Vortex 8x25 Monocular advice/review

[Oldbloke]

I don't like binoculars and have a leupold 6x range finder I use to search for game sometimes. And it's not bad. But feel a need for 8x.

Its not often I need the range finder option.

I'm thinking of purchasing a monocular and the vortex brand are very price competitive and I'm looking for something that's very small and lightweight.

I'm looking at the 8x25mm. Wont do well in low light but id prefer compact to low light perfomance. I'm just wondering if anyone here is had one and are they happy with it especially the optics.

Open to suggestions.

And no, I don't want to spend $1k.

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[in2anity]

OB i just use one of those celestron 10x25s on the 200m sitting mound, just to verify my zero at the appropriate times. It's a bit cloudy i'll admit, but plenty good enough to see the markers. Simlar price - tomato tomato maybe the vortex is even clearer.

[bigpete]

I'm looking at getting the next size up

[bladeracer]

I have rangefinders in 6-power and 8-power, they're fine for checking the cows, but pretty hopeless for seeing detail, like a deer laying in grass in the shadows of a tree line. I find binocular vision far better so I carry 10-power binos for hunting. I have several other monoculars, including a brass 25-power telescope but I will always prefer the added definition of binoculars.

[Oldbloke]

I'm looking at getting the next size up

They are now being considered too. The 36mm lenses should make a big difference.
Tried 10x long time ago. Bit shakey

[bladeracer]

I'm looking at getting the next size up

They are now being considered too. The 36mm lenses should make a big difference.
Tried 10x long time ago. Bit shakey

Ten-power is as high as I go with handheld optics, any higher and I need to be leaning against a tree or something, or use a tripod to keep them steady.

We have a pair of 10X binos we use to check if there is anything in the mailbox before going down the hill. I got a new phone last week which offers 100-power zoom and so far I'm impressed, I can check the mailbox with it, and see it more clearly than with the binos

Last week I was doing some .22LR practice at 235m. The phone only goes to 20-power on video, but I could see bullets splashing the dirt in the video that I could not see in the 18-power scope at the time, so the definition seems very good.

[stihl88]

This is what i use range is about 20 kilometers!!!

DJI Mini 4 Pro

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Example of a drone in action at the range - Shooting with drone 1000 yards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6AS3Dau3iI

You can pick up the DJI Mini 2 SE for around $500 ~ $600 bucks and range is about 10 k's still! My son has one and it's bloody awesome and pretty much flies itself. It can hover at the target for about 30 minutes before needing to change batteries.

DJI Mini 2 SE

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Specs

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[Oldbloke]

Would never consider a drone.

[bladeracer]

This is what i use range is about 20 kilometers!!!

8.jpg

Example of a drone in action at the range - Shooting with drone 1000 yards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6AS3Dau3iI

You can pick up the DJI Mini 2 SE for around $500 ~ $600 bucks and range is about 10 k's still! My son has one and it's bloody awesome and pretty much flies itself. It can hover at the target for about 30 minutes before needing to change batteries.

6.jpg

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I've been thinking about one of these for a target viewing camera. Too much crap to lug around when I'm hunting though. Can you rig up a motorcycle battery on the ground to power it while it hovers at the target?

[bigpete]

Would never consider a drone.

Horrible bloody things

[Oldbloke]

Would never consider a drone.

Horrible bloody things

100%

[stihl88]

This is what i use range is about 20 kilometers!!!

8.jpg

Example of a drone in action at the range - Shooting with drone 1000 yards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6AS3Dau3iI

You can pick up the DJI Mini 2 SE for around $500 ~ $600 bucks and range is about 10 k's still! My son has one and it's bloody awesome and pretty much flies itself. It can hover at the target for about 30 minutes before needing to change batteries.

6.jpg

5.jpg

I've been thinking about one of these for a target viewing camera. Too much crap to lug around when I'm hunting though. Can you rig up a motorcycle battery on the ground to power it while it hovers at the target?

