I have always advocated that, when purchasing binoculars, you should select a well-known brand and buy the best model you can afford- Binoculars can last a lifetime if well cared fur, so it makes sense to follow this advice. However, binoculars are designed for specific purposes, and just as a 375H&H isn’t the ideal calibre For shooting classics, so too is a ‘mini’ binocular not ideal for hunting in low light or for stargazing.

Special-purpose binoculars have their place, hunting conditions in southern Africa vary so widely that a compromise is called for. I’d say that 80% of our game is taken in bushveld or semi-bushveld conditions — which require relatively low-power binos. If most of your hunting is done in the Karoo or Namibia, then more powerful binoculars may be required- Most local hunting is done in sunny or bright conditions, obviating the need for large diameter objective (Front) lenses.

A friend who operates in Zimbabwe uses what is possibly as close to the deal as you can get, namely a Leica 8x32 (though the latest Swarovski 8x32 EL might be even better).  Last year, he accidentally knocked the Leica off a ledge and down an almost vertical embankment- Luckily the only real damage was a sheared-off eyecup, but he nearly had a heart attack.  As a PH, his binoculars see a lot of use and, while he can afford top quality, he admitted to feeling remorse about the punishment they unavoidably take when leopard-crawling, etc.  He asked me to investigate less expensive equipment that could endure harsh treatment but wouldn’t break his heart (or the bank) if broken or lost.

So we drew up a ‘priority list” of the features he required — your personal list may differ according to your needs.  First came cost, the target price was around R250O.  Then followed good or better-than-average optics, robustness (including water resistance), compactness, light weight, wide field of view with good panning ability, and retractable eyecups for a full field of view with glasses.  Lastly, they must be comfortable to use.

We settled on 8x magnification as the most appropriate for his hunting conditions. The more you use binoculars, the more convinced you become that high magnification is one of the least important criteria.  First-time buyers, however, are often seduced into thinking that the higher the magnification, the better the value for money.  Unless required for a specific long-range purpose, the reverse is generally true I remember glassing the countryside from the top of a mountain on a clear day in the Matatiele area many years ago and being able to positively identify some cattle grazing far in the distance.  When I measured the distance from the base of the mountain to the cattle by car, I was astonished to find it was just on 7kms — or about 5km ‘as the crow flies’.  When you consider that I was using a very average but good quality Pentax 7x21 mini binocular you will understand my point of view.

In binoculars of similar quality and objective lens diameters, lower magnification invariably affords brighter and more colourful images with a wider field of view than higher magnification.  An oddity that I’ve periodically experienced while comparing binoculars of different magnification is that within a few minutes of glassing, particularly in unfamiliar terrain, you are hard pressed to discern whether they are 8, 9 or 10x.  However, after a hard climb (or during a bout of buck fever), the unsteady image through a bino makes it very obvious that you are using high-power glasses.  Hence our decision to settle for eight power.

Over the years I have owned several makes of mini binoculars and have acquired a certain fondness for them.  As with handguns, it is far better to have a mini at hand than a magnum in the safe, so I rounded up a few of the many minis on the market and frankly was very disappointed.  Naturally, you can get exquisite products if you are prepared to pay upwards of R4000, but that defeats the object of this exercise.  Minolta, Canon and Nikon products are all good, but price-wise they did not fit our budget. So I contacted Lynx and was informed that they had prototypes of their latest minis which they would gladly submit for testing.

However, when the Lynx representative dropped off the package it contained their existing 8x21s, a prototype 8x24, a prototype 10x28 and a fourth, medium-sized bino marked 7x28 — a size and magnification I had not requested so I set it aside for the next week or so.  The new Lynx minis are rather appealing and sport push-pill eyecups, fully internal focusing, and click-adjustable diopter adjustment.  Unfortunately I found their butter-smooth central focusing knob too highly geared and too light for hunting conditions, being too easily bumped out of focus. The field of view on the 8x24s was only barely acceptable, and that of the 10x28s was too narrow.  At under R2000, they are interesting little pocket binoculars but are more suitable for the amateur ornithologist or game viewer rather than an active hunter.

While a 7x bino did not quite meet our specs, and I was put off by the size of its belt pouch, it dawned on me that Lynx had probably included the 7x28s knowing that these were more likely to match out particular requirements.  Well, gentlemen, l am over the moon.  I consider these to be one of the most suitable binoculars for our Southern African hunting conditions.  After removing them from their carry case I was amazed to find that they are almost as small and light as the Lynx 10x28 mini.  The strong and well-designed nylon (camo) carry case is large enough to accept the little hinos without having to fold them down.  This makes them ‘quick on the draw’ — a definite plus for the hunter.  Besides the strong military-style belt-clip and nap-latch, the carry case has an innovative flap that covers the ocular lenses, protecting them in wet or dusty conditions and obviating the need to fiddle with lens caps.

