Date: 27th September 2026
Have you ever have this problem of carrying too many gears while birding for hours that made you have muscle pain the next days? As i get older my body aspecially my shoulders and arms took longer to recover after carrying a heavy camera with long lens and a pair of binocular, which the total weight could reach 3 kilograms. I have always tried to streamline my gears to reduce weight, and i think i cannot reduce my camera and lens weight anymore. My go to gear is Canon R6 Mark 2 and EF400 f5.6 with an EF to RF adaptor, total weight about 2.0 kilograms. My default pair of binoculars is Bushnell Legend Ultra ED 8 x 42 which weighs 0.7 kilogram. Sometimes to keep it light and simple i would leave the bino in the car, but that would mean that i have to use my camera with the 400mm lens to scan the trees for birds, and after a few hours of doing the lifting up and down my arms started to get tired. It is like lifting weights in the gym for a few hours, good exercise but not good the next day.
So, i figured i better carry a bino for scanning the birds and when i see them only i lift my camera to take a shot. That will be easier on my arms and zhoulders. However, i need something lighter than my Bushnell Legend Ultra 8 x 42 but with good magnification and image quality. I already have an 8 x 25, 8 x 42, 10 x 42 and 12 x 50 bino pairs, mostly by Bushnell.
After going through Youtube videos i have decided to gjve a monocular a try. A monocular is a half of a binocular, but the weight is not necessarily half of the weight of a pair of binoculars, but definitely a lot less dependjng on quality and specs. Instead of using both eyes , you only use one eye while the other one is usually closed. It has a focus knob like binocular complete with a rotating eye cup and eye relief just like binoculars.
I decide that i need a 10x magnification with 50mm objective lens size that will give me an exit pupil size of 5mm which is bright, and perform well during low light hours, and maybe at night. A 10x magnification will not give me that much shake while holding compared to a 12x magnification. The monocular that i want must be waterproofed and fog proofed, and have full multicoating for the lenses to prevent glare, give good contrast, and preferably no color fringing for sharp image. Since i already have like 5 pairs of binocular, i do not want to spend too much on this monocular,as it might not work out as i planned. Most recommendations online for top monocular suggest Vortex, Bushnell or Leica that will cost hundreds of dollars! I figured i start low first and that upgrade if this monocular is my thing for birding.
So, after browsing online for a couple of days i decided to buy this monocular by COMET, a Chinese brand on Alibaba.Com for an unbelievable cheap price of RM58(US15) including delivery! I figured this is an experiment and losing that much money if it is a lemon will not make me lose any sleep. Fortunately, after receiving the monucular i ordered yesterday, i was not disappointed. This COMET 10 x 50 monocular is of a very good quality finish, good rubber body protection, nitrogen filled, waterproofed and come with a grip strap. The eye relief is 17mm and complete with lens cap. The eye cup can be rotated out for adjusrment. The weight is way lighter thsn my Bushnell Ultra Legend bino at 495grams. Lifting this monocular with my right arm is effortless, and putting it on a strap over my shoulder feels like it is not there.
Well, the proof of its quality is the image quality of the lens. I was quite skeptical of how good the image quality could be a this cheap price, but i was not disappointed. The image quality is very good, better than my Bushnell Trophy 10 x 42, but less than Bushnell Legend Ultra 8 x 42 with ED lenses. This monocular produces sharp image, quite good contrast, and little color fringing. The only thing i do not like is the focus knob which is tight to turn, sometimes i had to use my left hand to help turn the knob, i guess maybe because it is still new, hopefull it will loosen up a bit after sometime. I tested this monocular at night in urban setting, the image is sharp as the 50mm objective lens gather a lot of light.
I have yet to take this monocular out on a birding trip as i just received it yesterday, but i am very sure that i am goint to enjoy using it in the fields. I will update in my next post. For you who are thinking to buy a pair of bino, maybe you should try a monocular first. It is cheaper and way lighter than a pair of bino, and the image is comparable if not better than bjnoculars.
Till next time, happy birding.
