Self Focusing Binoculars

Always in Focus Binoculars
The name of Self focusing binoculars, or as they are also known as Auto Focus Binoculars is somewhat misleading, They should perhaps go by the names of Focus Free Binoculars, individual focus or even Always In Focus Binoculars, because they don't in fact auto or self focus at all, they are basically permanent focus binoculars. They have been set in the factory to focus on a distant point and you don't have any way of changing the focus where everything from around 40 feet to infinity will remain in focus once you have set them to your eyesight - you do not have to make any additional adjustments at all.

Some people have asked how do auto focus binoculars work? Well to achieve this the binoculars use sophisticated optics which use your eyes natural ability to focus and they have a good deep field of view. These fixed binoculars are not advisable for activities like birding because of their minimum focusing distance. On the positive side, a quality pair is very reliable and long lasting because of the lack of moving parts.

To set a fixed focus binocular, You adjust the diopter of each eyepiece to your vision and then from then on they require no further adjustments.

The confusion in the name and the tag of Self focusing binoculars has probably been brought about by clever marketing strategies from the major manufacturers of this type of binocular. What ever you wish to call them, Always in Focus binoculars have been around for over a few decades now and there are some excellent quality binoculars of this type out there.

Jason binoculars:

Automatic Focusing Binoculars were initially made popular by the brand "Jason" which was established in 1947 in Kansas City. The Jason brand made a group of self-focusing binoculars that became very popular in the 1970's and early 80's. The Jason brand of binoculars was then bought by Bushnell who have now re-branded them as their PermaFocus line of auto focus binoculars. As far as I know, Jason Binoculars are no longer in production.

Good Points of Self Focusing Binoculars

Because of the fewer amount of moving parts, they tend to be much longer lasting than other binoculars. This also makes them much easier to make fully dust and waterproof again making them an ideal for uses in harsh environments and so make popular military and marine binoculars.

Because once you have set them to your vision and no further focusing is necessary, it does make using them quicker than binoculars that you have to focus on every object you look at. Perfect for fast moving erratic objects and they would make ideal birding binoculars, apart from the fact that they do not have a a good close focus distance (usually around 35 - 40ft).

Bad Points of Auto Focus Binoculars

Always in Focus Binoculars sound great, but what are the down sides? Auto focus binoculars (fixed focus) will not have a very close range and many will only focus from about 35 to 40 feet and that is why they are popular in wide open areas, making ideal Marine Binoculars.

Self focussing binoculars do have their place and uses, but because you set them to you individual vision, they are not suitable for sharing with someone else (unless you have the same vision) So don;t take them to share with someone else at a sport event or safari holiday for example.

Fixed focus binoculars rely on the flexibility of your eye to keep the image clear and in focus. This is not a problem for children and young adults, but as you get older the eye slowly loses its ability to focus and so for anyone about 40 or over, these binoculars could produce a lot of eye strain.

Video Demonstrating the Bushnell 8x25 PermaFocus Focus Free Compact Binoculars

Below are a few selected Auto Focus Binoculars

View >> All Auto Focus Binoculars