The history of Binoculars

Binoculars are like two telescopes, one for each eye, that enlarge a distant object and make it appear nearer. The exact place and year of invention of binoculars is not clearly defined as similar work was conducted around the same time at different places. Basically a telescope designed to view the stars and other celestial bodies was modified to produce a handy optical instrument which used both eyes and could magnify the object under view. Binoculars are extremely useful devices in a number of situations, and let us do so much more than possible with naked eyes.

It was believed that Galileo invented the binocular after the telescope but this claim has not been authenticated. According to early recorded history, the telescope is supposed to have been invented in 1608 when Jan Lippershey applied for a patent for a telescope. He was asked to make an instrument for two eyes – a pair of binoculars. The first pair he made had a power of 3 or 4 and an objective of an inch and a half. Telescopes were difficult for inexperienced persons to use; hence the need to make binocular telescopes was felt.

There are references to several other inventors in the 17 th century who claimed to have invented binoculars. They include Ottavio Pinani in 1613, Antonius de Rheita in 1645 and Cherubin d’Orleans in 1671 whose treatise La Dioptrique Oculaire describes binocular telescopes with great details and diagrams. Pietro Patroni of Milan was another person who was credited with having made early telescopes and binoculars in the 17 th century. Some of his pieces are still found at auctions. In1702, Johann Zahn made the first hand held binoculars with a flexible linkage between the tubes.

The first instruments must have used Galileo’s optical system though later ones may have had convex lenses as eyepieces for greater magnification. Early optical lenses were of poor quality and were made of glass. Some later instruments used quartz which is more difficult to work with but gives clearer images. Early telescopes had inverted images but by the 19 th century image erecting two lens systems were invented. It is entirely probable that they used the techniques to make binoculars as well. The first binocular telescope was invented in1825 by J P Lemiere.

Binoculars were used by the US Navy in its observatory during the Civil War but unfortunately none of those pieces have survived and are not available anywhere now. In154 Italian inventor Ignatio Porro patented prism binoculars which are capable of erecting the image, the forerunner of the modern binoculars. Several people made prism binoculars in the mid nineteenth century but hardly any businesses succeeded. The poor quality of the glass, shoddy production and faulty design caused the ventures to fail.

In the late nineteen century three Germans ushered in the age of modern optical instruments including binoculars. They were optical designer Ernst Abbe, Otto Schott, glassmaker and Carl Zeiss, instrument maker. The first modern binoculars of high quality were sold in 1894. This was the beginning of many other designs and modifications but the principle was the same.

The early twentieth century saw many innovations which made the binoculars more practical to use. In1919 wide-field lenses were used in binocular eyepieces for the first time. The instruments were still quite cumbersome and light weight metal was used instead of brass for the housing by the 1930s. Alexander Smakula worked successfully to improve the light transmission through the binoculars. His use of antireflective coating in1935 resulted in more than 50% improvement.

In 1954 the use of two lenses separated by air, known as the tele-objective system resulted in reduction of the length of the binoculars. The larger relative aperture helped to improve the image quality. Over recent years nitrogen filled binoculars help to reduce fogging of lenses. Other such improvements have made binoculars indispensable for birders, race goers and opera lovers.