Anyone use monoculars?

[mickb]

Not everyones cup of tea but I wear one on the belt in preference over binos for occasional spotting and birdwatching. Have a vortex 8x36 which has turned out to be a bit larger than I wanted, though the optics were great for light gathering. On the hunt for a smaller (also waterproof) option from another brand if anyone has suggestions?

[slparker]

Wouldn't you just call it a telescope?

[Franco]

mickb is using the correct term.
A monocular is just half of a binocular , same design otherwise.
(eyepiece, prism, front objective)
A telescope generally has a drop in eyepiece, no prism, sometimes a mirror and front lense/s, designed for astronomy.
Then there is the spotting scope , designed for terrestrial viewing but like the telescope much larger than a typical monocular.

(BTW, that is why I refer to binoculars as "binoculars" not "a pair of binoculars" given that the suffix bi stands for two like bicycle vs monocycle...)

yes unicycle..sorry the Italian (!) word does use the prefix mono
Both mono and uni come from Latin meaning one or solo.

Last edited by Franco on Tue 19 Jan, 2016 9:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

[RonK]

Well, while we are being pedantic...since monocular is singular, is the question asking if anyone uses more than one.

Oh, and by the way - a single wheeled cycle is of course a unicycle.

[GPSGuided]

I sometimes use a dSLR with a telephoto lens to view a scene or object, that makes me monocular too.

[DaveNoble]

Wouldn't you just call it a telescope?

Telescopes and binoculars have a different optical design. Binoculars and telescopes both have objective lenses (of long focal length) and eyepieces (of short focal length), but binoculars also have the light path intersected by a pair of prisms (these can be (conventional) porro prisms - so the light path is a z shape, or roof prisms (which give a straight light path). The purpose of the prisms is to make the design much more compact (given the long focal length of the objective lens) as the light path is sort of folded up, and it also inverts and laterally reverses the image - so the image is both upright and the right way round. This is important for many uses - e.g. horse racing - so you can read the number of the horse, or bird watching - so if the bird flies out of view, you can move the instrument in the right direction. Telescopes used for terrestrial viewing can achieve the same thing using prisms, mirrors or extra lenses (some telescopes use a lens to invert the image, but it is till flipped horizontally). Astronomical telescopes don't bother with this.

Binoculars, having two separate instruments also, have a major advantage in that you see a 3D or stereo view. This is important in bird watching and other fields such as surveillance. The 3D effect is increased by having the objective lenses spaced at a larger distance apart than your eyes. So binoculars with roof prism do not have a very big 3D effect, nor do some designs with porro prisms where the objective lenses are placed close together (but those designs are more compact). Some military binoculars - e.g. those in forts or on ships often use binoculars with the objective lenses at large distances apart - a metre or so, to greatly increase the 3D effect. This is useful in judging the relative distances of say of a flotilla of ships.

Some people are colour blind, and similarly, some people are stereo blind, even if both eyes function normally. I guess these people would buy monoculars?

[mickb]

I sometimes use a dSLR with a telephoto lens to view a scene or object, that makes me monocular too.

Well we can play with context but monocular in common usage relates to fairly large industry of items dinstinct from telescopes and cameras. Much in the way we have the term dagger separate from sword and if someone said they wanted to buy a moped there would generally not be a requirement to call it a motorbike

[mickb]

Correct summation by Dave and Franco. as to why I prefer a monoc despite the disadvantages is the slimline size. And the fact you can get good light gathering for low light viewing into compact package. For example a 40mm or even 30mm monoc as night falls will allow viewing well past the time your eyes fail in the dark. The same set of binos is naturally twice as large and not a size people generally backpack with.

[perfectlydark]

mickb is using the correct term.
A monocular is just half of a binocular , same design otherwise.
(eyepiece, prism, front objective)
A telescope generally has a drop in eyepiece, no prism, sometimes a mirror and front lense/s, designed for astronomy.
Then there is the spotting scope , designed for terrestrial viewing but like the telescope much larger than a typical monocular.

(BTW, that is why I refer to binoculars as "binoculars" not "a pair of binoculars" given that the suffix bi stands for two like bicycle vs monocycle...)

yes unicycle..sorry the Italian (!) word does use the prefix mono
Both mono and uni come from Latin meaning one or solo.

I dont know Unoculars has a pretty nice ring to it

[RonK]

I sometimes use a dSLR with a telephoto lens to view a scene or object, that makes me monocular too.

Well we can play with context but monocular in common usage relates to fairly large industry of items dinstinct from telescopes and cameras. Much in the way we have the term dagger separate from sword and if someone said they wanted to buy a moped there would generally not be a requirement to call it a motorbike

More pedantry. It would be incorrect to call a moped a motorbike.
A moped is not a motorbike - a moped is a hybrid bicycle, and it must by definition have pedals. A motorbike does not have pedals, it is entirely engine powered.

[peregrinator]

Beware not to confuse prefixes, suffixes and infixes when you are affixing them.

[mickb]

I sometimes use a dSLR with a telephoto lens to view a scene or object, that makes me monocular too.

A moped is not a motorbike -

Excellent and a monocular is not a telescope in the context of common use in the optics industry, as clarified already. We have arrived at the concept of a different mechanism once again

Regarding accusing people of 'pedantry'...any reason you are so pedantic regards derailing the thread to a discussion on terminology? I posted to ask advice on a new monocular. Its not a contrived or an ambigiious term btw. Check Vortex, zeiss, Swarovski, Lieca, Bushnell, Celestron etc. Usually have combinations of spotting scope, telescope, 'monocular' and binocular sections. Not all just under 'telescope'... an entire optics industry apparently pedantic about this also

Dave and Franco above had kindly clarified the concept, which is common knowledge for optics users.

[oldpiscator]

Thanks for reminder re monocular. Currently packing for a couple of weeks in Tassie and have now included my Pentax monocular.