Leica Monovid 8x20 Monocular

I've been using this gem daily as a professional Naturalist for over a month now. I love that I can wear the case on my belt and be un-encumbered for daily naturalist duties such as carrying nets and buckets, wrangling wildlife and children during programs, and hiking the trails for research. In such situations I often felt burdened by my full size Swarovski Els. Now I can just quickdraw this baby out whenever a warbler, butterfly, dragonfly, turtle or mammal requires my attention. Excellent optics and good eye relief even with my glasses on (all the time). Of course, it is not bright enough for birding in dusk or very low light situations, but most of the time it is bright and beautiful to look through. I love how quick the focus is: makes going from infinity down to just under six feet a snap in just half a turn. The accessory lens is fun to play with and screws nice and safe in the case lid. The easy clean coatings do a good job of repelling dust, I hardly have to clean it, but the supplied tethered rain guard helps too. I have been very impressed with its performance for birding. Wouldn't call it a pocket spotting scope, but definitely a pocket field glass. Water proof submersabilty is a bonus for the ruff and ready adventurer. The 8 power is a little hard to hold steady, but held deep in the webbing of the thumb it is very stable (do not hold in the finger tips). While in use in the palm it is so discreet many nature center visitors are fooled into thinking I have eagle eyes, picking out green herons or eastern Kingbirds in the back of the pond, and counting wood ducklings at 80 yards. Cons: Focusing requires two hands and the focus, while smooth and fast, is a bit tight, if the focus ring had less resistance to it, it would be possible to focus one handed. Bare metal scares me, but the wrist lanyard should prevent drops. I wish it was supplied with a neck strap as well for 500 bucks! The case, while nifty and protective, does not have a very re-enforced belt loop, so I fear it will fail after about a year or two of daily wear. I also wish it had an integrated objective lens cap. Low light performance is as expected for a 20mm lens, so its not going to replace full size bins in all situations. All of these cons are mere quibbles, this thing should be standard issue for all naturalists!