Binoculars with roof prisms are straighter and more compact.
Roof prism or porro prism.
The prisms are usually coated to increase reflectivity and to keep the light waves in the right direction.
As these prisms are easier to make they are cheaper to buy.
Binoculars are chiefly available in roof prism and porro prism categories and a prism is used to correct the image orientation created by the lens.
Both types of prism have advantages and disadvantages.
Roof prism bino sets are often much more expensive than porro designs of the same magnification.
Its better to choose a binocular equipped with any of the prism types.
Roof prism binoculars were compact light and comfortable to hold.
Porro prism binoculars were standard until the 1960 s when the zeiss and leitz companies introduced roof prism binoculars whose objective lenses were straight in line with the eyepieces.
If porro prisms had the same amount of labor and engineering efforts as roof prism binos porro prisms would always be superior.
Roof prisms vs porro prisms.
So if you re on a tight budget go ahead and look for a porro set sporting bak 4 prisms.
Roof prism binoculars construction is different and have two aligned barrels with eyepieces and objective lenses that are closer to each other than in porro prism binoculars.
If you have decided to go on a hiking trekking birdwatching trip with without family.
However we know that hunters and bird watchers demand a waterproof compact and lightweight binocular something that zeiss and leitz introduced in the 1960s with the roof prism binos.