Buy Monocular __HOT__
Whilst it is true that the same could be said for a good compact binocular, the advantage with a monocular is that for roughly the same size and weight, you almost always get a much larger objective lens and thus generally better image quality and brightness, especially in low light.
buy monocular
Then there is price: A monocular is basically half a binocular and because the manufacturer does not need to worry about maintaining perfect collimation between the two sides, a monocular is far easier and thus cheaper to produce. Therefore like for like, a monocular often costs a lot less than the equivalent binocular.
Initially I thought it would be relatively easy to find the best all-round monocular currently on the market, but I have to say there were a number of contenders that could easily have taken this spot.
After very carefully going through all of the specifications and features on all the instruments on my shortlist, I finally settled on the model below which I do feel is a great choice if you wish to use your monocular for a wide range of uses and situations:
Part of the same series of the best selling, very high quality Legend Ultra HD binoculars from Bushnell, the monocular version is a real winner in every sense of the word and as you would expect has all the features and components you would expect from a high end binocular, but at half the size and way cheaper to:
The quality of the optics and the coatings is about as good as it gets in the world of monoculars and I like the small features like twist-up eye-cups (many have inferior folding rubber ones) and the Picatinny Rail on the side that makes it a cinch to clip to your belt or rucksack.
Before making my selection, I had a number of brands in mind that are known for producing really good value instruments. However after a lot of research, one monocular in particular stood out from the crowd and I have to say it was not even on my radar before I started:
The Zen-Ray below listed below used to be my top choice in this "Best Value" category, but it is now very difficult to find and I think has been discontinued. Well, the good news is I have managed to unearth another excellent performer. Made in Japan, the Opticron WP Monocular incorporates a good level of optical components and features into a very small body, but at the same time, always half an eye on the price. The result is a monocular that easily performs above what I would expect to find at this level:
Whilst it is true that the WP Mono does not incorporate the highest level of optics of all the monoculars on this page, I do think Opticron has been smart and done a good job in balancing performance versus price. For more on this, be sure to check out my article and video on Monocular vs Binoculars for Birding, Hunting, Hiking, Sports & Travel, where I use it as the example monocular and it will give you a far better insight into its main strengths and weaknesses, especially when compared to binoculars of a similar configuration.
Price: Costing under $140 / 110, this nifty little monocular makes excellent value for money and is a great choice for those wanting a very small optical device that will perform well without having to break your bank balance. Very Highly Recommended.
Update: Please note this monocular can be difficult to locate and I think it may have been discontinued, which is a real shame. If anyone has any info, please let me know. For the time being I will keep it listed as I do feel it offers excellent value if you can track a pair down.
If you consider their low price point, I have to say that the level of optics used on the Zen-Ray ZRS HD Monocular is impressive, which combined with some really good stats made making my choice of best value monocular fairly simple:
Two For the Price of One! Two monoculars that join together to form a compact binocular, or if you want, you can join them together end-on-end to make a 16x scope! The Pentax VD 4x20 WP is a set of optics that the Transformers would be proud of!
For the best monocular for birdwatching, I was especially looking for a high quality view and wide field of view that would make it easy to spot and locate your birds and then get the best possible view of them once you are locked on.
If you are looking for a high performance, really small, easy to carry, lightweight, but tough monocular designed specifically with hunters in mind, then look no further than the Vortex Recce Pro HD 8x32 monocular.
This Vortex monocular could easily have won the overall award, but the hash marked ranging reticle in the view marks it out as being perfect for hunting and the fact that it is fully sealed also possible for marine use.
Indeed, I really can't find a major weakness on these to talk about. There may be some that would possibly wish for a higher power than 8x, but then you would be sacrificing the width of view and low light performance. So for a compact 32mm monocular for hunting, I really do think the Vortex Recce Pro HD is about as good as it gets.
With a 15x magnification, the Nature-Trek from Hawke Sport Optics is certainly a powerful monocular. Indeed I would say that it is at the limit. Any higher and you should probably just opt for a small/travel spotting scope.
