I'm thinking about taking a pair of very light binoculars or maybe a monocular on my PCT thru-hike next summer. These would be mostly for watching birds and wildlife. Does anyone have any suggestions for something very light but with good or excellent optics?

My standards for optics are high--my regular binoculars are a fantastic set of Leicas (but they weigh 2 lbs.!). On the AT a couple of years ago, I used "compact" binoculars from Zeiss that weighed 1 lb. The optics were decent, but the weight is too much for my PCT kit. Is there anything lighter that still has nice optics?

I have a pair of Zeiss Victory Compact binoculars 10x25 that weigh 8 oz. Wonderful optics, but not always worth the weight. Also have a Minox 8x16 monocular that weighs 2.5 oz. It comes along on all hiking and kayaking trips. The optics are good. The Minox cost about $150, the Zeiss about $500.

I've used Brunton's monocular and have not been impressed.

I have 8x25 Olympus Tracker PC I
They weigh 11.0 oz. and cost only $56 online. They are not weatherproof.

I am very pleased with the optical quality, especially considering the price. I read a lot of online reviews before purchasing & they had favorable reviews. Birding sites are a good source.

I only take them when going on hikes to mountain peaks when the weather is clear. This is due to the weight & the fact that they are not weatherproof: but if the weather isn't clear, I won't see anything anyway. They fit easily into a quart size freezer bag with their protective soft case or squeeze into a sandwich ziplock without the case.

If 7x18 is sufficient enough for what you're doing, the Brunton Pocket Scope is in the 1.5-1.8 oz. range. But be forewarned, it probably does not meet your expectations if you want great optics.

Edited by Antig on 12/31/2008 06:35:12 MST.

Check out the Zeiss 5 x 10 (0.8 oz.) miniquick monocular. I use the cheaper Brunton waterproof monocular (8x22; ~2.9 oz.) or one half of a Vortex Twister binocs (7x18; 2.4 oz.) that I chopped up.

Edited by jshann on 12/31/2008 08:00:28 MST.

A belated thanks to everyone for the tips. I ended up getting a pair of Zeiss 8x20 Conquest Binoculars (sometimes these are also called the Classic). The optics are nice, and they're ridiculously small. They fold up smaller than a deck of cards and weigh 6.5 oz. The price wasn't too bad either.

[x]

Edited by RogerDodger on 05/21/2013 15:09:51 MDT.

Scott - Are you talking about the ones that are $600 on Amazon?? If so, I'd consider that very pricey!

I too am in the market for lightweight binoculars. Looking for something under $300....

Does anyone have more input?

This is revisting an old thread, but I'll concur with Joseph about the Minox MD6x16E that it is the best monocular that I've ever owned or tried and I've tried a lot because I love the concept but hate most implementations.

$150 sounds like MSRP. I stocked up a few years ago when Sierra Trading Post had them at something like 40% and then used coupons to knock another 20-25% off. They are, of course, not as bright or as wide a field as anyone's $99 binocs, but for the weight - I weigh them as 2.25 ounces with integral shoelace-sized neck band - and size, they're the best I've found. It also is a useable (but very small field) magnifier when used backwards at close range for examining bugs or leaf details or maybe assess an embedded splinter.

With monoculars and binoculars I STRONGLY suggest to look through them before buying them.
The reason is very simple : we see with different eyes..
That has to do with our vision (IE how you can read an eye-chart with either eye) as well as what we expect to see.
For example I have a Zeiss monocular that optically is good (for the size, 8x20, half of the bino discussed above ) however it is useless to me because I cannot spot a bird or something moving with it .
So in my case a bino works better and having spent 30 years selling them I cannot put up with crappy optics.
There are now several relatively light and decent binos of the Porro prism variety (that is the offset type ,not those roof prism ,the straight tube type) for example the Bushnell 7x26.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/542196-REG/Bushnell_620726_7x26_Elite_e2_Custom.html
Aim for an exit pupil of at least 2.5mm , however the wider (bigger) the circle the better it will be in low light (up to 7mm )
Exit pupil is the cirle of light you see if you look through them holding them at a distance.
You get that by dividing the size of the front element (26mm) by the magnification (7x) so that 7x26 has an EP of 3.7 much better than the typical 8x20 (2.5)
Note as you increase the magnification, you need bigger lenses (10x25= 2.5 mm exit pupil, same as 8x20)
Franco

Dale, I'm not sure what you were looking at, but I have the Zeiss 8x20 Conquest ($394 on Amazon). Mine are still in great shape after a PCT thru-hike, and the optics are as good as you'll get in a cheap-ish compact.

