Best monocular 2025: Spot the top models on the market

The best monocular devices may look unusual, but they're a practical way of watching wildlife or observing the night sky. They actually have many benefits over the best binoculars and even the best telescopes.

Essentially half a pair of binoculars, a monocular is much lighter and far more compact; you can easily slip it into your pocket, making it an ideal travel companion. And with no technical know-how required, a monocular is great for beginner stargazers.

We've included models at a range of price points in this guide, considering their optics and build quality, so there are options to suit all budgets. Although it was Black Friday last month, we can see there are still discounts to be had as we head into the festive season so you can save even more on some of our recommended models. The Celestron Outland X 10x50 monocular is $15 off at Amazon and the Bushnell EX650 Digital Equinox X650 Night Vision 5x 32mm monocular is $11 off on Amazon.

Quick list

Best monocular we recommend in 2025

Best super lightweight model

For stargazing novices, the Opticron Explorer WA ED-2 8x42 is a fantastic monocular. It can capture a lot of light from distant stars thanks to its 42mm objective lens, and the 8x magnification is perfect for reducing wobbles and improving focus on objects.

This monocular is very portable, waterproof to three meters and nitrogen-filled to minimize the fogging that appears when moving between warm and cold conditions. As such, we think it's ideal for a whole host of outdoor activities.

Its generous 17mm of eye relief makes it comfortable to use, ideal for those who wear glasses. It also comes with a soft neoprene travel case with a cushioned strap, rain protection and rubber lens covers to prevent scratches on the glass.

Don't let its price point fool you: we were seriously seriously impressed with the optics in the Opticron Explorer WA ED-2 8x42. It has extra-low dispersion (ED) glass which results in better color rendition and a reduction in chromatic aberration, and the optics are multi-coated, leading to better clarity and contrast.

Overall, we can't complain much at all about the Opticron: It's a premium product for a budget price. What's more, it comes with a limited lifetime warranty, giving you extra peace of mind if anything does go wrong.

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Best for ruggedness

If you're a frequent traveler, you'll appreciate the Hawke Endurance ED 10x42 monocular's tough and durable design. You don't have to worry about the odd knock or scrape as you're moving around and throwing it in backpacks or pockets.

But this monocular device is not just tough-shelled: It's a great performer, too. It has special phase-corrected BaK-4 roof prisms and with fully multi-coated lenses and extra-low dispersion (ED) glass. These features give you beautifully sharp, bright optics with minimal color distortion.

With its waterproof optics, you can use this monocular worry-free even in rough weather. It's also nitrogen-purged to prevent fogging. And with its rubber casing, lens covers and lanyard, you're less likely to accidentally drop or misplace it.

From the 350 reviews on Amazon, we gathered users like the portability, value and ease of use of this monocular, scoring it 4.5 out of 5 stars. The main drawback is that the eye relief is only 13mm, so it wouldn't be a good choice if you wear glasses; anyone else is likely to enjoy the convenient twist-up eyecup.

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Best premium monocular

Bushnell is a well-known optical equipment brand, and it has created a very high-quality monocular with the Bushnell Legend Ultra 10x42. It has a black magnesium body with easy-to-grip sides and a sturdy built-in belt clip, so you can keep it at hand while on the go.

Weighing in at just 13.2 oz (374g), this monocular is lightweight and compact, and includes a 1/4-20 tripod adapter if you want to mount it for extended viewing. Bushnell also includes a flip-style lens cap for both the front and rear lenses, which attaches to a lanyard to prevent it getting lost.

As you'd expect from a high-end product from a brand with such a strong legacy behind it, everything has been very well thought-out on this monocular. In our Bushnell Legend Ultra 10x42 Ultra HD monocular review, we found the focus knob extremely smooth to use, been placed exactly where your index finger naturally rests when holding the device, which makes one-handed operation a breeze.

Thanks to the Rainguard HD Hydrophobic Coating used on the lenses, this monocular is also fully waterproof, so you don't need to worry if you get caught in a rain shower or if you're near a waterfall: Water simply balls up and slips off the lenses.

The optics on offer here are similarly impressive. It uses ED Prime fluorite glass and BaK-4 roof prisms to deliver clear and detailed views, and the optics are fully multi-coated and anti-reflective to ensure accurate color rendition and eliminate chromatic aberration. With a close focus of 6.6 ft (2.01m), you'll be able to zoom in on wildlife even in your backyard. While this is one of the priciest options on our list, we think the quality is worth every penny.

• Read our full Bushnell Legend Ultra 10x42 Ultra HD monocular review

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Best for color fidelity

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Everything about the Python Rangemaster 12x52 monocular screams high quality, from its nitrogen-purged magnesium chassis to the Alpha-level German Schott glass lenses. But what really sets it apart from the competition is the extensive list of glass treatments it has undergone to provide fully multi-coated lenses.

