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Your cart is empty.4.3 out of 5 stars
- #444 in Camera & Photo Products (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo Products)
- #73 in Monoculars
Compact, quality field monocular for the space and weight conscious, the Explorer WA ED-R 8x42 features wide-field ED optics and the latest multi-coatings for extra light transmission and color contrast.
Left Coast Geek
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2025
pretty decent little monocular. focus is reasonably smooth, optics are quite good, only a little distortion right out by the edges, good contrast, etc etc.
ioch
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2024
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.
Richard
Reviewed in Spain on August 22, 2024
I am very impressed with the build quality, bright and sharp lens of this monocular.I was looking for one that my wife could use as she finds binoculars fiddly and difficult to focus. Not the case with this one it is perfect.Its a slightly larger than other models but this helps with the eye cup vision and handling.It comes with a very handy shoulder strap and case and lens protectors,although the front element one is a bit annoying as unless you remove it completely it tends to fall off with the rubber retaining ring they provide, if only they made it fit slightly tighter it would be perfect .This was the only small fault I could with an otherwise great product. I am a professional photographer and we took it on a trip to Alaska to watch whales and found ideal for the job.Well worth the money in my opinion!
Adrian Arvun
Reviewed in Italy on July 24, 2024
Lo avevo nel carrello da tanto tempo e con un usato garantito da Amazon l'ho preso a tanto di meno, ma anche da nuovo a parere mio merita. L'immagine è davvero nitida e ci entra tanta luce, è utilizzabile anche con scarsa luce.
D. Liu
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
What you'd expect from a scope at this price point. Good eye relief, sharp optics and colors are bright and vibrant. A $75 scope like NOCS Provisions was hard to keep up in brightness. Both scopes are sharp, but with the better optics in the Opticron I found my eyes to be more relaxed when using it, as the overall image was more vibrant.
Vasyl Pereyaslavets
Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2024
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.
Ibsen
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024
El monocular es muy nitido para su precio , esta hecho de buen material , lo unico negativo es que las tapas no quedan tan fijas , sobre todo la delantera ¡¡por eso le puse 4 de 5 estrellas
Gary W. Fogg
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2024
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.
Webbo
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2024
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.
Rich-L
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2024
I had been looking for a new monocular to replace an old Vortex model I had misplaced. The quality of this is excellent in terms of both build and optical quality. Amazon erroneously sent me the significantly larger 8*42, and I exchanged it for the smaller 8*32. Much better for my intended use at sporting events and concerts. Easier to steady the image. While I have yet to use it much, I highly recommend this and should my experience change, will update this review.
Fkee
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2023
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.
Albert S.
Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2023
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.
David E. Gellman
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2023
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.
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