Nikon 5×15 Monocular Review

Binoculars are useful tools for various purposes. Over the years, the popularity of binoculars has reduced. People have started finding better alternatives. Therefore, to regain fame, companies introduced monoculars. A monocular is great for adventure and travelling. However, many people are still uninformed about monoculars. In this article, we will give you a detailed Nikon 5×15 monocular review.

Our Verdict

The Nikon5x15 monocular has 5 magnification and provides a great quality view. The great thing is the use of titanium in its design which makes it one of the most durable monoculars in the market. However, it is not waterproof which is the only con it has.

Design

Let us talk about the design. Firstly, here is something to set you back. The Nikon monocular is made out of titanium. This makes the entire monocular very sturdy. There, the first point itself makes you want to buy it. Titanium is rarely used for such devices. Yet, Nikon has provided us with this. The downside to this is that it makes the tool heavy. Titanium is really heavy. Some spotting scopes or monoculars of similar prices are made of stainless steel.

To be honest, there is not much difference between the materials. Both of them run equally well. But a heavier material will give you the feeling of durability. It is an age-old mentality, but sometimes it might be right. The Nikon monocular has excellent eye relief. This can range from 14.8mm to 15.8mm. You have an option to choose which one is best suited for you. This is very good for people with glasses. Very few companies care about those with eyeglasses. Nikon has made their monoculars inclusive in that aspect.

The eyecup too is really soft. It is made of good quality rubber. This gives your eyes sufficient rest while using it. The rubber is just perfect. It is not too harsh or too slimy. Another notable thing is that the eyecups are actually quite different. You might compare it to modern eyecups, but you might be mistaken. Nikon eyecups are designed in a retro way. They are flatter. The entire design is in such a way that holding it will provide sturdiness. The 5×15 monocular is portable. It looks cute and fits nicely in your pocket.

Magnification

There are many retailers for the Nikon monocular. Since there are few reviews on this, we had to speak to the retailers. The Nikon monocular has useful magnification. It can go n for about 15 inches to 18 inches. This is a great focus for a tiny monocular. Moreover, just like binoculars, this is adjustable. The monocular comes with an instruction manual. This provides you with more details on this. The closest focus of the monocular is about 0.6m. Instead of having one standard magnification, customers have a wide range of options.

The monocular is tested in low light surroundings as well. This was a success because they are almost like spy cameras. Obviously, they do not have night vision, but you will still be able to see everything clearly. For example, if you are at an opera or orchestra. The monocular will help you see the stage clearly from your seat. These monoculars provide high-quality vision. This is one reason why they are regaining popularity. They will give you the best outlook and a smooth focus.

You do not have to worry about the image resolution either. Another great feature of the monocular is the field view. This is the amount of area the lens can cover. Very few optical devices have the power like Nikon’s monocular. This can be the unique selling point of the product. But increased coverage led to the loss of focus as well.

The lens curvature loses focus due to its wide-angle. However, the loss is not too much. It takes about 4 to 5 seconds for the lense to reestablish focus. The Nikon monocular has a good roof prism phase. This is another thing that makes it stand out. We will cover optics related details in the following section.

Focus and Optics

This is the heart and soul of a monocular. This monocular has a focus ring. You need to turn the focus ring in the desired direction to increase the focus. The overall monocular has a roof prism design. You can test this out when you purchase it. Keep the lens facing you and turn the focus ring. You will clearly see the ocular lense in motion. The lense has to be constantly adjusted. If it is left at the same setting for a long time, you will get an unclear image. You might take a while to get used to this if you are a binocular user. The device has an angular view of about 9 degrees.

The higher-rated Nikon monoculars have better optics. You get a better depth of view. Nikon uses multi-coated optics. Some might not be aware of these terminologies. While testing eye-devices, engineers use what is called a ‘doubler’. This increases the magnification power of the device. Therefore the doubler is like a universal standard of comparison. If there is a lot of difference between the doubler and the device, this means that the device is not that great.

