I am looking for some advice on selecting a monocular. Its most immediate use will be on a camping trip in Mongolia next year, where I intend to use it for wildlife spotting (often over very long distances) and as a route-finding aid while travelling in undeveloped areas. After the trip, it will see very general use: everything from casual birdwatching to inspecting building facades. I have opted for a monocular over binoculars because of portability, but the lower cost and increased durability are also attractive. It must be waterproof, and I’d like to pay less than $80. I wear eyeglasses.
My main question is what magnification would be best for my uses. I have tentatively narrowed my choices to two 25mm Vortex models: the Solo 8x25 (378 feet/1000 yards field-of-view) and the Solo 10x25 (315 feet/1000 yards). All things being equal, of course, I’d like to have the additional magnification, but it would come at the expense of field-of-view and stability. I have a steady hand, so stability is perhaps not as critical as it might be.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks for your help!
They are harder to hold steady than small binoculars of the same formats would be. I find you have to hold them so your forefinger is braced against your forehead to steady them. Then you have to figure out a way to focus them. I use the opposite hand to do this. Since you wear glasses you might be able to get support from them if they have a sturdy frame so make sure the eye cups on the binocular won't scratch your lenses.
I would suggest that you consider the 8x over the 10x because of the greater depth of field it will have, especially on close objects under 70' or so from you. Your focusing won't be as critical with the 8x. Their wider field of view will also be handier too. And it will also be marginally brighter in low light conditions because of it's slightly larger exit pupil.
If you can put together a few more dollars you might find this Vortex 8 x 36 more useful. Check out the customer review on it. It also has a wide field of view. And it will be much brighter. And since you wear glasses it has better eye relief than the 8 x 25. 18mm to 10mm for the older model (Not recommended for you) and 15mm for the 2009 newer model.
http://www.eagleoptics.com/monocula...er_reviews#tabs
Bob
Hi c-dub, welcome to Bird Forum!
There is a big difference in portability between an 8x20 and an 8 or 10x25 monocular. The small 20mm unit is compact enough for any pocket, the bigger one less so.
Monoculars are more difficult to use than standard binoculars and are much more of a specialty item, so they are disproportionately expensive, irrationally so at least imo.
I've had terrible luck with monoculars other than the alpha brands, less than satisfactory optics, whether for field of view, eye relief or image quality. Given your budget, I think you would be much better served by a small 6x30 or 7x35 Leupold Yosemite or Nikon Action Extreme binocular, even at the sacrifice of compactness..