I realize some people are anti-drone for whatever reason but I absolutely love mine, I've got a heavy RC background though so it's 2nd nature.

Great for hunting but gotta weigh up whether or not it's worth lugging around. Night time target acquisition is outstanding on the thermal units and can really cut down on the amount of time it takes to hone in on some ferals https://youtu.be/TtoxMqtYjLE?si=RZtj-2nIOG3EX81m&t=465. I'll be rigging mine with a small onboard thermal soon...

You probably couldn't rig up an external battery that easy but one push of the home button and you'll have the battery swapped out and back on target again within a minute or two and 30 minute battery life is bloody great.

[GQshayne]

Like everything else, it depends on your usage.


I have the Vortex 10x mono and I reckon it is great. I leave it on the dash when I am out in the bush, and when I have one of those "what is that black lump" moments, it is right in front of me to grab and have a look in a few seconds.

[bladeracer]

I realize some people are anti-drone for whatever reason but I absolutely love mine, I've got a heavy RC background though so it's 2nd nature.

Great for hunting but gotta weigh up whether or not it's worth lugging around. Night time target acquisition is outstanding on the thermal units and can really cut down on the amount of time it takes to hone in on some ferals https://youtu.be/TtoxMqtYjLE?si=RZtj-2nIOG3EX81m&t=465. I'll be rigging mine with a small onboard thermal soon...

You probably couldn't rig up an external battery that easy but one push of the home button and you'll have the battery swapped out and back on target again within a minute or two and 30 minute battery life is bloody great.

I can't say that I'm against them for hunting, more that it's too just much junk to carry in the bush. It would be especially useful for checking the cows as it would save us having to drive down to the blocks and sit watching them for twenty minutes to see if any are on heat or in labour, we could just launch this thing from the house and let it hover out there. It could be useful to get in and look at some areas on mate's properties that are very difficult to walk into to see if deer are hanging about in there. But if I manage to clip a tree I'm guessing I'll be walking in anyway to recover the drone. Trying to fly it around in trees at night seems like a guaranteed way to lose it?

That's true but what do additional batteries cost? If I'm out there for four hours I'd need eight batteries. Or do they charge fairly quickly off a solar panel or powerbank? Where I'm wanting to shoot long-range I have to trek around the end of the valley to inspect the targets after a session, which is a 2000m walk each way. It adds _a lot_ of wasted time to a shooting session and totally devalues any wind DOPE by the time I get back to the shooting position.

I've just bought a new phone so I had a plan to buy another SIM so I can set one phone up at the targets and video call it from the shooting position to view my impacts. And I thought having a phone on a different provider might be a useful backup when I'm in the bush. So I talked to the Telstra shop and they offered me a SIM for $60 a month, but he couldn't say for sure whether that would cover several hours of video calling as that counts as data apparently. And $700+ to use a phone for a year is ludicrous. So I'll probably just add another SIM to our current account with unlimited data and give it a try.

But the price of drones is coming down rapidly while the technology is improving just as fast. It's now comparable to wireless target camera tech I think and more useful.

I looked up the specs and max speed is 58kph, almost one kilometer per minute, which isn't bad at all, though wind could significantly reduce that. But at 10km range that's more than ten minutes travel time, less than ten minutes on station, then ten minutes travel back?

For spotting animals resting in the bush, or looking for sign along tracks, I really don't think it'd be very effective looking at a small digital 2D screen, especially compared to decent binoculars. But thermal would be very useful I can imagine, even in daytime? What is involved (money-wise) in adding thermal capability to it?

[Oldbloke]

Using gear like that, just isn't cricket.

Sure for pest eradication. But pls don't call it hunting.

It just isn't "fair chase" IMO

Next it will be hand grenade hunting.

[Oldbloke]

I decided to purchase the 8x36 solo.

[stihl88]

Using gear like that, just isn't cricket.

Sure for pest eradication. But pls don't call it hunting.

