Date: 12/8/25 6:10 pm From: Chris Marsh (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: [gcbirdclub] Monocular for birding question
Sophia,
If you’re primarily looking at birds in open habitats I would recommend 10x
x32mm where it is generally bright but the narrower field of view of the
10x and lower exit pupil ratio (less bright) makes it less desirable in
shady forests so I would recommend 8x in that case. The exit pupil of a
10x25mm would have a dim image so I would discourage that. (the exit pupil
ratio needs to be 3-5, but 10 x 25 mm would be an exit pupil ratio of 2.5)
If she is interested in using her monoculars to do digital photography then
I would recommend 8x because the image will be brighter.
Chris
Chris Marsh
(843)252-9784
<cmarshlci...>
On Mon, Dec 8, 2025 at 1:18 PM Robert McLean <tmclean1090...> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Since your friend wants to reduce baggage and carrying weight, I would
> recommend 7x32 or 8x32 (30 instead of 32 can work too).
>
> Here are just a couple of suggestions that B&H photo carries; (B&H are
> reputable in my opinion)
>
> B&H Photo online ( has 30 day return policy)
> Opticron Savanna WP 8x30 (under $150 and porro prism which is old school,
> but can work. Read up on the difference between Roof prism and Porro prism
> binocs.)
>
> Leica 8x32 Trinovid HD Binoculars roof prism ($920)
>
> I am not clear on what binoculars
> are good between $300 and $800. Others will know better.
>
> I have heard that roof prism binoculars under $ 500 may not be so good.
>
> What is the budget? Also if you get binoculars with a return policy, I can
> tell your friend 5 or 6 things to test. Have your friend contact me upon
> getting a new pair and I can explain the tests to do.
>
> Regards,
>
> Taylor McLean
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Dec 8, 2025, at 12:25 PM, <gravermoen...> wrote:
>
>
>
> I prefer binoculars but the one thing I think is really cool about
> monoculars is you can use some of them to take pictures with a smart phone
> vs having to lug a camera around.
>
> My main camera weighs 8 lbs and I was quite jealous of my travel companion
> with a monocular being able to take 90% of the same photos I was while only
> lugging around a few ounces.
>
>
>
> David Gravermoen
>
> Moore, SC
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> *On
> Behalf Of *Sophia Cox (via carolinabirds Mailing List)
> *Sent:* Monday, December 8, 2025 11:34 AM
> *To:* Chris Marsh <cmarshlci...>
> *Cc:* Kevin Kubach <kmkubach...>; GCBC <gcbirdclub...>;
> Carolina Birds <carolinabirds...>
> *Subject:* Re: [gcbirdclub] Monocular for birding question
>
>
>
> Thank you all for your suggestions! To answer Chris's question, she is
> mostly interested in looking at birds (perhaps also mammals, if she were to
> come across a bear or fox or something). She owns 8x42 binoculars that work
> great, but she often doesn't bring them with her due to their size/weight,
> which is part of the appeal of the monocular to her. She also mentioned
> that one of her eyes is much worse than the other, so she wondered if a
> monocular would be easier in that sense. She may reconsider, after hearing
> many of your reservations, but if she does go through with it, how much
> difference does the 32 (8x32 field tube or 10x32 field tube) vs. 25 (10x25
> zero tube) make? My understanding is the x25 would let in less light, but
> it also seems to be smaller/lighter-weight/more portable, which is
> important to her. If anyone has thoughts on the specs specifically, I'd
> love to hear your opinions.
>
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 8, 2025 at 8:09 AM Chris Marsh <cmarshlci...> wrote:
>
> I agree with Kevin. Monoculars are a waste of money. Question: is she
> interested in looking at just birds or does she also want to look at
> butterflies and dragonflies? Close focus is another consideration. When
> looking at small, lightweight binoculars Nocs 8x25 binoculars only focus
> down to 20 ft but are waterproof. Pentax Papilio II 8.5 x 21 binoculars
> focus down to 18 inches but have a very shallow depth of field when looking
> at birds. They are very compact and my daughter who has general nature
> interests loves her pair, but they are not waterproof. They only cost about
> $100.
>
> Chris Marsh
> Winston-Salem
> <cmarshlci...>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 7, 2025 at 11:11 AM Kevin Kubach <carolinabirds...>
> wrote:
>
> Hi, Sophie. I understand the concept of saving space, but my $0.02 would
> be--for that amount of money ($125-150+)--to buy a decent waterproof
> binocular with a good warranty, such as the Vortex Crossfire series in 8 or
> 10 x 42. All the reliable brands should have waterproof options in the
> price range with good warranties. Crossfires are on the larger/heavier side
> but might not be out of the realm of what your friend finds suitable; I'm
> sure there are other slightly lighter or more compact options.
>
>
>
> In my experience, monoculars like that essentially require 2 hands to
> operate with any stability (especially with higher magnification and/or
> smaller objective lens), so why not just get a good, fully waterproof
> binocular (which provide a steadier, clearer image with less visual
> interference or strain on your other eye)?
>
>
>
> Kevin Kubach
>
> Greenville, SC
>
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 7, 2025 at 8:37 AM Sophie Cox via groups.io <sophiatcox=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> Good morning, all,
>
>
>
> Another birder recently asked my advice on whether Nocs Provisions
> Monoculars (https://www.nocsprovisions.com/collections/monoculars) would
> be good for birding. She is specifically contemplating whether to purchase
> the 8x32 field tube monocular or 10x32 field tube monocular (or possibly
> the zero tube 10x25, but my sense is that would be less useful). She
> already has binoculars; I think the appeal of the monocular as additional
> birding gear is that it takes up less room and apparently is completely
> waterproof. Her binoculars are 8x magnification, so my thinking was that
> the 10x magnification would be a better bet so that she'll have more
> magnification power in situations where the 8x binoculars are maybe not
> quite strong enough to clearly see a distant bird. But I thought I'd
> consult the club and see if anyone has insight. The monoculars she's
> considering can also be viewed here:
> https://www.rei.com/b/nocs-provisions/c/monoculars. Any and all opinions
> welcome!
>
>
>
> Thanks, all, and good birding!
>
>
>
> Sophie
>
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