Using binoculars to give you the best advantage is as important when you are shooting pigeons as when you are stalking deer or birdwatching. This is not to say it is difficult to use them correctly, but a little preparation and practice can make a huge difference to the success or otherwise of your sporting day.
The first thing to do when you get your binoculars out of their case is to set the correct width between the eyepieces – these must match the distance between the centres of your pupils. The easiest way to do this is to put them to your eyes, and aim them at something that will not attract your attention and cause you to focus. This is probably best done by pointing them at the sky, making sure not to aim at the Sun, which can result in permanent eye damage.
Now adjust the distance between the eyepieces by pulling the two barrels apart or pushing them together, until the two circles become one. At this point you should be able to obtain a measurement of the angle between the barrels from the central pivot – this is normally marked in degrees.
Next focus the binoculars in to the closest point you can – maybe just across the other side of the road (by this I do not mean into the bedroom of the house opposite!). Now shut your right eye, and finely adjust the focus until the image is clear. Once you have that, close the left eye and open the right one again. Point the binos at the same point you focussed on previously – the chances are that it will be out of focus. Focus this by twisting the eyepiece, which will perform a fine adjustment on the right hand barrel. Once this is done, check the focus by looking through both eyepieces at once.
You should now see a single circle, clearly in focus with both or either eye. If this is what you see, make a note of the angle between the barrels, and the setting of the eyepiece, which will normally be in a range between 2 numbers, half of which is positive and half negative. With these two numbers you can quickly set the binoculars to suit your eyes within seconds of getting them out of their case.
The reason for setting them initially to the closest focus is that it gives maximimum sensitivity to the adjustments. At further distances the adjustments are much coarser, and if you then focus closer you will notice that the two eyes will go out of focus.
