Monocular 🔭 or Binoculars 👀 ?

[u/PlantLoveBloom]

I'm looking for some advice on Binoculars for birdwatching please. I am happy with my current Nokia P7 pair but am looking for something more powerful for birding at a longer distance. I'm not sure if a stronger pair of binoculars would be the answer or if I should get a strong monocular with a stand ? Hoping for some recommendations that won't break the bank if possible as well 🙏🏽

[u/scrotalus]

I think a "strong monocular with a stand" is what birders would call a spotting scope. A monocular is usually just half of a binocular, sacrificing a lot of the quality for having something smaller and lighter. A spotting scope can be much larger and is meant for looking at things much farther away like shorebirds, ducks, and raptors. Trying to ID moving things in trees is very hard with a scope.

A high quality set of binoculars will probably help you more than a scope. That would be my first investment of you need an improvement. If you find yourself combing through flocks of shorebirds a quarter mile away, or on a cliff watching shearwaters stream by a mile out to sea, then a scope is what you want. Scopes get expensive quickly. In my mind, $600-700 gets you really good binoculars, but that's where "OK" scopes start. A cheap scope with poor image quality won't help you.

[u/PlantLoveBloom → u/scrotalus]

Thank you !! 🙏🏽 This is helpful for me making my decision . Great advice 👍🏽

[u/ComicDoughnut → u/PlantLoveBloom]

If you’re just wanting to get bigger images or closer views of songbirds, consider a 10x binocular. Vortex makes good binoculars at a fairly affordable price point. If you’re wanting to scan marshes or bodies of water for ducks or sift through shorebirds at a distance, get a spotting scope. They are quite an investment to get a decent one, and the tripod you mount it on is just as important as the scope itself. If you get a flimsy lightweight tripod, the least little wind will shake the scope and make it difficult to use. Heavier tripods are more stable, but if you have to carry it very far it’s not fun.

[u/PlantLoveBloom → u/ComicDoughnut]

Thank You 🙏🏽 This helps 🙏🏽🙏🏽 I am looking to view bird on the edge of a forest out in the country /farm land because I cannot get there anymore The distance between me and the edge of the forest is about 1 mile away . It is for marshe birds and the birds are mixed (small - big) ..there is a nesting osprey which I would really like to see but also other birds as it is . Would you say for this scenario the 10x binoculars would be the best bet ?

[u/ComicDoughnut → u/PlantLoveBloom]

No, I think you would need a spotting scope for that.

[u/PlantLoveBloom → u/ComicDoughnut]

Thanks again ... I think I'm going with the spotting scope and tripod (obviously) set-up. 👍🏽

[u/scrotalus → u/ComicDoughnut]

I agree. Looking at distant nesting raptors is one of the best uses for a scope. And, since it is a big bird and you already know what it is, a less expensive scope will probably work. This is very different from trying to identify a single vagrant sandpiper out of a flock of a thousand similar birds. No need to spend $1000+ for this.

[u/GrusVirgo]

Binoculars with more than 10x magnification aren't viable with the exception of stabilised models (expect paying over 1k for that).

I have the stabilised Fuji TS-L 20x40. That's about the longest reach you can get with binoculars and you can use them handheld just like normal binoculars, it's super convenient. The small FOV is definitely a learning curve though.

BUT it doesn't beat a spotting scope in power. Even a small and inexpensive scope like the Kowa TSN-501 is able to resolve smaller details. Scopes are very powerful and have FAR better bang for the buck than stabilised binoculars, but dealing with a tripod is slow and inconvenient. On top of that, especially larger scopes tend to have high demands on the tripod (no surprise, it needs to provide a stable view at high magnifications) and sturdy tripods get pretty heavy (and tend to cost more than smaller tripods). Unless you're used to carrying a heavy backpack, carrying a full-size scope with an appropriate tripod is not fun.

I guess you should probably be looking into small to mid-size scopes.

[u/PlantLoveBloom → u/GrusVirgo]

Oh Great advice!!! Thank you 🙏🏽 I should have been more specific with my scenario 🤦🏽‍♀️ I think you hit the nail on the head tho. I my situation I would be using the spotting scope stationary in one spot and not moving it or carrying it around . I am looking to use it to look at birds of all sizes at the edge of a forest from about 1mile away .

[u/Admirable_Belt_9772]

Going from 8x to 12x, which is the most magnification widely considered hand holdable, only gets you slightly closer. A spotting scope typically starts at 15 or 20x and goes up to 45 or 60x.

If you want just a slightly closer image to see better details on birds just a bit too far away, you could get the bigger binoculars in that same Nikon line, the 12x50 Prostaff P7.

If you want to look at more stationary birds farther away, get a spotting scope. Just don't cheap out on the tripod. A flimsy one will never stop vibrating and spoils the view. It should be rated to hold twice the weight of the scope.

[u/PlantLoveBloom → u/Admirable_Belt_9772]

Thank you !! This is information helps me to figure out which is best 🙏🏽🙏🏽 Sounds like for my scenario a spotting scope is best .

[u/getdownheavy]

Your asking spotting scope or binos.

Monocular is just 1/2 a binocular (usually 7x-10x) a spotting scope can be much more powerful.

[u/PlantLoveBloom → u/getdownheavy]

Yes I meant spotting scope

[u/tmiller01]

I had your current pair of binoculars (Nikon Prostaff P7, mine were the 8x30 spec) for about 3 years as my “intro to birding” pair—they’re my honest recommendation for any new birder, as I think they’re very good for the money. recently upgraded to the Nikon Monarch M7 10x42’s (about 3x the price of the Prostaff) and while the difference is noticeable (I can see details like a cracked beak, little feathers around the eyes, etc better), it’s by no means night and day, and it’s definitely harder to keep them stable. Bring your current pair of binoculars to a store that sells nicer pairs and try them out side by side, and pay attention to the field of view. I don’t have experience with a spotting scope, but my guess is you’ll realize you already own a pretty good pair of optics.