Porro Prism vs Roof Prism Binoculars: What's the Difference? Which One is Best for You?

Celestron Product Manager John Riutta explains the differences between Porro and roof prisms binoculars. Learn how these two styles of prism work and how each one's design affects your view through the optics.

[@keenforashoot5410]

This guy has a very calming voice

[@Utubeisazzho]

Whisky and smoking

[@Abhi-rd4me]

All the information aside, you'd make a delightful audiobook narrator with that deep calming voice : )

[@jsmcguireIII]

Thanks very much. As someone who uses stereo imagery for mapping, I always felt I was having a parallax (stereo) experience with my older (Porro) binocs, now I know it was real. I think the roof prism is a remarkable bit of engineering though and use both.

[@dusanstevic89]

Top-notch explanation, sir! Thank you for making this video.

[@John-yt5zr]

Brilliantly explained for the novice like me, and may I add, it was a pleasing presentation.

[@BillieRight1]

Thank you for this very informative description of the differences between these types of binoculars.

[@mgmcd1]

Very well done. Thank you. I have a pair of each. The larger Porro’s are great for astronomy.

[@nancyoffenhiser4916]

I have found that with such close set eyes, Porros work best for me. Excellent presentation and well explained! Thank You!

[@CircleOfSignfighters]

Thanks for this very educational video! I am just getting into vintage binocular collecting and this clears up a lot of the nomenclature used by birdwatching and astronomy forum members.

[@robertkirk4387]

Very informative, and answered a lot of my questions. Well done and thank you, Sir.

[@johnebabb3]

Great video. Concise and informative. Answered my questions. Thank you!

[@ricardinhofranca]

Loved this video! Very calm and instructive

[@liljeremyshell1179]

Very informative, really appreciate the depth of explanation, thank you

[@s1mp13m4n]

Thank you for teaching and helping us to learn. There are way too many "review" videos out there. I enjoy learning and how-to. Thanks again.

[@grahamdale9992]

Very interesting cleared a lot of questions up, thank you 😊

[@xAeschylusx]

Excellent video. Love your demeanor

[@anild5342]

Beautifully explained! Thank you so much! 😊👌

[@petedetraglia4776]

Thank you. I have both Roof and Porro Prism binoculars. I just decide what activities and what size I want to tote around with. Porro does make a 3D effect which to my eye looks better but quality wise they are both great.

[@timfrankel9722]

John, nice presentation.

[@danielramirezcruz.2209]

fantastic information l love it... thanks for posting

[@j.d.1966]

That was fantastic.. Thank you!

[@ullasgkalappura]

Loved this episode..🎉

[@michaeljames8408]

Great Video,,, Helped a Lot,,, Thanks...

[@StagnantMizu]

Great video thanks

[@robertgrimsted877]

Really helpful thanks 😊

[@dazzadizzy5308]

Hi Celestron , I have a Cpc 1100 gps . I would love it if you could do a maintenance video of how to clean ,oil gears etc 👍

[@colinsimmons2913]

well explained well presented A

[@ronrammelle4735]

Excellent explanation thank you, I’ve watched a few videos about this question and I didn’t properly absorb the information because it seemed rushed. I absorbed every bit of information. Can I ask when you focus the binoculars using the wheel/dial would it also possible to adjust the prism distance in the porro type as they already have the space in the shoulders for the porro setup? Or even concave the face of each prisms where the light exists?

[@XX-fq8kp]

THANK YOU JOHN, JOE FRO SRQ FL

[@davecody5997]

Thank you sir!!!!

[@goodvideos69]

Great. I've used both types, but I prefer the porro.

[@johnnyboy1586]

Yes i noticed when looking through poro binoculars you seem to get a 3d effect wereas the roof image looks more flat

[@djroad7217]

Thanks, John. I just saw a product from Vortex Optics that has reverse Porro prisms. Do you have thoughts on that system?

[@larrylucas8324]

Excellent review, John. As you may recall, I'm interested in an astronomical telescope and have been for quite a while now. Do telescopes of this type use the Porro or roof prism system or something else. I've heard of "refractor" and "reflector" types, but don't know which would be best for moon and star gazing or if there are other better systems available.

