If you love exploring nature or watching different forms of entertainment, you will likely need a quality optical instrument. That's where monocular comes into play. It's lightweight, easy to use, and convenient, making it ideal for fulfilling these and similar purposes. Without further ado, let's discover how to use a monocular and why they are handy for many situations.
What Is a Monocular Telescope?
A monocular is a compact and lightweight optical instrument magnifying the images of remote objects by passing light through prisms and lenses and providing a single 2-dimensional image. They generally weigh half less than binoculars, making them convenient to carry and less expensive.
Monocular Types
Monocular telescopes come in various forms based on how they work. Essentially, you should familiarize yourself with monocular types and their features to choose the one that will suit your needs.
Standard Monoculars
Standard monocular models are typically designed to fulfill viewing purposes for regular use. They often come with lenses for those functions only, making their use pretty specific and singular. That makes them beneficial for hikers, golfers, and occasional outdoors people.
Compact Monoculars
Compact monoculars are small, pocket-friendly devices designed for everyday uses. Even though they are smaller than standard monoculars, they can perform on the same levels. Their compactness makes them easy to carry virtually anywhere. And that's why they are a popular choice among various users ranging from travelers, campers, and hikers, to art enthusiasts and theater-goers.
Night Vision Monoculars
These monocular telescopes use small amounts of light to provide an optimal view. The night vision feature makes them perfect for dim light and night watching. Some monoculars featuring this quality can offer vision in daylight too, but perform best in dark conditions. That's why hunters, campers, and night strollers love them, but their use also extends to law enforcement and military applications.
Infrared monoculars engage the infrared wavelength to provide vision at night. However, you can easily disable this feature and use it when the sun is up.
Another variety of night vision monocular telescopes is thermal imaging monocular. This technology allows them to read the heat radiated off the targets and produce images, enabling you to spot targets in dark conditions and even behind thin surfaces. As you can imagine, hunters love these.
Why Use a Monocular Telescope?
You might be wondering why to use a monocular with so many binoculars and spotting scopes available. They are expensive, high-powered instruments. However, you often won't need much magnification power or will require a free eye to track down your desired object. That's where monoculars win.
They are super convenient based on their design. Half the size of binoculars, they can easily fit into a purse or pocket. Moreover, they are considerably lighter, making them more comfortable to wear hung around the neck for extended periods.
The Advantages of Using a Monocular
Monoculars carry with them many advantages. Some of them are below.
- Convenient to carry because of their weight and size.
- You're using only one eye for a monocular, allowing you to keep track of your target with the other.
- They are simple to use.
- They aren't expensive.
Who Should Use a Monocular?
A monocular might be just what you need if you want a compact optical device for different purposes. However, they are perfect for individuals who only see on one eye or struggle using both eyes because of eye variation.
When to Use a Monocular?
Using a monocular can come in handy for numerous activities and circumstances, such as camping, hiking, and hunting for scouting and viewing. However, its utilization extends far beyond such activities. Other great ways to use a monocular telescope include stargazing, observing animals or artworks, and watching sporting events, concerts, and other forms of entertainment.
As we mentioned, night vision monoculars are often used in military applications and law enforcement, for example, when searching for suspects or doing surveillance. But many people use them for camping and hunting too.
How to Use a Monocular Telescope
As you know by now, there's more than one way to use a monocular telescope. The differences in magnification, the field of view, and lens depth offer us a plethora of options for using a monocular. Let's explore how to use a monocular in detail.
Use It for Hiking
Using a monocular telescope is very common while hiking. Many hikers cross long distances and harsh terrains, and they need a lightweight optical instrument they can carry effortlessly. One way to use a monocular while hiking is simply observing nature or checking what's happening in the distance.
Or Birding
Monoculars are particularly useful for birders. They are ideal for observing birds in nature, especially models designed for a detailed view. You can easily take it out of your pocket or backpack and start watching these magnificent creatures.
Hunters Love Monoculars
Another way to use a monocular is while hunting, as they are easy to carry out into woods and forests and reach a target while in the thick brush. You can see why they make tracking and following prey easier. Naturally, night vision monoculars are particularly handy for night hunters.
Great for Concerts and Sporting Events
You can use a monocular when watching sporting events, concerts, opera, ballet, and other performances. They are precious if you're sitting furthest from the stage, as you can imagine. Just take it out and see everything as if you were in the first row.
Tactical Tasks
The monocular telescope use extends to military, marine, and many other strategic purposes. Golf is an excellent example of using a monocular to track the ball or measure the distance between the ball and the hole.
Use It even Indoors
Art and museum lovers can benefit from using a monocular too. If you're one of them, all you have to do is take your compact device out of your purse or pocket and begin observing artwork or artifacts in detail.
Give Purpose to Your Monocular
Now that you know what a monocular telescope is, its types, and its common uses, you can give yours a purpose. Whether you hike or camp, you can use it to observe the beautiful nature around you. If you enjoy concerts or sporting events, bring your monocular with you and see everything happening as if you were in the first row.
As you can see, the uses for monoculars are virtually endless. You only need to ask yourself what you need it for and get the one to fulfill that purpose.