These treatments applied to the large 52mm objective lens mean the Rangemaster 12x52 packs a performance punch. It has a light transfer of 91%, guaranteeing sharp views, with excellent edge-to-edge sharpness and high color fidelity. During our Python Rangemaster 12x52 monocular review, we found it a great companion for birdwatching, rendering the colors of bird plumage very accurately, which meant we were able to differentiate between similar-colored birds very easily. The 12x magnification also enabled us to observe intimate detail of nesting geese from a considerable distance.

But the 52mm objective lens also lets plenty of light in, ensuring great low-light performance. In our review, we likened this monocular to a small telescope, as we managed to make out fainter night sky objects such as Andromeda (M31) in subpar viewing conditions. It's worth noting though that in order to achieve this, we had to use a tripod, as the 12x magnification requires stabilization after a short amount of viewing.

As mentioned above, this monocular has a rugged design with a tough magnesium chassis. It's waterproof to IPX7 and fog-proof, so you can take it out in harsh conditions without fearing for it. We did find the rubber armor was lifting off from the chassis slightly during our testing, but there are no reports of this online, which means it might have been an issue with our testing unit.

One downside of the Rangemaster is the phone adapter is very awkward to set up, so much so that we found ourselves avoiding using it. So if you're looking for a monocular to use with a smartphone, this might not be the one for you. Otherwise, if you have the budget for it, we'd whole-heartedly recommend this monocular to bird- and sky-watchers alike.

• Read our full Python Rangemaster 12x52 monocular review

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Best for wildlife

The Vortex Recon R/T 15x50 monocular was originally designed for field surveillance and range estimation, but its powerful magnification makes it great for observing nature and the sky.

The best thing about this monocular is its optics. With 15x magnification, it brings objects much closer than regular binoculars. The multi-coated lenses and extra-low dispersion glass provide very clear images, making it perfect for detailed views of the moon, or for wildlife spotting.

Having such a high magnification is quite unusual on a monocular, but it does come with a couple of drawbacks. Naturally, you'll need to have a very steady hand (or utilize a mount), otherwise you'll be looking at nothing but a shaky image. Thankfully, there's a screw thread so you can easily use a tripod if you need to. On top of this, we've found the image not quite as bright as some monocular devices with a lower magnification.

The Vortex Recon R/T 15x50 has a rugged build and a waterproof design, perfect for taking it outdoors on wildlife observation trips. It's got rubber armor on the outside for a good grip and comes with a rain/dust hood to protect the lens.

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Best for magnification

The Apexel 36x super zoom is a multi-purpose lens that can be used as both a monocular and a telephoto lens for your smartphone camera. It's also one of the most affordable options on our list.

We were impressed by the optics of the Apexel 36x super zoom. It features BaK-4 glass, roof prisms, and multi-coated lenses that minimize ghosting, reflections and lens flare. However, it's worth noting that the fixed 36x magnification, while good for capturing images of the Moon, won't completely fill the field of view, covering about 5.3 degrees.

The Apexel is a great solution to the limitations of smartphone cameras, which often suffer from degraded image quality when using the digital zoom. This compact telescope attachment easily clips onto your smartphone lens, enabling you to capture high-quality photos and videos of distant objects. This proves endlessly useful for content creators, wildlife enthusiasts and anyone interested in shooting sports, concerts or celestial bodies like the moon.

The Apexel comes bundled with its own mini tripod, but we've found it to be quite unreliable and not sturdy enough to withhold the lens and our smartphone. You'll be better off using your own tripod, which will lead to extra expenses. There isn't a built-in tripod thread on this monocular, but it does have a metal adapter ring. It also comes with the rubber eyepiece that allows it to be used as a monocular, but it's rather small, so people who wear glasses might find it difficult to use.

It's more of a novelty item than a serious bit of scientific kit, but the Apexel is rather nifty and versatile — if you like taking photos with your smartphone, it's probably worth your consideration.

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Best for night vision

Our expert reviewers are currently testing the Bushnell Equinox X650, putting it through its paces to assess how it fares. Bushnell is a well-known optical equipment brand, so we're excited to see whether this piece of kit lives up to the hype.

This monocular is meant to grant you a night vision range of up to 650ft thanks to its built-in infrared light, which would be impressive if true (stay tuned for our test results). It also has video capabilities, giving you the ability to record what you observe, and comes with a Micro SD card to store your footage. While it likely won't yield high quality videos, this is a strong feature for content creators and people wishing to immortalize what they see.

However, the Bushnell Equinox X650 is built from plastic and requires batteries to operate, making it quite flimsy compared to other rugged models in this guide. The finish feels cheap, and the zoom isn't as strong as some of its competitors.

That said, for the price, there's plenty to like here, and the Bushnell Equinox X650 delivers impressive daytime color imaging to provide great optical clarity.

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Best for use with a smartphone