Coatings related to contrast are all about color. The biggest, baddest optic on the planet is utterly useless if the user can’t make out the details of the object they are looking at. It may seem like optics are priced based on glass quality alone, but there are MANY factors such as these coatings that are lesser-known to many consumers. The first time folks look through a Swarovski EL, their reaction usually goes something like this: “Holy cow! That’s so bright! It almost hurts my eyes!” That effect is common with many high-end binoculars. This also applies to the effects of different combinations of coatings on internal and external components. Optics manufacturers spend decades developing ways to reduce the amount of “wasted” light. BrightnessĪnother reason to prevent as much reflection as possible is to maximize the amount of light that passes through the lenses and optical systems and into the user’s eye. These coatings can vary by manufacturer, but they all are in pursuit of the same goals. These work together to present the image that meets your eye. Most optics companies develop coatings for both the inside components of binoculars and the outer surfaces of their lenses. Often we find ourselves glassing toward the Sun, so certain coatings prevent reflections that lead to those flares.

With cameras, sometimes this effect is desirable, but not with observation optics! Hunters need the clearest view possible to make out minute details. A bright light source will often create a flare or “ghost image” that can obstruct your view. Think of taking a photo with a bright light in the background. The main purposes of coatings on binoculars are: What do sunglasses do? They cancel glare (to some degree) and light reflections and sometimes filter different types of light, allowing you to see in an augmented way that’s more comfortable or even more effective. Lens coatings apply these adjustments in real-time as the image is created.Īnother way to think of these coatings similarly to a pair of sunglasses in front of your eyes. All a “filter” is is an adjustment to certain properties of an image. An extremely general way of thinking about this is to consider an Instagram filter.

The thickness and relationships between these “slices,” similar but opposite to gel filters on a light source, determine their overall effectiveness. These coatings are made up of very thin slices of metallic, oxide, or rare-earth materials. Some that may sound familiar are Swarovski’s SWAROBRIGHT, Leupold’s Twilight Max, and the T* coating from Zeiss. There are MANY different types of optical coatings, especially when it comes to long-range hunting units. Along with light transmission and a slew of other terms, there can be some confusion when it comes to the factors that truly affect the performance of a binocular. When the topic of “good” optics comes up, one term that’s thrown around is lens coatings. If you hang around enough hunters or spend time glassing with other folks, you’re bound to end up talking about optics.

Binocular lenses