Opticron Explorer WA ED-R 8x42 Monocular, 30785

Excellent scope! Very clear, sharp image, good field of view. Good color representation and control of chromatic aberration. A bit weight but I think that's a testament to its build quality. I was, however, hoping to use it for some quick bird digiscoping. However, the focusing mechanism is very tight, making it difficult to switch from far to close distances on the focus. It would also probably be impractical to focus it with one hand as was hoping to, with the digiscope attachment fixed to it. Apart from that this is a great scope. Some reviews are mentioning that it is a large scope; I think it is about normal-sized for a scope, and also actually probably more compact than others, since the focusing mechanism is built onto the tube rather than a separate focusing dial on top with a smaller tube as other monoculars have. Fantastic product.

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.

Beyound the expectation. Product quality was good. Seemed to be highly built. Image quality was very good at day time (around 14:00 p.m.) Magnification was great as per description .Ease of use was O.K. to use both hand.Delivery time was good.

I have to say this is one hefty monocular. However, the optics are bright and razor sharp, and the build incredibly solid. I like the case, the lanyard, the protective caps for the eyepiece and lens, as well as the quality cleaning cloth that comes with it. The magnification and field of view are excellent as well. I highly recommend this product, as long as you're not looking for something that is light and compact. However with the neck strap and belt case, it's quite comfortably portable.

The monocular feels very solid. I got the 32mm to save a little weight and space and they sent the right one. I doubt you will see much difference between the two sizes. The 42mm technically will capture more light in dimmer lighting. The optics are very good and I'm sure most will find it very adequate. The focus ring is wide and silky smooth and easy to turn. Note monoculars where the focus is made by turning ring on barrel are not as fast to focus as the ones with a top-mounted focus wheel, like the Opticron Oregon. If you need faster focusing get monoculars with a focus wheel on top. However the trade off is that design takes up more space. I highly recommend Opticron Optics.

I ordered a 8x32 and received an 8x42. Reading the reviews - it seems this happened before. Not sure why this item has these shipping issues. As for the monocular it has excellent optics, mostly on par with the more expensive Leica monovid I compared it to. It does suffer from more flare than the monovid, but that is not that noticeable under normal conditions. Tried ordering again and second time got the right item. After comparing the 2 decided to keep 8x32 one, although 8x42 seemed a tiny bit better optically. I just prefer the smaller size.

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.

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.

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.

The monocular is simply super, I’m very pleased with the purchase and recommend it to everyone, the visibility is perfect, clear, the assembly is high-quality, the strap and case are of excellent quality.

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.

It is a nice item and works well on sports events to have a closer look at small details.

Excellent optics. Extremely clear view, especially at night. I live near the airport so it’s great for the occasional plane-spotting, esp when there’s an airshow on. Well made, good quality. Slightly on the heavy side if in your pocket but apart from that and the stiff-to-turn focussing wheel, it’s great. Better than the Steiner bins that I have.