Carson Optical Hawk HU-530 Binocular
- Binoculars Type: Binocular
- Max Magnification: 5x
- Zoom Ability: Without Zoom
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1086
A Great First Pair of Binoculars for Your Little Bird-Watcher
Pros
Excellent quality; sturdy, lightweight; good first pair; relatively inexpensive; carrying strap
Cons
Magnification not as powerful as slightly more expensive binoculars for beginners
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Excellent quality and craftsmanship plus low price make this a great first pair of binoculars for a child.
We're so excited! Spring is here, and that means the birds are back...and getting busy with their building plans. Even in our very urban neighborhood, with relatively few trees, we've spotted at least a half-dozen bird nests in the past week. Some are in trees, others in birdhouses or even on roofs, but wherever they are, we're eager to observe.
Knowing how interested and eager my almost six year is to learn about anything in the natural world, and with spring ready to provide her with a festival of colors, sounds, sights and new life, I thought it was high time we invested in something that would help her see the world a little more closely. That's when I went shopping for an excellent child-sized pair of binoculars and found these: the Carson Hawk 5 x 33 mm Binoculars. We've only had them a little while, but oh my, we're having a blast. And I am really impressed by the quality of these little binoculars.
Here's a few of the things we like about them (some of which were factors in my purchasing them as well):
•
They look "real." That's because they are, of course, but I think you know what I mean. My little girl wants to learn about real things, and she needs real tools. I didn't want to get a pair of toy binoculars, but a good, quality pair.
•
They're not as powerful as some higher-end binoculars, but they're powerful enough. Slightly older children who are really into birding might want a stronger pair, but we thought these were well-suited to our beginner. As I learned when I went looking for information on www.birdwatching.com, the numbers "5 x 33" have to do with how powerful the binoculars are: the first number, 5, shows you "how many times the image is enlarged" and the second number has to do with "the diameter of the objective lens" and affects how much light gets in and hence how sharp the image will look.
•
They look great, made from black plastic (the center of the pair, plus the focus wheel) with dark green rubber grips where you hold them.
•
They're just the right size for little hands, and easy to hold. A grown man or teenage boy would find these too small, but children (or women with smaller hands) will find them just about perfect. They 'bend' in the center, so you can adjust the width of the eyepieces. They also have soft, bendable rubber around the eyepieces, apparently so they will work as well for children with eyeglasses as those without (though my daughter doesn't have glasses, so I haven't tested that claim).
•
They're incredibly lightweight -- only 6.6. ounces! They also have a strap so your child can wear them around their neck (the strap might be one reason the manufacturer recommends these for ages 6 and up).
•
They come with a vinyl carrying pouch that closes with velcro. The carrying pouch is about the only part that looks inexpensive, but then it doesn't need to be fancy. We mostly use the pouch when we put the binoculars away, to keep them clean and dust-free. The manufacturer also included a soft, lint-free cloth to help you keep the binoculars clean. it's already been a good lesson in responsibility for my little girl to take care of these -- she seems to respect that they are a "real tool" and not a toy, and we've established a place in her room where they're to be kept when not in use.
•
They didn't cost an arm and a leg. If we'd gone for slightly more powerful binoculars (those that magnify 8 times, say) we would have likely paid $30 or $40. For a beginning pair that magnifies 5 times, we were happy to pay only $11.50 plus shipping, especially for such a lightweight, sturdy and professional looking pair.
Other specifications that might be of interest to teachers and parents who have experience with binoculars/nature study/birding: The minimum focusing distance is 8 feet, and the prism type used is BAK-4 roof. They've got a field of view of 312 feet (at 1,000 yards). This was all Greek to me until I read an excellent article at the aforementioned www.birdwatching.com, which I highly recommend if you're interested in learning more about how binoculars work. I certainly was, after buying this pair. It's a terrific 9-part article on "Birding Binoculars and How They Work," well-written for lay people.
All in all, I couldn't be more pleased with this pair of binoculars. They're a good pair for my young, beginner student of nature. She's thrilled with how much fun they are ("I see it! I see it!") and I'm thrilled with their good, professional quality and their low cost. So, come on, spring! We're ready for you at our house.
Knowing how interested and eager my almost six year is to learn about anything in the natural world, and with spring ready to provide her with a festival of colors, sounds, sights and new life, I thought it was high time we invested in something that would help her see the world a little more closely. That's when I went shopping for an excellent child-sized pair of binoculars and found these: the Carson Hawk 5 x 33 mm Binoculars. We've only had them a little while, but oh my, we're having a blast. And I am really impressed by the quality of these little binoculars.
Here's a few of the things we like about them (some of which were factors in my purchasing them as well):
•
They look "real." That's because they are, of course, but I think you know what I mean. My little girl wants to learn about real things, and she needs real tools. I didn't want to get a pair of toy binoculars, but a good, quality pair.
•
They're not as powerful as some higher-end binoculars, but they're powerful enough. Slightly older children who are really into birding might want a stronger pair, but we thought these were well-suited to our beginner. As I learned when I went looking for information on www.birdwatching.com, the numbers "5 x 33" have to do with how powerful the binoculars are: the first number, 5, shows you "how many times the image is enlarged" and the second number has to do with "the diameter of the objective lens" and affects how much light gets in and hence how sharp the image will look.
•
They look great, made from black plastic (the center of the pair, plus the focus wheel) with dark green rubber grips where you hold them.
•
They're just the right size for little hands, and easy to hold. A grown man or teenage boy would find these too small, but children (or women with smaller hands) will find them just about perfect. They 'bend' in the center, so you can adjust the width of the eyepieces. They also have soft, bendable rubber around the eyepieces, apparently so they will work as well for children with eyeglasses as those without (though my daughter doesn't have glasses, so I haven't tested that claim).
•
They're incredibly lightweight -- only 6.6. ounces! They also have a strap so your child can wear them around their neck (the strap might be one reason the manufacturer recommends these for ages 6 and up).
•
They come with a vinyl carrying pouch that closes with velcro. The carrying pouch is about the only part that looks inexpensive, but then it doesn't need to be fancy. We mostly use the pouch when we put the binoculars away, to keep them clean and dust-free. The manufacturer also included a soft, lint-free cloth to help you keep the binoculars clean. it's already been a good lesson in responsibility for my little girl to take care of these -- she seems to respect that they are a "real tool" and not a toy, and we've established a place in her room where they're to be kept when not in use.
•
They didn't cost an arm and a leg. If we'd gone for slightly more powerful binoculars (those that magnify 8 times, say) we would have likely paid $30 or $40. For a beginning pair that magnifies 5 times, we were happy to pay only $11.50 plus shipping, especially for such a lightweight, sturdy and professional looking pair.
Other specifications that might be of interest to teachers and parents who have experience with binoculars/nature study/birding: The minimum focusing distance is 8 feet, and the prism type used is BAK-4 roof. They've got a field of view of 312 feet (at 1,000 yards). This was all Greek to me until I read an excellent article at the aforementioned www.birdwatching.com, which I highly recommend if you're interested in learning more about how binoculars work. I certainly was, after buying this pair. It's a terrific 9-part article on "Birding Binoculars and How They Work," well-written for lay people.
All in all, I couldn't be more pleased with this pair of binoculars. They're a good pair for my young, beginner student of nature. She's thrilled with how much fun they are ("I see it! I see it!") and I'm thrilled with their good, professional quality and their low cost. So, come on, spring! We're ready for you at our house.
