Monoculars or Binoculars

Given the ideal conditions you describe what is the effect of 60x magnification? Effectively it makes it seem as if you are 60x closer to the object being viewed. So if the boat you observe from your rock solid support on a windless day with crystal clear viz is 15km distant it will seem as if you are viewing it from 250 metres away. You're still not going to be able to tell if the skipper has streaky or best back bacon in his butty.
 
Twister_Ken said:
So if the boat you observe from your rock solid support on a windless day with crystal clear viz is 15km distant it will seem as if you are viewing it from 250 metres away. You're still not going to be able to tell if the skipper has streaky or best back bacon in his butty.
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Good thought, Ken, thanks. Right then, I'll look into celestial versions...this one has 200x magnification, for £300, and is said to be practical for terrestrial subjects too. That ought to bring home the bacon to about 75 meters...getting closer: http://www.opticstar.com/Run/Astronomy/Astro-Telescopes-Skywatcher.asp?p=0_10_1_3_120

Although, at a distance of nine miles, just spotting the yacht with the naked eye will be a major challenge...
 
True. If I'm going to carry something hefty for advancing my healthy curiosity, I think I prefer those massive 25x Celestron binoculars. Much more usable.
 
dancrane said:
...but I'm imagining that with a 60x60 (however unsuitable for use on unstable terrain) the magnification will mean I can spot the lighthouse keeper filling his pipe, leaning on the rail.
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I think you would need a time-machine for that; the light was automated in 1982, the first Trinity House rock light to be so.
 
Ah. Yes...

...though judging by the claims made by some of the high-powered, low-priced scopes, I daresay they come with a time-machine accessory, too!

I expect an inexpensive, waterproof 20x magnification monocular is best, ashore and in the boat. They're quite compact, lightweight and wouldn't be a huge loss if dropped.
 
East German optics (Zeiss Jener) were superb and their raw material was Russian made glass. As far as I know, their optics have never been beaten. I have both binoculars and a monocular and agree about all the pros and cons for each type mentioned so far. I have also used spotting scopes on land (for their original purpose - shooting). They were very popular at one range which adjoined a nudist club, particularly on sunny days. They are not all that heavy, but their size means they require a shoulder bag to carry them. I used one mounted on a camera monopod with reasonable success, but it isn't practical to hold one freehand.

Rob.
 
Binoculars are two optics paired together for close-up view to be used with both eyes. On the contrary to that, spotting scopes are single or mono optic immensely powerful mini telescope for distant view and also having low light strength. Spotting scope is a high powered monocular having zoom power advantage though binocular have the same too. The lenses quality of a spotting scope makes a difference in image clarity and brightness since these are made with HD and ED glass. At hunting range, spotting scope spots on objects.
Overall, I prefer spotting scope than binocular. :encouragement:
 
At a branch of Nauticalia a fortnight ago (December 2017, in case this thread is awoken again in 2021), I 'spotted' a thing that holds one's phone in front of a spotting scope...so (I presume) it's possible to view and record what is visible with enormous optical magnification.

I wonder if it was as handy as it looked? It was half-price (£30, down from £60) so I guess it hadn't sold well.
 
I have an attachment for a compact camera to my scope. To be honest, it's a bit of a fiddle to set up because the alignment has to be very precise and it more or less has to be adjusted each time. It includes a hinge, so that the camera can be flipped away for normal viewing.

I can't imagine that a powerful spotting scope would be much use on a boat, and in fact I dont take mine with me. A normal monocular might be useful, since I don't have binocular vision, but somehow I have got used to binoculars held with both hands.
 
dancrane said:
At a branch of Nauticalia a fortnight ago (December 2017, in case this thread is awoken again in 2021), I 'spotted' a thing that holds one's phone in front of a spotting scope...so (I presume) it's possible to view and record what is visible with enormous optical magnification.
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A few years ago a friend of mine did some experiments using my Seago monocular and his iPhone. Here's a result. Small prize to anyone who can tell me where it was taken ...

IJA8Y7f.png
 
rob2 said:
East German optics (Zeiss Jener) were superb and their raw material was Russian made glass. As far as I know, their optics have never been beaten.
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Carl Zeiss Jena were pretty good. Basically the pre-war Zeiss equipment, though, so as time went by Carl Zeiss pulled ahead. I have two 8x30 monoculars, one from each side of the border and though both are very good, the non-Jena one is a wee bit better. I also have a Zeiss (BRD) Dialyt 7x42 binocular which is quite astonishingly good - in fact until I tried it I had no idea just how good binoculars could be. To complete the lens snobbery, I also have three Leitz lenses (50mm, 90mm, 135mm) for my Leica and they are the dog's danglies. I don't think Carl Zeiss Jena came close.

Note: one monocular, the binocular, the Leica and the 90mm lens were all inherited ... my father loved good optical stuff.
 
JumbleDuck said:
A few years ago a friend of mine did some experiments using my Seago monocular and his iPhone. Here's a result. Small prize to anyone who can tell me where it was taken ...

IJA8Y7f.png
Click to expand...

That's easy. Loch na Cuilce. That's the bit of Loch Scavaig, in behind the island. You get half a dozen deer down on the shore every evening. Indeed, some campers find them quite intrusive.
 
johnalison said:
I have an attachment for a compact camera to my scope. To be honest, it's a bit of a fiddle to set up because the alignment has to be very precise and it more or less has to be adjusted each time. It includes a hinge, so that the camera can be flipped away for normal viewing.
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A hinge sounds a jolly good idea; I wish mine had that. I made up a simple device to aid alignment. It's just a disk the same diameter at the eyepiece and so fits, temporarily, into the clamp. It has a small hole in the centre; if the phone camera is looking through the hole then it will be aligned when fitted to the telescope.

Mike.
 
mjcoon said:
A hinge sounds a jolly good idea; I wish mine had that. I made up a simple device to aid alignment. It's just a disk the same diameter at the eyepiece and so fits, temporarily, into the clamp. It has a small hole in the centre; if the phone camera is looking through the hole then it will be aligned when fitted to the telescope.

Mike.
Click to expand...
Horses for courses. An SLR can be fitted direct to the scope via the lens but a compact or phone can't. My gadget cost around £40 from Amazon. It is neatly made but still quite a fiddle, with sliders up & down and sideways. I have had some success just holding the camera against the eyepiece, which is rubberised.
 
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