binoculars

The essential components of binoculars are objective lenses, eyepieces, and a system of prisms to invert and reverse the image. A focusing system provides a sharp image by adjusting the relative positions of these components.

Optical instrument for viewing an object in magnification with both eyes; for example, field glasses and opera glasses. Binoculars consist of two telescopes containing lenses and prisms, which produce a stereoscopic effect as well as magnifying the image.

Use of prisms has the effect of ‘folding’ the light path, allowing for a compact design.

The first binocular telescope was constructed by the Dutch inventor Hans Lippershey in 1608. Later development was largely due to the German Ernst Abbe of Jena, who at the end of the 19th century designed prism binoculars that foreshadowed the instruments of today, in which not only magnification but also stereoscopic effect is obtained.