What Is Binoculars Eye Relief? Long Eye Relief vs Short Eye Relief [2022]
If you’ve ever worn glasses and tried to use binoculars, you know how important eye relief is. Eye relief is the distance between your eye and the eyepiece lens, and it’s important for glasses-wearers because it determines whether or not you’ll be able to see the entire field of view.
The best binoculars for glasses wearers have longer eye tubes, which provide more space for glasses frames. Some glasses wearers even need to remove their glasses completely in order to see the full field of view.
Let’s dive into the article for a clear understanding of it.
What is Short Eye Relief?
Short eye relief is a term used to describe the minimum distance between your eye and the eyepiece of binoculars in order for you to see the full image. This distance is typically around 3-4 inches for most telescopes and binoculars. For some people, this may not seem like a big deal.
However, for those who wear glasses, or need to keep their eyes a certain distance away from the eyepiece, short eye relief can be a major problem. Another cause of short eye relief is an incorrect interpupillary distance setting. This can be adjusted by changing the distance between the two barrels of binoculars. By making these adjustments, it will be possible to achieve a clear and sharp image.
There are a few ways to work around this issue, such as using an eye patch or special eyepiece extenders, but ultimately it is best to choose binoculars with longer eye relief distances to avoid any potential issues.
What is Long Eye Relief?
The minimum long eye relief is around 10-12mm, but some manufacturers make binoculars with a much longer eye relief of 18mm or more. This makes them easier to use for those with glasses, and also provides a larger image for those with sensitive eyes.
Long eye relief binoculars are also good for bird watching, as they allow you to keep a safe distance from the birds while still getting a clear view. In general, long eye relief binoculars are a good choice for anyone who wants a more comfortable viewing experience.
Depending on the optical design of binoculars, every binocular has a specific eye relief. This distance usually falls in the range of 10-20 millimeters. The user can see the whole picture if the eye is located at this distance from the binocular eyepiece. Otherwise, if the eye is too close, the image becomes shadowy from the sides. And if the eye is too far, the image becomes constricted. Moreover, understanding binocular eye relief is more concerning for people who wear glasses. As they need to keep their eyes at the appropriate distance from the eyepiece. If the glasses take the user’s eye too away from the eyepiece, the outer part of the image will be lost. Due to this, the user will only be able to view the center of the picture. Some glasses wearers even need to remove their glasses completely in order to see the full field of view. If the relief is too short, your glasses will block part of the lens, making it difficult to see. On the other hand, if the eye relief is too long, you’ll have to hold the binoculars too far away from your face, which can be uncomfortable. The best binoculars for glasses-wearers offer a comfortable middle ground, provide a clear image, and allow you to see the entire field of view. With so many options on the market, there’s no reason to settle for less than the best. Almost all the best hunting binoculars come with helpful features that enable users to tailor binoculars according to their requirements. One such feature is eyecups, which can change the binocular eye relief. Eyecups are attached to the ocular barrel. The purpose of them is to prevent stray light from entering the eyepiece. If glasses wearers fold the eyecups, they can shorten the distance between the eye and eyepiece. After retracting the eyecups, users can adjust binocular barrels to match the distance between their eyes until a solid image is seen. Additionally, premium binoculars mostly have the long eye relief needed by wearers of glasses; however, cheap and old binocular models are usually unsuitable for eyeglass wearers. Eyeglass wearers require long eye relief because the distance between their eye and eyepiece needs extra room for glasses to fit in. We recommend an average of 16 millimeters of eye relief to ensure that the user can accommodate glasses without making glasses take the user’s eye too away from the eyepiece. Furthermore, the exact eye relief requirement depends on the distance between glasses and the user’s eye. If glasses are close to the eye, an eye relief of 15 millimeters will suffice. A short and long eye relief will work for a user who does not wear glasses. Let’s say if a binocular has a long relief, the user can use eyecups to hold the eye at an appropriate distance farther from the eyepiece. A short eye relief less than 15 millimeters in size is not suitable for eyeglass wearers. In contrast, eye relief falling in the range of 10-20 millimeters can be used by non-glasses wearers depending on the user’s requirement. The concept of eye relief is more significant for glasses wearers than non-glasses wearers, but a basic understanding of binocular eye relief is crucial for all. We hope this article was able to provide you with that basic understanding.What is a Good Binoculars Eye Relief?
Long Eye Relief vs Short Eye Relief
Can Eye Relief Be Adjusted
Who Requires a Long Binoculars Eye Relief?
Does It Matter for Non-Glasses Wearers?
Conclusion
