Are 16×50 Binoculars Good Enough? Advantages & Disadvantages

There are many sizes of binoculars on the market, which can make it difficult to know which ones are best for your needs. One size is 16×50 binoculars. These have a magnification level of 16 and a lens diameter of 50 millimeters.

16×50 Binoculars are great for distant game hunting and wildlife viewing from far away or in low light conditions. You can also use them for sporting events or cruising, but they are generally recommended for large distance viewing.

What Are 16×50 Binoculars and Their Purpose?

There are many sizes of binoculars on the market, which can make it difficult to know which ones are best for your needs. One size is 16×50 binoculars. These have a magnification level of 16 and a lens diameter of 50 millimeters.

The lens diameter is the distance across the optical center of the lenses. The higher the number, the larger the eye-relief (distance from your eye to her binoculars). The wider field of view (FOV) comes with a trade off in magnification power. The FOV in these binoculars is approximately 354 feet at 1,000 yards.

Binoculars with a focal length of 16×50 are ideal for distant game hunting and wildlife viewing from afar or in low-light conditions. They’re great for sporting events and travel, but they’re mostly meant for viewing at a distance.

Why 16×50 Binoculars Are Good for Distant Viewing?

The 16×50 binoculars are ideal for viewing from a distance. The 16x magnification and 50 millimeter lens diameter allows you to place far away objects in very good focus. The image is sharp, and the colors are clear, which is perfect for viewing in low-light conditions or in areas that have less light.

Advantages of Using 16×50 Binoculars

One use for these binoculars is when you need good quality images but don’t want to carry around heavy equipment like large scopes or telescope/binocular combinations.

If you are often traveling, 16×50 binoculars can be a great addition to your packing list of equipment because they’re very lightweight and convenient. Also if you want better field of view than what is offered by smaller sized binoculars then these would be good choice for that too!

If you need more magnification power from your binoculars then you can use a Barlow lens which will double up the magnification to 32x. Of course, increasing the number of lenses also increases weight and bulkiness as well as price!

Another purpose for using these binoculars is bird watching. Unlike marine birds who are often at great distance from coastal regions and can be viewed with smaller binoculars, land birds are often at closer distance to where most people live. Land bird species need more magnification power than what you get from 15x or 18x models of binoculars.

Disadvantages of Using 16×50 Binoculars

A major disadvantage is that while these binoculars are affordable, they still cost more than your traditional binoculars. They also have a smaller eye relief than what other models offer so if your eyesight isn’t perfect this might not be the best choice for you.

 If you want to know more about eye relief, Check Our Eye Relief Guide 

These binoculars also won’t be the best choice if you need to mount them on a tripod. They can certainly be used for this purpose, but it adds weight and bulkiness to your equipment, which might not work well with other items in your bag!

How to Choose the Best Pair of 16x 50 Binoculars for Yourself?

So the first step is to figure out if you need a simple, lightweight pair of binoculars for travel, birdwatching or general use. This will help you narrow down your choices to certain models and magnification range.

If you’re going to be using them at a distance from the subject, then a good quality set of binoculars should have an diameter size of between 20mm-25mm. The larger the aperture the better! But if you’re going to be viewing them from close up from less than 100 feet away, then an diameter size of up to 40mm works well. You’ll also want a wide field of view that goes up to 200 feet at 1000 yards.

Bottom Line

16×50 binoculars are a great choice for those who need to carry around light weight and portable equipment. 16×50 binoculars also have a higher magnification power than smaller sized models, which can be useful if you’re viewing from a distance or birdwatching. If you want more information on how to choose the best pair of 16x 50 binoculars for yourself, then let us know.