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Ultralight binoculars or monoculars


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Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 34 total)
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  • #1232932
    Scott S
    Member

    @sschloss1

    Locale: New England

    I'm thinking about taking a pair of very light binoculars or maybe a monocular on my PCT thru-hike next summer. These would be mostly for watching birds and wildlife. Does anyone have any suggestions for something very light but with good or excellent optics?

    My standards for optics are high–my regular binoculars are a fantastic set of Leicas (but they weigh 2 lbs.!). On the AT a couple of years ago, I used "compact" binoculars from Zeiss that weighed 1 lb. The optics were decent, but the weight is too much for my PCT kit. Is there anything lighter that still has nice optics?

    #1467245
    Joseph Reeves
    Spectator

    @umnak

    Locale: Southeast Alaska

    I have a pair of Zeiss Victory Compact binoculars 10×25 that weigh 8 oz. Wonderful optics, but not always worth the weight. Also have a Minox 8×16 monocular that weighs 2.5 oz. It comes along on all hiking and kayaking trips. The optics are good. The Minox cost about $150, the Zeiss about $500.

    I've used Brunton's monocular and have not been impressed.

    #1467279
    Michael Davis
    Member

    @mad777

    Locale: South Florida

    I have 8×25 Olympus Tracker PC I
    They weigh 11.0 oz. and cost only $56 online. They are not weatherproof.

    I am very pleased with the optical quality, especially considering the price. I read a lot of online reviews before purchasing & they had favorable reviews. Birding sites are a good source.

    I only take them when going on hikes to mountain peaks when the weather is clear. This is due to the weight & the fact that they are not weatherproof: but if the weather isn't clear, I won't see anything anyway. They fit easily into a quart size freezer bag with their protective soft case or squeeze into a sandwich ziplock without the case.

    #1467285
    Jeff Antig
    Member

    @antig

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    If 7×18 is sufficient enough for what you're doing, the Brunton Pocket Scope is in the 1.5-1.8 oz. range. But be forewarned, it probably does not meet your expectations if you want great optics.

    #1467287
    John S.
    BPL Member

    @jshann

    Check out the Zeiss 5 x 10 (0.8 oz.) miniquick monocular. I use the cheaper Brunton waterproof monocular (8×22; ~2.9 oz.) or one half of a Vortex Twister binocs (7×18; 2.4 oz.) that I chopped up.

    #1484674
    Scott S
    Member

    @sschloss1

    Locale: New England

    A belated thanks to everyone for the tips. I ended up getting a pair of Zeiss 8×20 Conquest Binoculars (sometimes these are also called the Classic). The optics are nice, and they're ridiculously small. They fold up smaller than a deck of cards and weigh 6.5 oz. The price wasn't too bad either.

    #1847820
    Mobile Calculator
    Spectator

    @mobile-calculator

    [x]

    #1848230
    Dale Caldwell
    Spectator

    @dalemc

    Locale: Coastal Georgia

    Scott – Are you talking about the ones that are $600 on Amazon?? If so, I'd consider that very pricey!

    I too am in the market for lightweight binoculars. Looking for something under $300….

    Does anyone have more input?

    #1848258
    David Thomas
    BPL Member

    @davidinkenai

    Locale: North Woods. Far North.

    This is revisting an old thread, but I'll concur with Joseph about the Minox MD6x16E that it is the best monocular that I've ever owned or tried and I've tried a lot because I love the concept but hate most implementations.

    $150 sounds like MSRP. I stocked up a few years ago when Sierra Trading Post had them at something like 40% and then used coupons to knock another 20-25% off. They are, of course, not as bright or as wide a field as anyone's $99 binocs, but for the weight – I weigh them as 2.25 ounces with integral shoelace-sized neck band – and size, they're the best I've found. It also is a useable (but very small field) magnifier when used backwards at close range for examining bugs or leaf details or maybe assess an embedded splinter.

    #1848282
    Franco Darioli
    Spectator

    @franco

    Locale: Gauche, CU.

    With monoculars and binoculars I STRONGLY suggest to look through them before buying them.
    The reason is very simple : we see with different eyes..
    That has to do with our vision (IE how you can read an eye-chart with either eye) as well as what we expect to see.
    For example I have a Zeiss monocular that optically is good (for the size, 8×20, half of the bino discussed above ) however it is useless to me because I cannot spot a bird or something moving with it .
    So in my case a bino works better and having spent 30 years selling them I cannot put up with crappy optics.
    There are now several relatively light and decent binos of the Porro prism variety (that is the offset type ,not those roof prism ,the straight tube type) for example the Bushnell 7×26.
    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/542196-REG/Bushnell_620726_7x26_Elite_e2_Custom.html
    Aim for an exit pupil of at least 2.5mm , however the wider (bigger) the circle the better it will be in low light (up to 7mm )
    Exit pupil is the cirle of light you see if you look through them holding them at a distance.
    You get that by dividing the size of the front element (26mm) by the magnification (7x) so that 7×26 has an EP of 3.7 much better than the typical 8×20 (2.5)
    Note as you increase the magnification, you need bigger lenses (10×25= 2.5 mm exit pupil, same as 8×20)
    Franco

    #1848286
    Scott S
    Member

    @sschloss1

    Locale: New England

    Dale, I'm not sure what you were looking at, but I have the Zeiss 8×20 Conquest ($394 on Amazon). Mine are still in great shape after a PCT thru-hike, and the optics are as good as you'll get in a cheap-ish compact.