It just isn't "fair chase" IMO

Next it will be hand grenade hunting.

On that notion it's best you go back to hunting with Atlatls then...

In all seriousness though drones are used to follow up on misplaced shots as is regularly done as a professional and paid service in the US, makes for even more humane practices which is a great thing for the "sport". I don't see any difference in glassing a hillside vs using a Drone both accomplish the same thing...

Ever used a trail camera or scoped the lay of the land using Google Maps before? If so you're in that same unfair advantage world as Drones.

[stihl88]

I can't say that I'm against them for hunting, more that it's too just much junk to carry in the bush. It would be especially useful for checking the cows as it would save us having to drive down to the blocks and sit watching them for twenty minutes to see if any are on heat or in labour, we could just launch this thing from the house and let it hover out there. It could be useful to get in and look at some areas on mate's properties that are very difficult to walk into to see if deer are hanging about in there. But if I manage to clip a tree I'm guessing I'll be walking in anyway to recover the drone. Trying to fly it around in trees at night seems like a guaranteed way to lose it?

That's true but what do additional batteries cost? If I'm out there for four hours I'd need eight batteries. Or do they charge fairly quickly off a solar panel or powerbank? Where I'm wanting to shoot long-range I have to trek around the end of the valley to inspect the targets after a session, which is a 2000m walk each way. It adds _a lot_ of wasted time to a shooting session and totally devalues any wind DOPE by the time I get back to the shooting position.

I've just bought a new phone so I had a plan to buy another SIM so I can set one phone up at the targets and video call it from the shooting position to view my impacts. And I thought having a phone on a different provider might be a useful backup when I'm in the bush. So I talked to the Telstra shop and they offered me a SIM for $60 a month, but he couldn't say for sure whether that would cover several hours of video calling as that counts as data apparently. And $700+ to use a phone for a year is ludicrous. So I'll probably just add another SIM to our current account with unlimited data and give it a try.

But the price of drones is coming down rapidly while the technology is improving just as fast. It's now comparable to wireless target camera tech I think and more useful.

I looked up the specs and max speed is 58kph, almost one kilometer per minute, which isn't bad at all, though wind could significantly reduce that. But at 10km range that's more than ten minutes travel time, less than ten minutes on station, then ten minutes travel back?

For spotting animals resting in the bush, or looking for sign along tracks, I really don't think it'd be very effective looking at a small digital 2D screen, especially compared to decent binoculars. But thermal would be very useful I can imagine, even in daytime? What is involved (money-wise) in adding thermal capability to it?

No more heavier and not much more space than Bino's, but yeah it is one more thing... Definitely useful for checking on the cows, a mate of mine had the same idea recently when he saw mine in action. If you step up into the next tier you start to get obstacle avoidance which will cater for most obstacles except for thin leafless branches but setting it to 50m in height you'll avoid most obstacles then just use the zoom function on said target. It's got a return to home feature which can be adjusted to return home at a pre-defined height at the press of a button.

Regarding batteries just get the "fly more" pack which comes with 3, then if you have a need for more they're about $90 a pop or you could just charge them in the field from a powerbank, they should charge to full in about 40-40 minutes if you have a good powerbank, max charge rate is 28w to that's about 5-6 amps at 5v or at 3.1amp hour @ 9v using usb-c input.

Your math's looks good on the drone speeds and times, it can handle wind surprisingly well.

There's no off the self thermal add-ons so i'll be looking to piecing together one similar to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTbsvgiypa8 We're not technically allowed to fly at night under CASA laws. The cameras on these drones have higher ISO auto set which provides for excellent picture quality in low-light conditions but in pitch black you'd almost certainly need thermal. You can install IR cameras also but their visibility range is minimal.

Sounds like you need to get yourself one, they really are a sight to behold. Consider signing up to their insurance plan which is about $90 p/year that covers 2 free replacement drones on "flyaway etc".

