What To Know When Buying BinocularsWritten by Chuck Fitzgerald
We are asked nearly every day: "What are your best binoculars?" And every day we answer: "How do you plan on using them?" We are not trying to be evasive with our answer, but truth of matter is best binoculars for one purpose may be worse binoculars for another. We want you to Get It Right The First Time.Understanding your application is paramount in determining best fit for you. Although there are many other specifications and qualities which determine usefulness of binoculars, we will discuss in this article primary characteristics for determining best fit for your application. But before we show you list, we should go over some basic terminology. What do numbers on binoculars mean? All sporting optics (binoculars, spotting scopes, night vision goggles, etc.) use same nomenclature to describe important features. As an example, a pair of binoculars may have 10x42mm listed as a technical specification. But what does this mean? The "10" refers to magnification power of binoculars that is objects viewed will appear to be 10 times closer than when they are viewed by naked eye. The second number in our example is "42mm." This refers to diameter, in millimeters, of objective lenses on binoculars. The objective lenses are located on end of binoculars furthest away from your eye when viewing. As with aperture of a camera lens, size of objective lens determines amount of light that can enter your binoculars. If your binoculars are going to be used during low light (hunting and astronomy are good examples) you had better have large objective lenses. Another important number describing binoculars is called field-of-view. A field-of-view of 390' indicates that width of sight picture is 390 feet at a distance of 1000 yards. Field-of-view is determined by magnification and focal lengths of objective and eyepiece lenses. More magnification always means less field-of-view. This specification is sometimes expressed in degrees. A field-of-view of 6.5 degrees equates to 341' (6.5 times 52.5 equals 341). How well your binoculars will serve you in low light conditions is described as Twilight Performance. Although many things, such as overall design and quality of glass impact this specification, magnification and objective lens diameter are chief components. A quick way to determine Twilight Performance of binoculars is to multiply magnification power (first number) times objective lens diameter (second number). The higher result, better Twilight Performance. As an example, 10x42mm binoculars will have better Twilight Performance than 8x50mm binoculars (420 versus 400). Now that we understand some basic terminology, here is What to Know When Buying Binoculars."
| | Great Places to KiteSurfWritten by Jakob Jelling
As with any sport, sometimes you must travel to different locations to experience a different cultures take on hottest sport around. Current conditions and water depths as well as different land and water formations make traveling globe exciting as you venture out abroad. Different continents and countries provide new and exciting opportunities to enhance your KiteSurfing skills. Professionals travel world wide for unique opportunities to brave ferocious conditions just to take to air over a major body of water. KiteSurfing is no longer just a one country extreme sport; it is enjoyed around world by people of all ages.Legions of KiteSurfers flock yearly to most popular hotspots around seven continents to watch pros as well as take to air themselves using fundamentals of KiteSurfing taught by local experts. There is no doubt a large cost associated with going place-to-place, but you can space your trips and plan them in advance; especially during colder months to save a lot of money on airfare during peak travel periods. Once you have your reservations confirmed pack up your gear and get psyched, bring your kite and gear and get ready to brave wildest waves of hottest spots around world. The following is a listing of some of most popular hotspots on each continent. Each location has professional KiteSurf pros that are willing to teach you skills you need for about $50 - $ 75 per hour. Depending how good of a surfer you are will depend on how fast you advance towards taking air.
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