What should you look for in plane watcher binoculars?… Which models receive the best reviews?…

Are you a plane-spotting enthusiast? … Eager to make out the airline and model of planes you see soaring through the skies?

Then a suitable pair of binoculars will help you no end.

They’ll transform distant specs into clearly visible objects … allowing you to pick out all the fine details.

But, what points should you plane-spotters consider when searching for a pair of binoculars?…

Plane Watcher Binoculars – Points To Consider

For starters, you’ll need a powerful pair, with good optical performance, and a fairly high Magnification Number.

The magnification number is the first number that appears, and it describes how many times closer to you objects will appear than they really are.

Ideally, the greater the magnification, the larger will be the objective lens.

However, you don’t want to choose binoculars with too high a magnification if you plan to hold them and not use a tripod.

This is because the greater your binocular’s magnification, the more your hand movements will be magnified, resulting in a “shaky” image.

Very often, good optical quality will result in more detail than higher magnification.

As a general rule of thumb, any magnification over 10 is rather high for hand-held binoculars.

But, should you favor magnifications over 10, you can always use a tripod to keep the image steady.

The downside to using a tripod is that, although excellent for stationary or slow-moving objects, successfully tracking a plane may prove a little difficult.

Are there any high power binoculars that don’t need a tripod?

Yes … there are. Some top-of-the-line technology binoculars combine high magnification with Shake-Free Viewing ,without the need for using a tripod.

But … they’re expensive.

Anyway, let’s take a look at a variety of higher magnification binoculars, all suitable for plane watching, with good reviews, but with differing price ranges …
Plane Watcher Binoculars – Hand-Held

Fujinon 10×70 FMT-SX

These mid-priced Fujinon Binoculars have received great reviews, and are hailed as being one of the best porro binoculars on the market.

The magnfication value of 10 is high enough for you to make out plane details, yet sufficiently low to still hold binoculars in your hand without too “shakey” an image.

Waterproof and fogproof, their flat field technology dissolves peripheral defocusing, and helps a lot when your target is moving and you do not want to let it out of sight.

Canon 18×50 IS AW

The superb stabilized image technology of these Canon Binoculars means you can combine really high magnification yet still hold them in your hands.

No tripod needed here as their technology suppresses the image shake.

However, they are very expensive, and therefore probably only of interest to specialists.

Built to last, and with rubber coating, they’re water resistant, but not waterproof.
Plane Watcher Binoculars – Tripod

Pentax 20×60 PCF WP

Reviewers of this popular Pentax model give it the “thumbs up”, saying details on airplanes can be seen even when weather conditions are bad, due to its superior light-gathering abilities.

Fully multi-coated optics improve light transmission, they’re waterproof, and suitable for viewing with or without eyeglasses.

What’s more, they’re affordable.

However, in order to keep them steady over longer periods of time, you’ll need to use a tripod.
Plane Watcher Binoculars – Either

Orion Little Giant 15×70

This is another affordable model, and very good at the price.

These Orion Binoculars are relatively light weight and not-too-high magnification mean they can be hand held for short periods of time … or mounted on a tripod when longer observation is needed.

The multi-coated lens also prevents light from distorting the image, although the optics and contrast are not as good as more expensive models.

These are just a few of the numerous makes and models available which are suitable for plane-spotting.

And, even though higher-magnification binoculars tend to be rather expensive, you should find something on the market to suit both your needs and your pocket!.

Have you got a pair of plane watcher binoculars that you get great results from that we have not mentioned here, if you have please Submit Your Review here, we would love to hear from you & your review will help other readers decide which plane watcher binoculars are right for them.