A feature that I’ve never really taken to in the past is individually focused eyepieces — and for all the wrong reasons. I had previously used only inferior products with higher magnification and very limited depth of the field-of-focus.  When focusing on, for example, an antelope in a herd — only those animals in the immediate vicinity of the targeted antelope will also be in focus — those that are more than a few yards this side or beyond it will be out of focus.  I insist on perfectly sharp images at all distances and have never believed the advertising blurb, “Once in focus always in focus”, as this is not physically possible (as is readily obvious with a high magnification).  However, I had to eat humble pie as I realized why the designers had decided on a 7x magnification rather than an 8x.  Now the whole design concept fell into place.  With a 7x power, the depth of field is increased tremendously resulting in the user only having to remember two settings, one for distant viewing arid the other for closer ‘bushveld’ conditions.

For instance, when focused at infinity everything from about 75m to infinity is in sharp focus, and when set down a notch, everything from about 25m to about 1OOm is nice and sharp.  If they are set for close range and there’s suddenly a demand for distant viewing, the adjustment is quick and smooth and with a little practice takes no time at all.  However, once set, they cannot easily be knocked out of focus inadvertently.  So the two features, namely lower magnification and individually-focused lenses, which I had thought would detract from their usefulness, proved very beneficial, and certainly help make these little binos functional and appealing to the hunter.

Designed for military use, these lightweight 7x28s are rugged, waterproof (to 2m), and constructed to survive military drop tests of 1.8m onto turf.  They are attractively protected with a rubber coating in shades of camo, and come with the option of a ‘midot’ graticule to assist in determining distances.  By not having a central focusing wheel or lever, with complicated and vulnerable internal elements, they can be made watertight and reliable very cost effectively.   After using them for a few days In varying conditions in the Drakensberg, glassing for baboons and eland, I wouldn’t have them any other way.  I concluded that this military concept is highly suitable for the hunter, and its fiddle-free focusing facility can save precious seconds when the game is skittish.  A further benefit of reducing the magnification from 8x to 7x is the increased size of the exit pupil, which allows for the steadier and brighter images so advantageous if you are prone to tremble after exertion.  The exit pupil is that tiny circle of light that one sees in the ocular lens when the bino is held at arm’s length.  To establish this diameter, divide the objective (front) lens diameter by the magnification.  In this Instance divide 28mm by 7 and the answer is 4mm — the same as that of an 8x32 binocular which is nearly twice the size and weight.

To have the abovementioned advantages, plus compact dimensions, by forfeiting only one power of magnification makes absolute sense. The makers of quality marine binoculars recommend either 6 or 7x because these are invariably used from a moving deck, and although used for scanning distant horizons, steadiness is more important than magnification.  The ocular lenses are also larger than normal to further enhance this aspect.  The Lynx’s lenses were tested for chromatic (colour) aberration, coma (peripheral cloudiness) and vignetting (peripheral shading) with very good results.  Sharpness and clarity tests (reading tiny print from a distance) were done with the binoculars tripod-mounted to obviate unsteadiness.  In this test the 7x28 managed 9.25m, while a pricier 8x40 just managed to squeeze in at 10.3m.

Besides panning very nicely, they also passed ray ‘Southern Cross test’ whereby the four main stars forming the Southern Cross must fit into the field of view simultaneously. If a binocular’s field of view is smaller than this, you may have difficulty orientating yourself or quickly ‘picking up’ the quarry in bushy surroundings.  For a full field of view for spectacle users, the Lynx’s eyecups can be folded back simply by pushing on them with the palm of the hand (Zeiss style).

The suggested retaIl price of R2950 with the rangefinder graticule, and R2750 without it, is excellent value for money, and in this price range I cannot think of a better-handling and more user-friendly binocular for hunting or marine requirements, considering it is fully waterproof.  Dust, mud or saltwater spray can simply be rinsed off under a gentle stream of tap water, reducing the risk of scratching the lenses.  Sure, they are not as sharp or as bright as their expensive bigger cousins, but you will never feel inferior with these little ‘Lynx Hunters’.  Improvements? Only one—I would suggest ‘click stop’ eyepieces.

The fact that many astronomers use 7x binoculars to gaze at the heavens must have a message in it somewhere.  After a tiring night studying the heavens through powerful telescopes, one famous astronomer would take a break and go outside to enjoy the sheer magnificence of the night sky — using his 7x50 binoculars to reveal the true splendor of the heavens rather than that of a single object as seen through a telescope.

These glasses are backed by a five-year guarantee with local importers who have the expertise and facilities to repair them if need be.  Needless to say, my PH friend has ordered a pair.