 x and Nikon 8 x SEs. I still can't convince myself, however, that a step down from 8 x to 7 x would not leave me missing the slightly bigger image of the bird.
Dave
I have viewed raptors through both 7x and 8x, and I find that 8x is more 'comfortable' viewing for me. I tend to get more eyestrain or 'tired eyes' looking through 7x--I think it is because my eyes are subconsciously straining to pick out more resolution at 7x than at 8x. 10x is just too shaky for me for raptor viewing.