[bladeracer]

No more heavier and not much more space than Bino's, but yeah it is one more thing... Definitely useful for checking on the cows, a mate of mine had the same idea recently when he saw mine in action. If you step up into the next tier you start to get obstacle avoidance which will cater for most obstacles except for thin leafless branches but setting it to 50m in height you'll avoid most obstacles then just use the zoom function on said target. It's got a return to home feature which can be adjusted to return home at a pre-defined height at the press of a button.

Regarding batteries just get the "fly more" pack which comes with 3, then if you have a need for more they're about $90 a pop or you could just charge them in the field from a powerbank, they should charge to full in about 40-40 minutes if you have a good powerbank, max charge rate is 28w to that's about 5-6 amps at 5v or at 3.1amp hour @ 9v using usb-c input.

Your math's looks good on the drone speeds and times, it can handle wind surprisingly well.

There's no off the self thermal add-ons so i'll be looking to piecing together one similar to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTbsvgiypa8 We're not technically allowed to fly at night under CASA laws. The cameras on these drones have higher ISO auto set which provides for excellent picture quality in low-light conditions but in pitch black you'd almost certainly need thermal. You can install IR cameras also but their visibility range is minimal.

Sounds like you need to get yourself one, they really are a sight to behold. Consider signing up to their insurance plan which is about $90 p/year that covers 2 free replacement drones on "flyaway etc".

I doubt I'd have any use for it at night anyway, but thermal works very well in daylight doesn't it?
My mate reminded me that I don't need to actually fly it, I can just park it in front of the target with the camera running. I would think if it's simply recording/sending video to my phone the battery would last significantly longer than when it's running the motors?

[stihl88]

Thermal works well during the day but heat signatures tend to be more blended/distorted in the afternoon due to surrounding objects sitting at a warmer temperature but if your shooting from the air at a higher angle this should improve somewhat as you'll avoid the reflective heat.

I was thinking the same about sitting in front of the target to conserve battery (keeping your distance if shooting at steel) you'd have to turn off the auto shutoff feature otherwise it will shutoff after a few minutes of inactivity. Remember to charge the battery's to 100% after 5 days of inactivity! I noticed my battery's were slightly discharged after about a week of inactivity, I've since learnt this is due to the smart auto discharge feature which starts to discharge them to about 75% after 5 days of inactivity leading to greater battery health and longevity.

[bigpete]

I for one look forward to hearing oldblokes review on the monocular as I'm keen on one myself.
Drones can go get f***ed

[GQshayne]

I for one look forward to hearing oldblokes review on the monocular as I'm keen on one myself.
Drones can go get f***ed

Depends on use I reckon. Just like everything else. I like mine.

I find binos to be of little use to me, and mostly close one eye when using them. So having the mono is better for me in that respect. I also like how quickly I can pick it up off the dash to have a squizz at something. I would never carry it walking, but never carried binos either. No use for them in that instance.

[Oldbloke]

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[Oldbloke]

When they have arrived & I get an opportunity I'll report on the optics. Ill Compare them with a Leupold rifle scope.

[Oldbloke]

Arrived. Looks very good ATM. Here are weights without and with cases. (I have removed the belt clip.)

I hope to compare a few later today.

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[Oldbloke]

OK. I have compared them at 280 yards and about 800yards.


The Vortex 8x36 are:
Obviously better than the Pentax binoculars.
Slightly better than the Nikon 7x20 binoculars
Equal to or slightly better than the leupold 6x20 RF.

At 280 yards I could clearly see fencing wire.

[bigpete]

Nice

[GQshayne]

Told ya!!!!

[Oldbloke]

Told ya!!!!

Yep, pretty happy with it.
Like drones, I hate bino's. I'll carry this a fair bit where most of my hunting is these days.
In thicker areas I'll go back to using the 6x Leupold RF.

[GQshayne]

Good to hear. Hope it does a good job for you. Certainly for something to carry, they are small and light, so good in that respect compared to binos.