[@johnandersen8999]

I don't belive that ASTRO telescopes do but terrestrial telescopes often use a roof style prism. If you ever see a 45 degree eye piece you can know there is a prism too.

[@starkx3071]

thank you, i have a choise for me celestron 10x42 nature ^^

[@uctopgulumvardi]

Thank you very much! However, if this porro prism technique is that usefull, especially when it comes to length, it is not being used in telescopes? Or why not mirrors in the binoculars i.s.o. prisms? What is the difference between those prisms and mirrors (like in reflectors)?

[@starkx3071]

telecope > 100x, very high, porro not good because light ---> low

[@thethinkingman-]

i like those puppy binoculars with the ruff ruff prisms.

[@rickied1418]

Do reverse poro prisms give you the same 3 dimensional effect as traditional poral prisms?

[@CelestronDotCom]

Reverse Porro prism binoculars trade the three-dimensional effect for the ability to allow close focusing (with the appropriate optical prescription design, of course, that would allow such). The distance between the objectives in even a standard roof prism binocular cause the binocular image to divide at distances just below five feet from a subject; standard Porro binoculars with their wider set lenses generally divide the image at distances a bit longer than that. However, with inverted Porro prism binoculars, the closeness of the objective lenses can - with the appropriate optical prescription - allow the binocular image seen to be undivided at distances shorter than five feet. Reverse Porro prism binoculars are also often very "pocket friendly" and comfortable to use due to their shape.

[@jameskelly9241]

Why don't they put phase coatings on porroprizim binoculars.? Great presentation.

[@CelestronDotCom]

Phase coating is used to keep the different wavelengths of light that are passing through a complex optical prism (such as a roof or auxiliary prism) in proper relationship to one another so that diffraction does not cause the waves to cross one another during transit. If they cross in this manner, the effect is similar to two high-pressure hose streams crossing one another, with the water that sprays in various uncontrolled directions representing the stray light that would scatter through the prism, resulting in a muddying of the resulting colors in the image presented to the viewer. As all the angles the light encounters in a Porro prism are a neat and tidy 90 degrees, this is not a problem as the path of the light never even comes close to crossing over itself during the transit through the prism.

[@jameskelly9241]

@@CelestronDotCom what about the quality of the porro prisms for better light transmission?

[@TrashPanda71]

Which one is best for low light conditions, like in the woods right before it gets dark.. Thank you.

[@stevedickson5853]

Porro prism binoculars usually are a lot better in darker situations because they have better light transmission where as Roof bins have to have special coatings on the prisms just to compare with porros so are more expensive, also if using binoculars at night use low magnification 6x or 7x or 8x at a push with relatively large Objectives at the front will give you a large exit pupil for better night vision, example- 7x50 binoculars = 7.1 mm exit pupil, 6x30 = 5mm exit pupil

[@TrashPanda71]

@stevedickson5853 I ended up with the Bushnell Legacy WP 10x50... absolutely love them.

[@stevedickson5853]

@@TrashPanda71 ..👍

[@xAeschylusx]

I’d love to be able to test a pair of high end roof vs porro binoculars side by side that were of the same quality. I always wondered why my old pair of cheap windriver porro binoculars looked so good in comparison to my really high end stuff like Zeiss and Kowa etc

[@milosukic1857]

of the small binoculars that has the most stable image without shaking.ultravid 8x20,nikon8x20hg and Nikon 6x15micron?why is the image shaking?

[@UpcomingJedi]

Porro gives a deeper 3d view which i prefer.

[@WheelbarrowSteve]

I have not worked out a name for my channel yet, so bare with me girls. Wheelbarrowsteve xxx

[@dilipdas5777]

Porro prism binoculars are better in all aspects except design

[@GM-bq6zo]

Which are the best porro?

[@danielthornton5471]

That's a bit like saying something's better in all aspects except function. That alone is over 50% of the reason you buy it.