Bushnell Legend 10x42 Ultra HD Monocular, Optical Performance for Hunting and Wildlife Observation

I am extremely impressed by this scope. About the size of a standard flashlight, it is a marvel. Solidly built with lens caps on either end, the unit has an ingenious one-handed focus wheel that works perfectly. It is also 100% water and fog-proof, with a rugged rubberized coating.In looking through it, I am even more impressed: a crystal-clear, super bright image that really opens up the world. The shape and size makes it easy to keep it steady in the hand, and the 10x is really just perfect for urban viewing and bird watching. I am impressed that the light-gathering is significantly better than the unassisted eye; that is to say, looking through here shows a brighter image than without it!I have another scope that I love, the Minox Macroscope 8x25 Waterproof Rubber Armored Mini Telescope, Black Edition 62207 that I compare this to. The Minox is a bit smaller and requires two hands to focus, though it does seem to allow focus on even closer objects than the Bushnell (for example, a butterfly just a few feet away). The Minox is also much easier to conceal/carry at nearly pocketable size, whereas the Bushnell is basically half of a medium-sized pair of binoculars. The tradeoff, however, is image quality. There is no doubt that this larger scope has greater magnification (10x vs. 8x of the Minox) and gathers significantly more light to create a brighter image, even in relatively dark conditions (that's what the second number means, how big the lens is, 42mm for the Bushnell vs. 25mm on the Minox).Overall, I am delighted with this purchase and feel that this is a state-of-the-art item. I read a number of reviews and professional comparisons, and was very pleased by the near-universal praise for these optics. Although I love my Minox scope, this will dethrone it for my "go to" scope... and that is saying something!

Background: I'm mostly blind and have started birding. My right eye doesn't really work, so why carry an extra heavy binocular tube? This is the best monocular I've been able to find, and believe me- I did a ton of research before choosing it. The Bushnell monocular is the only one that lists all it's specs and details. I've looked at the top competitors: Vortex, Wingspan, and Gosky have comparable monoculars, but I found them to be sketchy because of the lack of detail provided by both seller and company. They may well be very nice optics, but I like to Know what I'm getting into.Good stuff:I opted for a 10 power optic, not the standard 8 used in birding.One hand focus works quickly enough to aquire the target within seconds.The image quality is what I would expect from something like a Nikon Monarch 400 (I think that's what it's called). It's super clear, and easy to stabilize- not that it shakes that much at that power anyway.It's sturdy enough to be banged around in my pack, and has held up to a drop or two from it. I was ecstatic to find the Cooper's hawk before any in my group.Bad stuff:Well, considering the Bushnell legend hd roof prism binoculars of the same size run around the same price, I think this optic is pretty expensive. This is assuming that this optic is adapted from half of that set.The top lense cap is made of hard plastic, which can damage the coating and make annoying clanking sounds if it pops off.I don't think much of the case, which is bulky and poorly designed where utility is concerned.If shaken vigorously, this optic will rattle a bit. The source of the sound is a loosely fit tube housing around the screw that adjusts focus. It's not a main component, and isn't going to affect the actual Working mechanisms, which are all well fitted and tight.

UPDATED 6-23-2016 The image on this monocular is DEFINITELY better than from a Vortex DiamondBack 10x42 binoculars (purchased in 2014). This monocular is also definitely Brighter in it's light gathering, enough to be slightly noticeable. I've done extensive back-and-forth between this monocular, the DiamondBack 10x42's and the DiamondBack 8x28's. I purchased this monocular after having been very unhappy with my purchase of the Vortex Solo 10x36 Monocular. The Vortex monocular was pretty much impossible to focus with the same hand that was holding the unit. The Vortex monocular's focus ring was ridiculously stiff! The focus adjuster on this Bushnell monocular can be adjusted just fine with a single finger from the same hand which is holding the unit. It is not as smooth as the focus adjuster on my Vortex DiamondBack Binoculars... but not too much stiffer than those binoculars. Also.. this unit comes with a flip-down style Objective Lens cap, and the eye-piece has a tethered rubber cap. The Picatinny-rail piece you see in the photographs has 3 slots thru it and the middle slot of those has a standard 1/4-20 threaded tripod mount hole in it. This Bushnell monocular also has a nice strong belt-clip attached to the left-hand side of the unit (if looking thru the unit with the focus adjuster sitting on the top as in the picture here).The attached photos were taken by simply holding up my Nokia Lumia 928 cellphone by-hand up to the lense of this Bushnell Monocular while I had it on the Tripod. The deer in the photos are 100 yards away.I will appreciate the weight savings this device will give me for those times when I wish to pack-in my spotting scope as well.

This is a very good quality option in monoculars, and is well worth the small extra money it costs compared with many of the others out there. It’s easy to focus, with very little distortion and works great even in low lighting.Compared to the other sub $200 options out there, this one shines.My only issue is with the eye piece cover. I’ll be looking for something better