However with a monocular or spotting scope, you no longer have this problem. So below is my pick of the best monocular with a zoom, where I also took into consideration price and level of components:
The one down side is that I would have liked a wider field of view, because even at the lowest power of setting of 10x it is 200ft wide, which is a little less than the average for a 10x monocular and far from the best.
In many ways these are the hardest categories to get right. This is because there are so many really bad cheap monoculars, it is really easy to get it wrong! Here I looked for a monocular that had a good level of optics and some decent specs to go with it.
If it is a workman like monocular that does not cost the earth, but will perform it's function well, then I suggest taking a closer look at the Wingspan Optics ProSpotter 10x42 as to me it looks to offer a really good level of price to performance.
There are some really great monoculars out there at the moment, with a lot of choices. This is good in that the competition in the market makes for better quality products at lower prices, but it can make knowing what to choose more difficult.
As I say even if you already have a pair of binoculars, there will still be occasions where the sheer convenience and ease of use just makes a monocular a better choice and is why I think if you can afford it, it is well worth investing in one.
Likewise if you don't have binoculars and you don't want to splash out for both barrels, choose a good monocular like from the list above and you will have a high performance optical device at a far cheaper price :-)
This marine monocular has a compass and rangefinder. We recommend using the compass during the daytime as it has no illumination. The scales of the instruments are visible through the eyepiece of the monocular. To use the rangefinder, you need to know the size (height) of an object to calculate how far away it is located. The distance is calculated with a special formula based on the rangefinder readings or, vice versa, you can calculate the size of an object if you know the distance to it.
You can customize the diopter adjustment by rotating the eyepiece. The water-resistant body of the monocular is made of durable plastic. The nitrogen filling prevents the inner surface of the lenses from fogging.
The optics are based on a wide-field eyepiece and achromatic objectives of various magnification. Overall magnification of an optical system allows for working with medium and large structures. The monocular head is conveniently inclined at 45 and is 360 rotatable. A microscope is excellent to use for individual and group work as well.
A monocular is an optical tool that you look through with one eye. This provides many advantages compared to roof prism or porro binoculars. Size and weight, for instance. Here is our rundown of the benefits of a monocular.
One of the main reasons to choose a monocular is that it is seriously small and lightweight. You can easily take it with you wherever you go. Hiking, travelling, or maybe even to a concert or festival. After all, a monocular is basically half a pair of binoculars. This means that a monocular is also about half the weight of binoculars. And it's so small that it always fits in your bag. Perfect!
Because you only look through a monocular with one eye, you still have one eye free to follow a fast-moving animal. It takes a little practice, but you'll be able to multitask with your monocular in no time. And because it's so small, you immediately have the monocular at the ready if you have an unexpected encounter with that one rare bird.
You may have already noticed: good binoculars can be quite an investment. The advantage of a monocular is that it's generally a lot cheaper to buy. After all, you are buying 'half' a pair of binoculars. So you can get your hands on a really nice viewing tool for a more wallet-friendly price.
You'll notice: we're big fans of monoculars. It almost seems like there are no downsides to the monocular compared to binoculars. That isn't entirely true. Because you're only looking with one eye, you miss out on the depth effect. So your image becomes 2D instead of 3D. It also looks a little less composed, because you have to keep one eye closed to focus on the image through the monocular.
In short, the monocular is great for quick access. Furthermore, you can take it anywhere due to its compact size and low weight. Have you also become a fan of monoculars? Then have a look at all monoculars here.
A monocular is a small, low-powered telescope that you hold in your hand like a set of binoculars. Using one eye, you can see through a monocular and look at far away objects when you are hunting, camping, or watching sporting events.[1]XResearch source You can also use a monocular as a magnifier to hold over text that is hard to read. You can select a monocular by looking at the magnification power as well as the size and weight of the monocular. You should also shop around for the monocular and try a few options so you can find one that is high-quality and within your budget. 041b061a72