Also called field glasses, binoculars are like a couple of telescopes put together and pointed at a similar area. Unlike a monocular, it is easier to perceive depth thanks to the two lenses of binoculars.
Binoculars are not exactly a new invention since man has been using it for the past couple of centuries. When the telescope was invented, people began to look through telescopes mounted side by side.
In the 18th century a prism kind of binoculars came out, enabling greater perception as the eyepieces were spaced wider.
Porro prisms are the most inexpensive types, allowing bright images. These are also precise instruments, since the binoculars are wider, although they also need to be re-aligned.
The roof prism binocular, on the other hand, is an expensive type. It is smaller and narrower, although it losses some of the brightness. However there is no need to realign the binoculars. Optical coating is used for this type of binoculars.
This is a great feature among binoculars, as optical coating helps in creating a brighter image through the reduction in the amount of light reflected. Images are often seen hazy when there is reflected light...