Help picking binoculars for skydiving

I'm in the Army and I need a pair of binoculars to be able to clearly see soldiers skydiving at 5,000 ft and higher to make sure they don't have problems. I'm not sure which magnification I would need to be able to accomplish this. Can anyone help me out on this one?

Hi

That is asking a great deal of any binocular if you expect to actually see details on a sky diver or even a parachute at that distance of nearly a mile. Handheld binoculars simply won't give you enough magnification to see that level of detail, but I would at least borrow a conventional 10x42 or 10x50 to see how it works. I suspect you will need more magnification. Going to something with higher magnification - an observation binocular or spotting scope - though, will require you to use a tripod for the sake of steadiness, but then you have tracking issues as far as following a moving object.

Possibly this is a good application for image stabilized binoculars of 12x to 16x. Look for a wide field of view if possible.

Thanks, I'll see about starting with the 10x and possibly working my way up to the image stabilizer 12x or higher. Any particular to suggest?

Hi

The Canons and the Nikons are the most affordable in IS and probably your best buy for the dollar. Keep in mind, though, that image stabilization will reduce steadiness issues, but not eliminate them entirely, especially if you opt for 16x or higher.