Are monocular scopes a better bet than budget binos?

[C08]

I have had several sets of budget binos that have fallen apart but I am not inclined to buy a proper (expensive) marine binos and I wondered whether monos for the same price (£100 )offer better performance or other advantages?

 

[RJJ]

We had the Seago monocular and liked it for viewing in a neat, inexpensive package, but the internal compass literally lost its bearings.

 

[Sandy]

After many years messing about with budget binoculars I splashed out and bought some Fujinon WPC-XL 7*50 binoculars and wish I had done so a long time ago.

 

[Blueboatman]

After many years messing about with budget binoculars I splashed out and bought some Fujinon WPC-XL 7*50 binoculars and wish I had done so a long time ago.

I bought some of those 21 years ago ??

(The light failed after about 10 but that’s all, no stickiness no moisture ingress no problem .
I think they were £120 then..

 

[Bouba]

If I had lots of money I would buy stabilized binoculars

 

[FWB]

After many years messing about with budget binoculars I splashed out and bought some Fujinon WPC-XL 7*50 binoculars and wish I had done so a long time ago.

Yes I had a pair of those for many years, they were excellent. Unfortunately they were dropped and one of the lenses moved. I replaced them with Bushnells.
Buy Marine™ 7x50 Binocular and More | Bushnell
I kept the floating strap though!

 

[KompetentKrew]

Not sure how you're defining "budget", but I've found the Bynolyt "as used by the RNLI" SeaRanger II binoculars very good. Other people have been impressed by them.

 

[Concerto]

This year I bought a pair of Seago binoculars with a compass. They have very good optics and having the compass is a bonus.

Binocular - Seago

I have a monocular onboard but never seem to use it .

 

[Buck Turgidson]

I have a minox monocular with built in compass. I never use it. I have a pair of bins that cost about £300 in a chandlery somewhere which float, have a compass with a light for night reading and very nice optics. Use them all the time for spotting and bearings.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Not sure, they do different things. I have a good set of binoculars and they are great, two handed use, crystal clear.

I have a Russian made monoculture and it has two lenses. It too works great, but can be used single handed. The viewing area at same magnification as the binoculars is larger on the monocular.

Definitely prefer the binoculars as the image is more stable using two hands.

You can buy a few sets of low cost binoculars for the price of expensive ones.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

If I had lots of money I would buy stabilized binoculars

Used to have them in the cockpit on the Nimrod. Brilliant! I looked for a stabiliser unit on military surplus sites but never found one. I guess they were 28v dc units so would need an appropriate power supply.

 

[Bouba]

I have self adjusting binoculars…much easier to use especially for guests…of course they don’t have any actual self adjusting gizmo inside them…they rely on your eyes to do the adjustment for them

 

[Praxinoscope]

Nelson didn’t have binoculars, only a mono telescope, Oh, I forgot he didn’t see any ships!
I do have a monocular on board but find even a relatively cheap pair of binoculars are easier/better than the monocular.

 

[Stemar]

I have Fujinon binos with compass. Yes, they were expensive, but they're the best part of 20 years old now and still going strong. A bit late for this year, but Santa might be persuaded to help.

 

[johnalison]

Binoculars are such a personal thing that it is difficult to give useful advice. I’ve not tried a monocular but I can see their usefulness, but there is a psychological factor in using two eyes, and most people will see a clearer image. Whether this matters is up to them.

I have picked up ‘self-adjusting’ ones but not bought them. They seemed like a good idea, and I can see their practicality, especially on a boat with several crew with differing requirement, but I haven’t seen them in the quality that some people desire, or with other factors such as waterproofness.

I bought my stabilised Canons in 2000 for about £250 and they have been a delight to use, especially with lighter lithium batteries, but, as with all binoculars, you need to pick up a pair to test them before buying. A spectacle user couldn’t get on with my Canons even with the rubber caps folded back, for instance.

 

[Bouba]

Yes, spectacles wearers…don’t get the folding rubber…a real pain. Get the cups that slide in and out

 

[jamie N]

Monocular. It enables one to quickly find the 'target' area with the spare eye.

 

[actionoptics]

If you pay £100 for a monocular and £100 for a binocular, you should expect the monocular to be at least twice the quality.

 

[johnalison]

Monocular. It enables one to quickly find the 'target' area with the spare eye.

I have a feeling that that is more of a theoretical than a real advantage, and would like to see it assessed in practice. Catching your target with binoculars takes a little practice. I generally find that I have to point them higher than my instinct says, probably because the eyepieces are generally below the object lenses. I’m getting better at it. One day I might even be quite good at it.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Horses for courses! A lot depends on the user's eyesight - spectacle wearers will have different preferences to those who don't require correction, or who wear contact lenses. My mother - spectacle wearer with a large prescription - preferred a monocular, but that was at least partly because it was smaller and lighter, and she could keep it on a lanyard round her neck; she loved to use it to spot birds etc.