Monoculars
Nitrogen-filled at 435 g, or IP68 to ten metres?
Twelve by fifty on both, so magnification, aperture and the 4.2 mm exit pupil are identical by arithmetic. The two listings then publish opposite halves of the rest: one gives a weight and no transmission figure, the other a transmission figure and no weight.
| Compared on | Wave 12x50 (1331251) | KF33.075 12x50 |
|---|---|---|
| Aperture | 50 mm | 50 mm |
| Magnification | 12x, fixed by the design | 12x, fixed by the design |
| Exit pupil | 4.2 mm — 50 divided by 12 | 4.2 mm — 50 divided by 12 |
| True field of view | Not published by the maker. | Not published by the maker. |
| Prism | BaK-4 glass, full multi-coating plus the maker’s UR coating | BAK4 prisms with FMC broadband coating |
| Coatings | Not published by the maker. | Up to 99 per cent, as the maker states it |
| Sealing | Waterproof housing with nitrogen filling, per the maker | IP68, stated by the maker as ten metres |
| Weight | 435 g, as the maker publishes it | Not published by the maker. |
| Supplied accessories | Hand strap | Not published by the maker. |
A tick means one listing published something the other did not, or published a better figure. It does not mean the product is better, and the column is not a score out of anything: a maker who says less loses lines here without losing a comparison. The two verdicts below are where the page is settled.
The one that gives a weight. Four hundred and thirty-five grams is the figure that decides whether a monocular is carried in a coat pocket or left behind, and it is the only one of the two to publish it. Its sealing is described in words — waterproof, nitrogen-filled — rather than by a rating.
The one with a rating rather than an adjective. IP68 stated as ten metres is a claim that can be checked against a standard, where "waterproof" cannot. Up to ninety-nine per cent is a transmission claim with a number attached, and the weight is nowhere in the listing.
It is a beam narrower than a dark-adapted pupil, so the view is dimmer than a 10x50 would give. On a fixed monocular the figure follows from the two numbers in the name and is not a design choice.
No. Nitrogen filling prevents internal fogging by removing the moisture inside the body; IP68 describes resistance to water getting in from outside. A instrument can have one without the other.
For short looks. Twelve times magnifies hand tremor twelve times as well, and most observers see noticeably more with the monocular braced against something solid.
12x · 50 mm · 435 g · waterproof and nitrogen-filled
A 12x50 monocular with BaK-4 glass, UR coating, a twist-up eyecup and a nitrogen-filled waterproof body, published at 435 g.
Best for: A pocket instrument for dusk that is meant to be used in poor weather
≈ $130 / £96 / €79
12x · 50 mm · 4.2 mm exit pupil · IP68
A 12x50 monocular with a fully sealed nitrogen-filled body rated IP68 to ten metres, BAK4 prisms and a raisable eyepiece for spectacle wearers.
Best for: Wet-weather use where a sealed instrument is worth more than an extra millimetre of exit pupil
≈ $45 / £40 / €50
Any figure written into the body of this page was true on the day it was written. The amount shown next to each instrument is requested from the retailer as the page loads, and it is that amount, not the text, that stands.
