What is the field of view in a binocular?

When you look through your binoculars, the widest dimension you can see is known as the field of view. Field of view is measured in feet per 1000 yards. So if you were standing 1000 yards from a long picket fence for example, when looking through the binocular, you would see a portion of that fence. That portion, measured in feet, is the field of view.

On some binocular models, the field of view is shown in degrees. To determine the field of view in feet, simply multiply the degrees by 52.5. For example, if the binoculars states field of view at 5 degrees, the field of view would be 262.5 feet.

A wide field of view is desirable for the theater, sporting events or following anything that is moving quickly across your viewing area, such as birds and wildllife.

Note: The field of view is narrowed as magnification increases, so select a binocular with lower magnification if a wide field of view is important to you.

For a greater understanding of how magnification affects field of view, please view our short video, “Understanding Binoculars: Magnification.”

 Originally published on November 5, 2010