My dinosaur Bushnell binoculars bit the dust and I'm thinking a monocular might make a good replacement: Seems like they're fairly cheap, light, compact, what's not to like?
I don't need NV or range finding.
Has anyone tried one?
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My dinosaur Bushnell binoculars bit the dust and I'm thinking a monocular might make a good replacement: Seems like they're fairly cheap, light, compact, what's not to like?
I don't need NV or range finding.
Has anyone tried one?
I have one of the Swiss surplus ones that was released a few years ago . I like it for the same reasons you do .
Jack
Swiss surplus! I like the sound of that.
The snag is that you get less light through one eye than two, so poor light performance will be a little less. For a few applications, such as close-range wildlife observation, the stereoscopic distance estimation of binoculars may be useful, but nobody spots game or targets with binoculars from that close.
Most monoculars, like my 8x30 Pentax, don't have the light-gathering capacity of 7x50 or so anyway. I have used it for many years because I don't have binocular vision - permanent double vision in fact, but I have learned to cope with it a lot better than people who only experience it on Saturday night. I also have very short sight, which can be corrected about as well as anybody's for long distances with one eye, reading for the other, and near-microscopic work with my glasses removed.
So the monocular does all binoculars could for me. It is small enough to carry silently and without betraying movement in a breast-pocket, with its wrist loop toggled into a lapel buttonhole. Mine has a small piece of reticle scale which can be used to make linear measurements, or to estimate distances when you compare a division with something of known size. But its best use is with a closeup lens and "tripod" (actually a clear plastic cone) which they supply. It can then be used as an optical microscope and micrometer, measuring in tenths of a millimetre.
It isn't a binocular substitute for everybody, but it has its advantages.
I used a monocular for a couple of years during my archery tournament days. The biggest problem seemed to be getting the thing lined up on target quickly. It takes some getting used to.
If you spend any time glassing they will give you eyestrain. That said, for archery use, my optic is a leupold range finder with the 5x monocular. It does all I need plus range finding duties. If I was going to pick the brush apart glassing I would surely want binoculars.
Cheap binoculars and monoculars give me a headache. Years ago I bought a compact set of Leupold 10X binoculars from Walmart for around $125.00. I use them every day. They are a joy.
/\ Yep /\ and that is why binoculars are often used to find targets and spotting scopes are then used for more detail. Any serious time looking through a monocular or spotting scope becomes unpleasant. For short term use, there are some real advantages to a telescope type device but for long term viewing, particularly if a larger field of view is desirable, binoculars win.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Hodges
I'm by no means an expert on optics but I did write a paper on optics years ago and did a lot research. Optics is one of those fields where you really do get what you pay for.
Binoculars break down into two basic types; Porro Prism and Roof Prism. In the Porro Prism type the eye piece and objective lens are offset. In the roof prism type the eye piece and objective lens are typically in-line.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both types. The Porro Prism designs tend to be a bit larger/bulkier within a particular class of magnification and field of view but they also tend to be a bit less expensive to produce and very high optical quality is possible.
The roof prism types are more compact within the same magnification and field of view parameters but they also tend to be more difficult to produce at the same level of optical quality as a comparable Porro prism type.
I'm with Rick. If I was going to spend a lot of time glassing, I would want binoculars. If size & weight were critical factors, I would go with the best roof prism type I could afford. If I could tolerate a little bulk, I would go with the best Porro prism I could afford.
Thanks, you guys told me pretty much what I needed to know, based on how I plan to use them!
I use one for hunting the thorn thickets with an iron sighted gun in case I need to judge a rack or see a detail. Normal hunting, I use my old Leupold binos. The Vortex mono I have is fine.
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