Monocular Advice

stjames

stjames

Sebenzanista
Joined
Oct 26, 1998
Messages
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My wife was trying to think of a good Christmas/Housewarming gift for her boss and she liked the sound of a Monocular. He has a new home on the Bay and is a sailing enthusiast so she thought it would be handy for him to have a small scope so he wouldn't have to go to the telescope he has every time he wanted to check something out on the water.

I imagine it would get outdoor use on his boat as well, so I am looking for something small and durable, cost less than $200. Good sites to buy would also be appreciated, Thanks a bunch.
 
Sounds like a grand gift idea StJames!!!!!
I keep a pair of binoculars under the driver's side seat in my car just in case! :D
 
Like a lot of birders, I observe butterflies during the summer. I've heard some good things about the Brunton MacroScope Monocular. Butterfly observation requires good close focus capability (so you don't have to keep backing up to get your object into focus) and the MacroScope will focus down to about 18 inches. This may not be a feature that is important for marine use but is something to consider.
 
The miniquick also has near focus capabilitites. Great for looking at details in museums, I've found. I use my miniquick all the time. The clarity and brightness are amazing for such a little thing. Highly reccomend. If you go to the Zeiss website, they have a link to clearence items hiding.
 
Another vote for the Miniquick. It is only 5x, but out on the water, holding a more powerful monocular steady would be difficult. Do a search on here, and you'll find plenty of positive reviews.

Scott
 
Just make sure you don't make the mistake I did. I couldn't help going for more power, since the more powerful Zeiss monocular was only a little more expensive. I bought the 10x Zeiss monocular, and found it really hard to hold steady enough to see clearly. Go no more than 8x, and you should be fine.

The Miniquick is very nice, aleit small and only 5x. You can get those for under $100.

Either way, Zeiss is the way to go.
 
The regular Zeiss Monocular is a good choice and a medium power can be had for ~$160 if you look around. The mini-quick is a good little gem if you can live with small lense and want to carry it like a ballpoint pen. I want a little more personally. 6X seems to hit the sweet spot for me but, a large 4X has its merits too!
 
Just compared at Sportsman's warehouse the 2 zeiss' and the brunton eterna and found the latter far superoior.
 
Blast from the past!

We ended up giving him the Brunton Eterna, it had better optics and felt solid. Went over well.
 
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