Battlefield Binoculars

Telescopes and binoculars have long been pressed into military service. Battlefield commanders immediately recognized the military potential of the telescope as soon as it was invented. The earlier binoculars used were of the Galilean design. This means that their objective lenses were convex while their eyepieces were concave. This setup resulted in a narrow field of view and a low level of magnification. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the porro prisms supplanted the Galilean design, which greatly improved both.

Military binoculars, like the soldiers they are meant to serve, are tough. Durability is of the first order because these optical equipment are expected to be dropped, banged, soaked, covered with dust, and to withstand all kinds of punishment and torture. A strong, heavy duty protective armor, therefore, is necessary.

Since soldiers may have to do a lot of running, hiking, and hill and mountain climbing, it is important to keep at a minimum the weight they have to carry. Their binoculars are not exempted from this weight-trimming. No fancy stuff is included here.

A digital camera might be a nice addition to the binoculars, as soldiers can document the number of tanks they encounter, but it entails added weight. Besides, all the additional mechanisms of the camera would only result to a less rugged device.

Zooming binoculars offer the advantage of a range of magnifications. This may be valuable in the battlefield as it affords the user the option to choose how close he wants the image to appear. However, this type of optics involves a good number of minute moving parts with some connected to each other by thin wires. These are prone to damage and misalignment.

Soldiers may have to scan the horizon even when bullets and missiles are flying all over their heads. In situations like these, it would not be too surprising if their hands begin shaking. This shaking results in a fuzzy image. A good remedy to this is the incorporation of an image stabilizing mechanism into the binoculars. However, as in the zooming binoculars, there is a trade-off. This capability comes at a price of more weight and less durability.

While military binoculars will do without these fancy features, they can be enhanced with  built-in compasses and  rangefinders. These provide additional features to the binoculars without much added weight. If one does not want a rangefinder, reticles can help the user determine the distance of the viewed object.

Night vision capabilities are also a part of a good number of military binoculars.  These use either infrared illumination or an image intensification tube that enhances surrounding light.  The United States troops had made extensive use of night vision binoculars during the invasion of Iraq and it has arguably saved a lot of American lives.

Binocular - Courtesy fotosearch.com

Binoculars are often associated with warfare, hunting, bird watching, boating, saltwater fishing, and examining the planets, comets, and stars.

Battlefield commanders are never away from one. They use it to survey the terrain and to look out for enemies. Hunters need it to make sure that the moving thing behind the bushes is game and not human. Bird watchers could hardly enjoy their hobby without it. Boaters out in the huge ocean need it for navigation. Fishermen use it to spot schools of fish. And astronomers, professional and amateur, couldn’t study the heavenly bodies without them.

The problem is, I am not a soldier and I’d rather make love not war, as the aging hippies of the 60s were wont to say. Neither do I hunt. I’m not a card-carrying PETA member nor am I a vegetarian, but I’d rather buy my meat at the butcher’s shop. I do like birds but my favorites are turkeys and chickens, especially when they are on my plate. In the open seas I often get seasick so I limit my encounter with water in the bathroom. And the heavenly bodies? The only stars I know are those that are from Hollywood.

So of what use are binoculars for an undistinguished, common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill mortal like me?

A lot of us who like to travel sometimes, take a break from our routines. We visit scenic places and spectacular sites. Sometimes these sites can only be viewed from afar. You can’t get to the top of Mount Rushmore and rub Abe Lincoln’s beard, but at least you can get a close look with your binoculars. You might even see some ants crawling up Teddy Roosevelt’s nose.

If you are often late for music concerts or live theaters, or if you just like sitting in the back rows, a pair of inexpensive binoculars could easily make you feel like you’re standing alongside the musicians and the stage actors. For outdoor concerts binoculars are indispensable.

Last year, attendance at Major League Baseball games reached 78.6 million.  The year before last, Minor League Baseball set a record at 42.8 million. In 2006, thirty-two American Football teams attracted from 60,000 to 90,000 spectators every time they played. If you are one of these millions of sports enthusiasts who like to listen to the roar of the crowd as they cheer for their favorites, or who prefer live action to television, you will need a set of good binoculars to get in on the action. This is especially true if you are in one of those nosebleed seats.