Opticron 30785 Explorer WA ED-R 8x42 Monocular Black

The Opticon Explorer has been an excellent general purpose monocular for watching wildlife and navigation while hiking and traveling in small boats. It is very compact , easy to carry and it has an image clarity that is excellent for the price. For a more objective description of the clarity, I compared the image quality of the Opticon Explorer with the Monarch Series 7 binocular, both of which are 8x42 and have a similar field of view (the Monarch is about 8 degrees and the Opticon is about 7.5 degrees). In dim light, I studied the moss and lichen on a wood fence at about 75 yards. The Monarch was superior, but only by about 15%, if you could give a quantitative figure for how much extra clarity was achieved. However, the Opticon Explorer is much smaller, weighs less and is easier to carry. Furthermore, it costs only $150 compared to about $500 for the Monarch. I have had two monoculars prior to this model. One was the Stilnand 16x50. The other was the Opticon Oregon 8x42. The image quality of the Stilnand was not as good as the Opticon Explorer. The image quality of the Oregon was about the same as the Explorer. However, the Explorer is even more compact and easier to carry than the Oregon. The Explorer is harder to focus than the Oregon, but this is easily overcome if you anticipate the approximate distance you will be looking at an object before using it. Understanding this principle, you can "prefocus" your Explorer and study warblers flitting about in the tree tops or watching seals jump out of the water a hundred years away without focusing at all.

I bought this to watch my kid from the stands at high school band completions and to see the concert stage from mid-altitude arena seats. I previously bought the budget Celestron Nature 10x25 monocular for the same purpose. My first impression of the Opticron is the glorious fat field of view. It is not image stabilization but it does mean allow more real estate in which to center the target when my hand shakes. It also is better for digiscoping. I do not have to magnify the camera image as much to remove the ocular vignette from the picture and it allows more light through to the camera lens. It works very well with a Celestron NexYZ phone adapter. The optics are superior to the budget monocular. Details are more crisp and colors are closer to the naked eye. I can confirm the shortcomings pointed out by many other reviewers. The objective lens cover is too loose, both the loop of plastic holding it to the barrel and the cover itself. Why do they not tighten it up? And the focus dial is stiff. Appreciable force is required to turn it but once in place it will not be easily moved out of focus. That might be an issue for the Celestron which is small enough to fit in a pants pocket. The Opticron will fit in a coat pocket, but guys will get funny looks if they try to stuff it in a pants pocket.

I wanted binoculars to watch the birds on my pond. I wasn't able to see well out of any of the binoculars I tried. It was suggested that I try a monocular instead. What a difference! I can see much better with the monocular. I tried different monoculars and this is the one I chose. I'm farsighted and have stigmatism, but this worked. It's easy to focus and while pricey, it was worth it.

Beautiful scope. As great as the description states. Light, EXCELLENT optics, great case, super compact, perfect even atop my astigmatism correcting eyeglasses, sturdy design, easy focus, etc!!! Just used in Galapagos and now in Amazon. I love this monocular.

This monocular has wonderful color balance. It produces bright, sharp images, at near focus and infinity. Only a slight aberration was observed at the extreme edges of the field of view; that's great for a sub-200 dollar monocular. The lens cap is a little loose but I don't think it's as loose as has been described in other reviews. At 8x magnification any shaking from holding the scope is minimized. I'm glad I chose the 8x42.

Good quality optics. A bit stiff to focus (twist), so you have to get used to grabbing it firmly

Very nice quality built with good strong materials

pretty decent little monocular. focus is reasonably smooth albeit quite stiff, optics are quite good, nice wide field of view with only a little distortion right out by the edges, good contrast, etc etc. eye relief is eyeglass friendly. Carry strap is way too bulky for this, so I took it off.

This monocular is worth every penny. Clear image, robust and waterproof. The ED version is what I purchased and it’s ideal. Big enough to let enough light in for low light use, small enough for a decent pocket and easy to operate. Yes the focus wheel requires patience as it’s slower to rotate than others but that’s really not an issue to me. Makes you feel it’s more sturdy than anything else. Hardly stops you operating it. Really pleased I bought this for wildlife use and the 8x magnification is more than enough to make it really useful. The case isn’t anything to get excited about but it does the job. Made a veg tan leather one for mine so the finished package is now complete. All I need to do now is not lose it like my last Opticron! If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford one, I certainly recommend getting one.

If you’re looking for a good monocular in this price range, there aren’t actually that many options. I was choosing between this one and the Hawke Endurance ED 8×42. Its compact size was the deciding factor. If you want slightly better specifications, the price jumps almost twofold straight away. That’s not good value. I didn’t find the focus wheel stiff. I don’t see any issues with the lens caps either. It’s also comfortable to wear with glasses, even those with progressive lenses. I liked the Opticron and would buy it again. So, I’d recommend buying it.

The delivery was on time. The unit is lightweight and easy to use. The construction is high-grade. I suggest not going with the 10x42 because with the 8x42 it can already be a little shakey if you don't brace your arm. I struggled with this choice as there are so many units to choose from online. I am extremely satisfied with my final choice of the 8x42. It is light, has great magnification, no distortion, and excellent low-light visibility. The eye cap can be easily lost as it is not secured. I resolved this by threading the supplied strap through the eye cap and now it is secure. All in all a great high-quality unit.

Mam lornetkę Opticron Traveller BGA ED 8x32, po monokularze spodziewałem się co najmniej takiej samej jakości obrazu. Okazuje się jednak, że między lornetką 8x32 a monokularem 8x40 jest WIELKA przepaść (na niekorzyść monokularu). W porównaniu do 8x32 w 8x40 jest ciemniejszy obraz i znacząco mniejsza ostrość obrazu. Dodatkowo regulacja ostrości stawia zbyt duży opór. Drugi raz bym zdecydowanie nie kupił.

Excelente produto