What is the best monocular? Monoculars come in different types determined by features and design. Thermal and infrared monoculars have a night vision function and can be used at nighttime.

Best Monoculars Compared

The best ergonomic monocular is the Pentax 63620 model designed to be easily used with one hand. Ideal for hikers and travelers, this 150-gram monocular has a compact palm-size body with a non-slip rubber coating.

The unit will sit firmly in your hand while you hold the bag with the other hand. Moreover, the unit is waterproof to 1 meter, meaning you can safely use it in rain and snow. Of course, the benefits of this product are not limited to the convenient, ergonomic design. Made with fully multi-coated optics, the device provides a clear view with 6x magnification. The optional smartphone adapter allows for capturing images straight to your smartphone. On top of that, the Pentax 63620 is a versatile device and can function as an 18x microscope when used with the optional macro stand with LED lights.

The Celestron 52223 Spotting Scope Telescope is the best tripod-mounted monocular. Perfect for enjoying scenic views, the unit comes with a metal tabletop tripod, a durable aluminum carrying case, and a soft case.

The tripod is not bulky and fits nicely on a window sill. The product features an adjustable magnification from 20x to 60x, an angled design, a fully coated lens, and a folding rubber eyecup. The optical quality is really good but keep in mind that the telescope cannot be used closer than approximately 10 yards. The Celestron 52223 can be used in adverse weather conditions due to its waterproof design and rugged, armor exterior.

The Vortex Optics Solo R/T 8x36 Monocular is best for low-light situations. This unit features fully multi-coated lenses with anti-reflective coatings that ensure a strong light-gathering ability in low light conditions.

At the same time, the flared eyecup eliminates extraneous light and is comfortable for use with glasses. Lightweight and compact, Solo R/T Tactical monocular offers a 36mm objective lens, a large focus wheel, and 8x magnification. The textured rubber coating makes it convenient to grip, while the top-quality roof prisms deliver a bright, clear view.

If you are looking for the most portable monocular, consider the Bresser Monocular Zoomar which measures only 127 x 32 x 32 mm and weighs 124 grams.

The device comes with a nylon bag and will take up little space in your luggage. Note that smaller size usually means smaller lens diameter and magnification, but the Bresser model has a decent lens diameter of 25 mm and gives a magnification of up to 25x.

How monoculars differ

Monoculars can be categorized based on the size of an objective lens, magnification power, field of view, and lens coating. The size of a lens determines the amount of light that can penetrate inside the device, which influences the picture clarity.

A good example is the Rexing B1 Basic Night Vision Goggles/Monoculars that allow you to see subjects in the dark up to 300 meters. Although monoculars are a small-size version of the binocular, some models have an ultra-compact design.

On the other hand, larger lenses mean a bigger size of the entire monocular. You may consider the high-powered Gosky High-Definition Monocular that features a light-gathering 55mm objective wide lens. Perfect for bird-watching, camping, and surveillance, the unit has a solid framework and withstands tough weather conditions.

  • Magnification is the first thing to consider as it is the main reason you need a monocular for. Good magnification allows you to see objects that are far away while delivering a crystal clear image.

A monocular’s magnification power ranges from 4x to 25x and more. Keep in mind, though, that when the magnification increases, you have a narrower field of view.

We recommend buying the Celestron 71210 Nature DX 10x25 Monocular that provides maximum resolution. The device offers good 10x magnification, while the 25mm lens gives a wide view.

Last but not least, some monoculars include extra accessories that significantly add to the convenience of usage. For instance, the NEYLANG 15-45x50mm Spotting Scopes come with a carry bag and a tripod. It sits well on a tripod but, at the same time, is comfortable to hold and fits perfectly into a hand. This monocular features a 45-degree viewing angle, a 15 to 45x lens diameter, and a waterproof design.

Best-Selling Monoculars in the UK | Comparison Table

Most Popular

Products with 5 star rating

 

Product5 Stars Votes
Gosky 12x55 High Definition Monocular4017(76.9%)
Vortex Optics Solo R/T 8x36 Monocular493(9.4%)
Celestron 71210 Nature DX 10x25 Monocular275(5.3%)
Celestron 52223 60 mm Zoom 45 Degree Spotting Scope Telescope250(4.8%)
Bresser Monocular Zoomar 8-25x25 Zoom106(2%)
Pentax 63620 Monocular VM 6x21 WP43(0.8%)
Rexing B1 Basic Night Vision Goggles/Monoculars38(0.7%)

Testing & Customers Reviews

We found reviews from real YouTube bloggers about the products from our article.

