Macroscope 8x25

Pleasantly surprised by this little device, the once well-regarded Minox name is now used for optical devices of wide ranging quality. The Porro prism design may add a little bulk (I'd still describe it as small, and much smaller than a pair of decent 8x25 roofs but it is chunky) but delivers a very bright, sharp and clear view.

It focuses very closely without the hassle of adding extra lenses so is great for insects and flowers. For more distant subjects it is decent, but harder to hold steady than binoculars - fine as an occasional use device, or if you're really trying to minimise weight.

It's just about a one handed device, in that you can hold it in your palm and very slowly turn the focus ring with a finger, but the long travel really necessitates two-handed operation for all but small adjustments to focus.

I've not found a great need for it, but there is a standard tripod thread too.

I've not compared it to the dinky Leica Monovid, but optically it holds it's own with mid-range compact roofs costing far more. It feels very robust and I've had no issues at all. Not the very cheapest monocular, but not that expensive and a handy general naturalists tool.

very small, close focus down to half a meter, even has a screw hole to connect to a tripod:-O