Bradley J.

Dear MJL927,
I had the same questions when buying my last set of binoculars. One answer you may find helpful is from the Calvin College Observtory Dept of Physics and Astronomy. "The area of the objective lens aperature (the diameter squared) determines the amount of light gathered, hence the ability to see fainter objects and objects in dimmer light conditions. Also to be considered is the field of view at a set distance." So what all that means is that the bigger the objective lense, ie. the 50 on a set of 7x50s, the more light a given set will gather; the magnification has nothing to do with this light gathering ability. At a set distance the "field of view" will be smaller with higher magnification, larger with lower magnification.