Big G Video: "There's a lot to like about the Pentax VM 6x21 WP. You get six times magnification. It's really easy to use and it's just nice. It gives such a crisp image. It's really easy to just get that better magnification. So it's definitely good and on a little field trip it's a really nice thing to have. So much less cumbersome than binoculars. So much lighter than binoculars. It really does fit in your pocket. Although I put it in my bag rather than my pocket. It's a great little device. What I don't like about the unit. Well it doesn't come with a lens cap for the front or the back. Now I guess they're thinking well this bit is rubber nothing would get in but I still worry that you could scratch it. And the other thing as well is the case doesn't really offer much protection."

OreGear: "Vortex Optics Solo R/T is something that in my opinion every prepper or some emergency preparedness person or civilian defender militia member whatever else this is something I think should be in your bag. I wanted something that no matter what however many years in the future without any battery support EMP or whatever else is gonna work and do exactly what I needed to. This fit that bill perfectly and even more important came in at a much more affordable price than some of those binoculars out there.

The overall form factor is actually very nice. As a monocular it's not perfectly cylindrical. You actually have this little bump out here on top and that really locks it into your hand very comfortably. Makes it very easy to hold steady. It does have texturing so even if you have wet hands gloves whatever situation you're in you're gonna be able to hold it nice and secure, to be able to look at your target and figure out how far away it is.

I think the furthest I've ever actually ranged something with this was about 550 yards and it worked well with those. Maybe I could have fine-tuned it to make it a little bit better and maybe with targets further than that you might have to adjust it but for my usage it's been pretty much spot-on. It does also come with a little carrying case. It's almost like a little neoprene sleeve. It's been in my backpack for several years. It's gone through multiple backpack iterations it is just kind of sitting in there loose gets banged around against a bunch of other stuff and this has kept it perfectly safe and kept the the lenses nice and clean. It's been good enough for me with eight power to again range things out to about five hundred and fifty yards and probably further if I really had to. I've been really happy with it. Another one of my friends has just a regular Solo without the reticle and when I showed him this he immediately regretted not getting this version."

SafariWian: "Celestron Trailseeker 80 Spotting Scope is really great for wildlife spotting. Specifically for the bird-watching. You got this lens hood that pushes all the way outs to give you protection from any sun glare this metal cover covers the entire eyepiece which I really like. I've tried out this scope in the field for the last month. Now I've had a couple of birding tours did a little bit of conservation work looking at various mammals and that kind of thing. I've had some really good experience using the scope in the field.

I personally find that once you get up to about 40 times zoom with the eyepiece the image starts getting a little blurry. And from my perspective it starts getting this kind of bluish tinge on the silhouette. So the outer edges of your subject that you're looking at. Which is really weird. I've never had that in the scope but going all the way up to sixty times zoom doesn't really work that well. Twenty to thirty times zoom really really good. You can push it up to forty times zoom but the scope needs to be extremely stable for you to get a good view of what you're looking at. The other main thing is I found that with a little bit of use and a little bit of jiggling and wiggling this lock mechanism that the eyepiece uses loosens. So every now and then you just have to check it and push your eyepiece.

What I like is you've got your rough kind of focus mode and then your finer setting once you kind of pretty much have your subject in full view. Another cool feature is that the optics a little bit sunk into from the hood from the actual hood of the body. So there's already a bit of shade from the Sun. And then if you push it all the way out you've got a good extension that gives you good shading from the glaze. So that really helps a lot. I do like the fact that you can angle the scope to whichever angle you need and the eye relief piece is also a big pro. It is quite light. I find it easy to travel with. With 18 millimeters I find it's sufficient letting in enough light so that you can get a good crisp view of your subject. I think for anyone starting out as a birder starting out as a wildlife enthusiast this is a really good piece of equipment and I would highly recommend this if you need to buy the scope on a budget."

Other Popular

 

Add comment