Eye Relief of Spotting Scopes
- Factors to consider when buying a spotting scope:
- Magnification
- Aperture
- Field of View
- Focal Length
- Telephotography
- Eyepieces
- Eye Relief
- Focusing
- Exit Pupil
- Optical Design
- Twilight Factor
Eye relief refers to the distance behind the telescope eyepiece where the true exit pupil is located and the point where the complete field of view is clearly visible to the observer. It is an important specification for those who wear eyeglasses as the minimum distance for comfortable viewing is about 15mm. Although the telescope's focuser can accommodate for near or far-sightedness, those with mild or severe astigmatism will almost always need to wear their eyeglasses for comfortable viewing. Fortunately, many manufacturer's now offer eyepieces with long eye relief or at least provide fold down rubber eyecups for convenience to those who need or want to wear sun or eyeglasses.
Thanks to our friends at Eagle Optics for providing this information!
See also:
Bird Watching Binoculars—Tips for choosing the right birding binocular
Birding Tripods—Tips for choosing the right tripod for you binoculars and scopes
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