Binoculars Testing and Care

At OZBinoculars we strive to offer you the best quality binoculars at good prices. However, we do acknowledge that some defaults may occasionally occur during the manufacturing process. We advise that after you have made a binocular purchase, do check its quality. If, after having tried some of the tests we list below, still find your binocular unsatisfactory, do contact us and we will gladly assist with a replacement or refund.

Here's a few things you can try to look out for:

  • Look carefully at the objective lenses. Reject the binocular if you see signs of scratches or dirt.
  • The hinge should work smoothly, with steady resistance. Pick the binoculars up and move the halves back and forth. Look for any play in the joints or anything that indicates damage.

  • Hold the binoculars at arms length away from you pointing them towards the sky or a window with bright light. Exit pupils should be truly circular and uniformly bright.

  • If after using the binoculars for several minutes your eyes feel uncomfortable, this might indicate that the binoculars might be out of collimation, and thus the two barrels don’t point in the same direction, resulting in image appearing misaligned.

  • Use your binoculars to find a high-contrast object such as a tree against the daytime sky, and place it in the center of the field. If you see strong green or violet fringes of light along the edges of the object, the binoculars may suffer from chromatic aberration. This problem is especially prevalent with high magnification lenses and can be a real problem for birders who may want accurate color rendition. Below is an example of fringing/ aberration

Example of Purple Fringing
An example of fringing or chromatic aberration


Cleaning your Binoculars

After purchasing a pair of binoculars, you may start wondering how to clean them. Firstly, always attempt to gently blow off visible dust and dirt rather than brushing or rubbing anything on the glass surface, as this might scratch the optics. If that fails, use a lens cleaning tool, or example a lens pen (they can be purchased easily in camera shops) to gently wipe of any remaining marks or sports from the lens.

Note: Do not use your shirt tails or tissues to clean your binoculars optics. They may contain bires that can damage or scratch the coatings on the lenses. Try your best to keep your binocular glasses as clean as possible (free of oil especially!) The occasional wipe with vinyl and rubber preservatives will extend the life of the eyecups. You might also want to check that your neckstraps and attachments are secure from time to time, as slippage may occur.