What is eye relief in a binocular?
A. • Eye relief is the maximum distance your eye can be from the eyepiece and still see the entire field of view. If your eye is farther back than this distance, you will see a reduced field of view. Eye relief is of primary concern for people who wear eyeglasses when they look through a binocular because their glasses prevent their eyes from getting close to the eyepieces. Q.How much eye relief is needed if you wear eyeglasses when looking through a binocular? A. • If you have fairly thin plastic lenses in your eyeglasses and a small face, you may be able to get by with as little as 13mm, though the minimum is generally regarded to be 14 or 15mm. If you have eyeglasses with thick glass lenses, you should look for a model with more eye relief, say in the 17-20mm range. Q.Should the eyecups on a binocular be in the “up” position or “down” position when using eyeglasses with a binocular? A. • Put the eyecups in the “down” position when wearing eyeglasses and in the “up” position when not
