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Pros - Great clarity and contrast - Near focus distance of 20 inches! - Tripod adapter socket fits 1'-20 threaded tripod post Cons - Neoprene case is a bit tight - Not truly water resistant, despite claiming it is - Focus knob is too tight - No diopter adjustment

Welcome to my review of the Orion 10×42 Waterproof Monocular. This monocular is lightweight and compact, sized perfectly for carrying with you into the back woods or along the trails. The 10x42mm monocular is designed for bird-watching, viewing wildlife, or otherwise observing nature.

What Comes in the Box?

Orion doesn’t include many bells and whistles with this entry-level monocular, but you do get the basics that you need to take your monocular along with you in the woods. Here’s what comes in the box:

• Orion 10×42 Monocular
• Carrying strap
• Neoprene case with belt loop

The carrying strap and case are basic, and suit the purpose well enough for carrying the monocular around. The strap, though, rubs quite a bit against the neck when used for extended periods, and the neoprene case is a bit too snug. I found myself, more than once, hiking my pants up further than I wanted to when removing the monocular from the carrying case.

How Powerful is the Magnification?

This scope provides 10X magnification with a 42mm objective lens. With 17mm of eye relief, it is perfectly suited to use by people with or without eyeglasses, and the near focus distance of just over 20′ allows you to view even close-up birds in amazing detail.

What Kind of Optics Should I Expect?

Orion has designed this monocular to use a BK-7 roof prism, and has fully multi-coated the lenses with anti-reflection coatings to make sure your images have excellent detail, contrast, and brightness. I’ve found that the twist-up rubber eyeguard is perfect to help you properly position my eye to see the entire field of view. Unfortunately, the monocular does not provide any diopter adjustment.

Speaking of field of view, this monocular offers a 5.9o angular field of view, which works out to giving you 309 feet of view at 1,000 yards. This is narrower than my 12X monocular provides, but it’s not so narrow as to make this a drawback, really.

The focus mechanism is a center focus wheel, and the wheel is quite tight to turn. Perhaps even too tight, since my arthritic hands have to struggle with the focus wheel at times. Sure, you don’t have to worry about accidentally moving the focus wheel, but it could still be quite a bit looser and still be a secure focus mechanism.

The view through the monocular is amazing, with vivid detail and crisp, clear images. Light transmission is quite good, because of the large 42mm objective lens. You get sharp and bright images with plenty of magnification to bring small objects up close and personal.

How Good is the Body of this Monocular?

The body of this monocular is rubber-armored, and can stand up to normal bumps and short drops. There are no lens covers, unfortunately, so you should take care not to drop the monocular too often or from too far. The texture of the rubber armor provides an excellent ergonomic grip.

The monocular is lightweight and compact, measuring just 6.1′ long and weighing a mere 11 ounces. The 42mm objective lens is securely housed in the barrel, and there is an ample amount of rubber between the end of the monocular and the lens itself, providing some sun shielding and protection in case you do drop the monocular.

The bottom of the monocular has a tripod mount that works with any 1′-20 threaded tripod, which is a nice addition to an inexpensive monocular. You can set it up on a tripod for more stable viewing, or for easier sharing of your wildlife finds with your friends or family.

How Durable Is the Monocular?

Orion claims that the 10×42 monocular is waterproof, and this is where I really have to take issue with the product. It is most certainly not waterproof, or even really water resistant. After being sprayed by rain during one outing, I noticed that the image was suddenly quite foggy. I contacted Orion and obtained a warranty replacement, but the replacement monocular suffered the same fate after a few months of use when I was, once again, caught out in the rain.

How Well Does the Orion 10×42 Monocular Work in the Field?

I wish I could say that this monocular is terrific for almost any field work, but I simply cannot. If you’re sure that the weather will stay nice and you won’t accidentally get the monocular wet, it’s perfectly suited for most use. I’ve used it to spot deer and birds that I would have missed out on otherwise, and I really love the image you get through the monocular. Unfortunately, the monocular is far too prone to water damage and fogging to be used in all weather conditions, which is what most folks are looking for in a monocular.