ALL compact, sub-30mm objective lens binoculars optically SUCK no matter how much they cost. Some are just less sucky than others. A small binocular simply requires too many optical design compromises if you care about image quality. For that reason my main binocular has always been the standard 8x42.

That said, in my quest last Spring to find a lighter/smaller optic for long distance alpine hiking I settled for the discontinued Bushnell Excursion 8x28. It is not the lightest nor the smallest, BUT its optical quality is quite good for its class and the current price is certainly right now @ US$65! FWIW, I paid $69 for my sample from the same seller last year!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bushnell-Excursion-8x28-Waterproof-Fogproof-Binocular-240828-24-0828-NEW-/300673184786?pt=Binocular&hash=item460184b412

FYI, it is practically impossible to find a quality phase-coated roof prism, wide FoV, rubber armored and waterproof binocular for under $100. Especially one from a globally known brand name with a lifetime warranty.

Edited by rmjapan on 03/04/2012 17:28:25 MST.

I have a Zeiss 6x18 monocular I am very happy with. I usually have it in a hipbelt pocket, or on a cord around my neck if there seem to be a number of birds about. Very nice optics. Very light (forget the exact weight). Focus is by push-pull, which can be imprecise, but using a twisting push or pull motion allows very fine focus.

I am a birder so spend a lot of time using binoculars. At home I use a 7x42 Chinon (not the highest quality, but does the job), but it is just too big and heavy for hiking. REcently I bought a 10x21 5º Pentax UCF-R and it works great. It's got enough magnification and is steady enough that I can keep track of the birds without too much jiggle. Does the job for me.

Not sure if it is still available or up to your standards; however, you or anyone else interested might want to check out the Little Mak 10x3 monocular (Made in Russia by Lomo). I like it.

The Lomo factory was originally In Petrograd, then in Leningrad and now is in St Petersburg.
Oddly it was all done without moving...
Franco

Alright, alright...
I sold some Lomo stuff, mostly very similar to the pre WW2 Jena (Carl Zeiss) optics .
(so a bit dated but nice optics for the price)
However never seen that monocular, an odd design indeed.

Edited by Franco on 03/04/2012 18:52:26 MST.

The Lomo factory was originally In Petrograd, then in Leningrad and now is in St Petersburg.
Oddly it was all done without moving...

*Cough, cough*

I got my 9yo son a Barska 10X40 monocular, on the recommendation of another BPL'er by the name of Stargazer (haven't seen him around lately). Can be had on Amazon for $40. Not sure what it weighs cause I know if I weigh it I'll consider leaving it behind. But, first clear night we had, he was able to find the Orion Nebula (M42). Shows up as small blur, but clearly discernible as a nebula. I was pretty surprised for a relatively light, $40 piece of optics. I look forward to taking it out this season.

Amazon says it's 9oz - sounds about right:
http://www.amazon.com/Barska-Blueline-10x40-Close-Monocular/dp/B000BY42TA

Edited by Kieran on 03/04/2012 18:45:19 MST.

Whoa. Looks pretty large. I have a problem holding 10x steady. I would have to LeAnn on something.


What did happen to yogi?

A better choice is this:

http://www.amazon.com/Orion-10x42-Waterproof-Monocular/dp/B002T3H49Q/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3SB99IUECLGLS&colid=2BD1K7JO3WWEY

Always try to find the widest exit pupil up to 7mm (7mm= a fully dilated pupil) and fully multicoated optics.