Who makes a QUALITY monocular?

Danbo

Danbo

Joined
Nov 28, 1999
Messages
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I'm looking for a good quality monocular, not the usual camo finished Tasco version carried by some sporting goods stores. Does Leupold or Burris or any of the other top quality optics folks make one?
 
Pentax used to make a range of very good models at a moderate price. When last I checked, they only made one model but, it was slated to be phased out.

Right now, I am only familiar with Zeiss monoculars but, they are longer then what I would want to carry. I like the shorter stubby models better then the skinny longer ones.
 
I have a Bushnell 8X20 that's pretty good. (It used to be called the Broadfield Monocular) About the same price as the Zeiss 5X. A lot of the rural electric meter readers use them to read the meter without getting dog bit!
 
I checked out that site, and saw the Pentax model. It looks just like what I need. Anybody know much about the quality of the Pentax products? I have heard good stuff about the Pentax cameras. The Zeiss models are out of my price range. Heck, I could buy another knife for what they want for those monoculars!
 
For super good optics, you might check out Sightron. I have a pair of small binocs I carry around, 100% waterproof and "over the counter" LIFETIME warranty. I got mine at a local Ace hardware store and the man at the "sporting goods" counter said if I break them or leave them in the lake and they fail, bring them back or at least all the pieces I can recover and he hands me a new pair J.P. Dean
 
For super good optics, you might check out Sightron. I have a pair of small binocs I carry around, 100% waterproof and "over the counter" LIFETIME warranty. I got mine at a local Ace hardware store and the man at the "sporting goods" counter said if I break them or leave them in the lake and they fail, bring them back or at least all the pieces I can recover and he hands me a new pair J.P. Dean
 
I've still got the Asahi Pentax 7x50 binoculars I bought in the BX in 1968. Very heavy they made them in those days! But great optics. Almost too bright during the day. I would trust their current production.
 
Aloha,
A similar thread was recently discussed on the "usual" forum. Let me throw my vote in here for the Steiner Monocular. Its a great little monocular that folds up into a nice case that will fit in a shirt pocket. Great optics, it will run you about $110 or so. TAD used to carry them, I think that I may have gotten them at bhphoto also. They were a bit hard to find, but after I got them, I found them in stock at a lot of the volume photo/optical dealers in NYC that advertise. I have nothing bad to say about them, the fact that they fold up and you can put them in your pocket greatly increases your chances of carrying them. Look at the thread on the usual forum and do a search of this forum...there were a couple of discussions about monoculars about a year ago.

Pentax optics are very highly rated. There is a spotting scope that they make that is considered the state of the art by the Birding writers. It runs about a thousand bucks, and goes for nearly that amount on Ebay. There always seems to be one up for auction there.
Good luck with your gear search. Remember though..optics last forever, and its worth getting something that you are going to use and not sit in a drawer somewhere.

wabi
 
I believe I am going to go for the Pentax. I managed to locate one for under $100 shipped. Although, the Zeiss is very tempting. Is the Zeiss worth over twice the price?
 
I think you need to rake a look through a Zeiss monocular to determine for yourself whether it is worth twice the price. In my opinion, the optical quality, quality of construction, light wieght and compact size make the price reasonable.
 
Danbo,

I think the Steiner is a very good choice. I like the folding
feature. I use Steiner Military/Marine 7x50 on my boat and carry
the monocular with me all the time. We even use it as a poor mans spotting scope.

Check out www.SWFA.com for pretty good deals on optics. I just bought a pair of Safari binos for someone working in Yellowstone, they made a special trip to the PO just for this order. They usually
ship UPS and the only address was a PO Box. That is great service.

Win
 
I carried a Pentax in the field for over ten years, 8x40. It held up even though it wasn't suposed to be waterproof. Now its starting to deteriorate as the lenses are starting to cloud after fifteen years. Worth every penny.

I much prefer a monocular to binoes. You use them one handed and they just don't have the bulk. All I want from the optics is to check on things that I've already eyeballed, so an 8 or 10x would be ideal. Yes, binoes are better for extended observation but in my view not nessesary when on the move. For the combat minded they don't shout "I'm important, shoot me".

I wish Ziess or Lieca made a 8 or 10x40, fat short stubby one. Best glass, good magnification, great light gathering, small package, they would be the bizz.
 
I took the plunge and went for the Zeiss 10x25 monocular. Found a website listing them for $169.98 plus shipping. Size is about 4.5" long by 1.25" wide. Shouldnt be too hard to carry in my pocket.
 
I would get Zeiss if I had the money. I have used a 30+ year old pair of Zeiss binoculars before and they were better than any Pentax, Bushnell, or Steiner optics that I've used and I've used the top of the line in those brands.

If price is the issue though try Nikon. They make a monocular that is also very good.
 
Like I said, I bought the Zeiss 10x25 monocular. I took it to a Cardinal baseball game yesterday to try it out. I'm very impressed. I dont think I would want to look through it for long periods, and I am sure that a lower magnification would be better for general scanning. What this sucker is so good at is pinpointing something once you have located something in a general area. I mean, you can count the hairs on someone's neck at a pretty good distance. I may buy another Zeiss with lower magnification for general purposes later.
 
Originally posted by Danbo
I may buy another Zeiss with lower magnification for general purposes later.
Click to expand...
Oh oh, you crossed the line into the best quality optics. You'll never go back. Hide your Visa.
 
Frank, it's too late. I'm already thinking of a way to rescope my rifles with Zeiss too. Yikes! Now, that will cost some money!
 
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