How important is “collimation”?
General purpose and astronomy binoculars consist of two telescopes connected together, with a method to adjust the eyepieces from each telescope to match your own “IPD” (inter-pupil distance). Collimation refers to the alignment of both telescopes to the “hinge”, and therefore to each other. The single biggest problem with the majority of general purpose and astronomical binoculars sold today is that they are not properly collimated. Most people don’t notice minor alignment problems, especially at the lower magnifications of typical general purpose and astronomy binoculars. The brain does a remarkable job of merging images that are misaligned, however during extended viewing sessions, this can cause eyestrain and some discomfort (even nausea). Good collimation becomes increasingly important with larger binoculars that use higher magnification. BigBinoculars.com is the only binocular retailer in the USA that routinely sells general purpose and astronomy binoculars that support extreme m
