The difference between porro prism and roof prism binoculars is in the design and the respective features.
Porro prism binoculars vs roof.
Porro prism design has a jog in the light path through each barrel.
Roof prism binoculars have lately become more popular than porro prism binoculars.
That s why usually porro binoculars produce brighter image.
So if you re on a tight budget go ahead and look for a porro set sporting bak 4 prisms.
Roof prisms are the newer option.
In roof binoculars prisms are arranged in a straight line which makes roof binoculars more compact and lightweight compared to porro binoculars.
The easiest way to find out a porro prism binocular for a first time user is that it has a narrower barrel that grows wider towards the outer objective lens.
However porro prism binoculars are great watching birds or other small objects.
Roof prism binoculars were compact light and comfortable to hold.
They made the offset zig zag shape of the porro prism design look as old fashioned as propeller driven aircraft.
And they re much better for overall general use.
The light path refracts more light thereby allowing a brighter image and better optics to be visible.
Roof prism bino sets are often much more expensive than porro designs of the same magnification.
Porro prisms are the more traditional ones and these are seen in older binoculars with a zig zag shape.
The prims are in the shape of a right angled triangle and they reflect the light rays through the binoculars so you see your image clearly.
They ll provide just as vibrant an image as a corresponding roof set at a fraction of the cost.
