# binoculars **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156 "2013-03-06T04:32:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/1 "2013-03-06T04:32:39Z")
Do they make binoculars that you don’t have to put right up to your eyes? I need something more like how a rifle scope works, you put your eye 1-2 inches away from it. I use binoculars in the desert a lot and because you have to touch your eyes to them to see I frequently get sand or dirt in my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/2 "2013-03-06T04:36:26Z")
[Long Eye Relief Binoculars.](http://www.opticsplanet.com/long-eye-relief-binoculars.html) ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/3 "2013-03-06T05:13:29Z")
unless I’m missing something those don’t look like they work any different from regular binoculars ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/4 "2013-03-06T05:22:18Z")
Blurb at the top of the page. > [@](#): > > Long eye relief binoculars are the best choice for eyeglass wearers. The eye cups of these binoculars either roll down or fold out of the way to allow the user to place his glasses directly on the eyecup, making the distance from the eyeball to the ocular eye piece much shorter. Combined with the longer eye relief, this allows for a comfortable, full field of view. A random sampling turned up an eye relief of 15-19mm, almost an inch. They’re intended to be held to your eyeglasses but they should work just fine holding them away from contact with your face. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/5 "2013-03-06T05:49:56Z")
do they have any that are like a rifle scope and can be held about 3 inches away? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/6 "2013-03-06T06:56:18Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > do they have any that are like a rifle scope and can be held about 3 inches away? Wouldn’t that make them awfully difficult to hold steady? ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/7 "2013-03-06T14:41:07Z")
The thing to do is to keep sand and dirt off your binoculars. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/8 "2013-03-06T15:01:34Z")
Or just hook up a camcorder to a laptop like the cops do. ---
**Author:** ![60wag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/7ba0ec/32.png) [@60wag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/60wag)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars/652156/9 "2013-03-06T21:31:32Z")
You can hold normal binocluars away from your eye and still still have a sharply focused image. What you sacrifice is the field of view - you only see a narrow field - just like a rifle scope.