    #1848321
    Rick M
    BPL Member

    @yamaguy

    del

    #1848336
    Stephen Barber
    BPL Member

    @grampa

    Locale: SoCal

    I have a Zeiss 6×18 monocular I am very happy with. I usually have it in a hipbelt pocket, or on a cord around my neck if there seem to be a number of birds about. Very nice optics. Very light (forget the exact weight). Focus is by push-pull, which can be imprecise, but using a twisting push or pull motion allows very fine focus.

    #1848350
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    I am a birder so spend a lot of time using binoculars. At home I use a 7×42 Chinon (not the highest quality, but does the job), but it is just too big and heavy for hiking. REcently I bought a 10×21 5º Pentax UCF-R and it works great. It's got enough magnification and is steady enough that I can keep track of the birds without too much jiggle. Does the job for me.

    #1848478
    Michael Schwartz
    BPL Member

    @greenwalk

    Locale: PA & Ireland

    Not sure if it is still available or up to your standards; however, you or anyone else interested might want to check out the Little Mak 10×3 monocular (Made in Russia by Lomo). I like it.

    #1848655
    Franco Darioli
    Spectator

    @franco

    Locale: Gauche, CU.

    The Lomo factory was originally In Petrograd, then in Leningrad and now is in St Petersburg.
    Oddly it was all done without moving…
    Franco

    Alright, alright…
    I sold some Lomo stuff, mostly very similar to the pre WW2 Jena (Carl Zeiss) optics .
    (so a bit dated but nice optics for the price)
    However never seen that monocular, an odd design indeed.

    #1848708
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    The Lomo factory was originally In Petrograd, then in Leningrad and now is in St Petersburg.
    Oddly it was all done without moving…

    *Cough, cough*

    #1848715
    Kier Selinsky
    Member

    @kieran

    Locale: Seattle, WA

    I got my 9yo son a Barska 10X40 monocular, on the recommendation of another BPL'er by the name of Stargazer (haven't seen him around lately). Can be had on Amazon for $40. Not sure what it weighs cause I know if I weigh it I'll consider leaving it behind. But, first clear night we had, he was able to find the Orion Nebula (M42). Shows up as small blur, but clearly discernible as a nebula. I was pretty surprised for a relatively light, $40 piece of optics. I look forward to taking it out this season.

    Amazon says it's 9oz – sounds about right:

    #1848751
    Tim Zen
    Spectator

    @asdzxc57

    Locale: MI

    Whoa. Looks pretty large. I have a problem holding 10x steady. I would have to LeAnn on something.

    What did happen to yogi?

    #1848759
    Steve M
    BPL Member

    @steve-2

    Locale: Eastern Washington

    A better choice is this:

    http://www.amazon.com/Orion-10×42-Waterproof-Monocular/dp/B002T3H49Q/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3SB99IUECLGLS&colid=2BD1K7JO3WWEY

    Always try to find the widest exit pupil up to 7mm (7mm= a fully dilated pupil) and fully multicoated optics.

    #1848771
    Kier Selinsky
    Member

    @kieran

    Locale: Seattle, WA

    Yeah you can forget about freeholding it. You gotta press into a tree or other firm structure to hold steady.

    #1848954
    Jonathan Rozes
    Member

    @jrozes

    Locale: Pacific Wonderland

    Another thing to keep in mind is that depth perception is extremely difficult with a monocular. That's not too important for sighting things at very long distances (e.g., the horizon or stargazing), but for anything relatively close, it can be a real drawback.

    #1988407
    M G
    BPL Member

    @drown

    Locale: Shenandoah

    Resurrecting an old thread as I'm hoping to find a light but quality monocular or binocular to assist with route finding.

    Any thoughts on this:
    http://www.backcountry.com/brunton-echo-pocket-scope-monocular?CMP_SKU=BRU0105&MER=0406&CMP_ID=SH_APA001&mv_pc=r321&003=7163759&010=BRU0105&mr:trackingCode=36225EE4-583B-E011-9ACB-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

    #1988437
    Alex H
    BPL Member

    @abhitt

    Locale: southern appalachians or desert SW

    That is what I carry when I need to bring routes or something else in closer. Not too bad, for what it is. Go check it out at REI and see how you like it.

    #1988451
    John S.
    BPL Member

    @jshann

    Skp that one and get the Brunton Lite Tech Monocular for $3 more. It is waterproof.

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