Of course, this also depends on the type of difference. Talking about the Nikon-doubler test, we found some great results. The Nikon monocular proved to be one step ahead of the doubler. This is a rare phenomenon. Very limited optics can do this. You can smoothly use the scope to focus during hunts, and nature trail activities. The zooming capability of the device will leave you astonished.

The image clarity is much better than you can think of. Sometimes, even soft copies of the images do not do enough justice to the monocular. Once you see it with your eyes, you will believe in its abilities. The most distant photos can be beautifully captured by this. It helps to bring life to many adventures. We are currently talking about the 5×15 monocular. This is the most trending one in the market. The lens is designed in such a way that you will have minimal light entering the monocular. This is what causes the high-resolution image. The magnification is ideal for the scope.

The Nikon 5×15 monocular has a generous layering of protective materials and chemicals. This is what helps the light pass through the optic. It all works in unity. Nikon has a brilliant exit pupil too. It is set at 3mm. This is not too great, but it is adequate for a monocular. Aligning the exit pupil was also very easy. In fact, it is easier than the focus itself. This monocular has good the color schematics too.

Usually, people are not as concerned about accuracy of colors, but it is still a crucial area. However, low color magnification might ruin experiences for some people. This distortion of colors is called chromatic aberration. We have found that the Nikon monocular does have some amount of chromatic aberration. However, this is really negligible. In fact, the only way you will notice this distortion is if you specifically look for it. The lease is anti-reflective. This means that if you are focusing on something bright, it will not refract on the lense.

Construction

Earlier, we mentioned the overall design of the product. Now we will go into the details of the construction. You will love how the Nikon 5×15 monocular looks. It is one of its kind. We will go over each component of the Nikon monocular.

The materials that go into building a Celestron Scope is very intense. We will try to give you the basic breakdown of the components of the scope. The scope consists of a rubber eyecup. This is where you place your eye to view into the scope. This is made of rubber because it has to be easy on the eye. Rubber does not damage the eye. The best part about the Nikon eyecup is that it does not strain the eyes. The next component is the eyepiece.

We have covered details regarding the eyepiece in the section above. Therefore, moving on to the next item; the focus ring. This is to secure the eyepiece after adjusting it. You can twist and rotate the eyepiece gently you get the desired magnification. After you change the eyepiece, many times, you still want to zoom in our out of the target. Therefore you have the focus knob. You do not need to re-adjust the eyepiece to tamper with the focus knob. The next part is the stand. The Nikon monocular comes with a stand. This is detachable.

If you don’t want to hold the monocular in your hand, you can attach the stand to it. Moving to the other parts of the scope, you have the delicate areas. These are the lens and the lens cap. The lens is where the lens is fitted. The lens cap is a protective outer layer. The lens is very delicate. However, the overall device might have great durability.

Therefore you need to protect the lens at all costs. To make this job easier, you have the lens cap. Unlike the eyecup that is made of rubber, the lens cap is made of more rigid metal. This helps to serve its purpose. If you want the further distribution of the camera lens, it consists of three key elements. These are the t-ring, the adapter and an additional eyepiece. Three of these items combined form the camera body.

The size varies according to the overall size of the monocular. Since a monocular is very tiny, all the above components are also small. The Nikon 5×15 can withstand any weather condition. This is what makes it so advanced from maximum heat to chilling winters. However, to get more information on how much harsh whether it can hold, it will be best to read the manual. The monocular comes with a bag too. This is to keep it in your backpack without damaging the camera.

Pros and Cons

Final Thought

Since Nikon is a reputed brand, we still favour the monocular. It is a compact and different type of product. We hope this article clears your doubts about the monocular. Nikon even has a 25-year warranty on all their products. This covers the monocular for a long time. If it requires any kind of service or repair, Nikon will do it for free. However, for this, you have to purchase the product from an original Nikon showroom.