When you get right down to it, there is no great mystery about optics. The basic
laws of optics concerning magnification, image brightness, field of view, exit pupil and so on are the same for all optical instruments, be they
binoculars,
spotting scopes,
riflescopes,
microscopes or
telescopes. Knowledge of the basics in one product category carries over to other product categories.
If I was going to get someone started on the basics, though, I would probably begin with that most universal of optical instruments - the
binocular. My article on binocular basics,
How to Understand Binoculars is written with the beginner in mind. It will help unravel some of the mystery of optical laws in a easy to understand and friendly way.