Monoculars and binoculars are great for birding, giving you an easily portable tool for observing wildlife from a distance. Problem is, their straight tube shapes aren’t the most comfortable to use when observing objects at higher or lower angles. As such, one of our favorite makers of monoculars is releasing their take on the angled viewing tool in the form of the Nocs Lite View Spotting Scope.
A compact spotting scope, the device takes the colorful designs and textured grips that have made the outfit’s monos and binos so popular, but slaps it on an angled form factor that’s still portable enough to drop in your bag for easily taking on hikes and day trips. This allows you to observe birds high up in trees and elevations for extended periods without having to strain your neck looking up the whole time.
The Nocs Lite View Spotting Scope takes on a shape ideal for birding, as it allows you to direct the objective lens at a high angle while keeping the eyepiece at a comfortable level. It also comes with an integrated boot for holding in hand during use, with the option to remove it for mounting on a tripod if you want an even more stable view. All that, of course, is combined with the outfit’s signature wave grip, which is designed to facilitate a secure hold while providing adequate impact protection.
It’s equipped with a 9x-27x zoom and 56mm objective lens, which gives it a 234 to 177 feet field of view at 1,000 yards. The scope uses fully multi-coated lenses to protect against reflection, scratches, and more, ensuring exception light transmission for bright and crisp images at all times. The inline focus wheel boasts fine-tuned resistance and leverage ratios, which, the outfit claims, will allow for smooth and precise visual adjustments from 6.6 feet onwards.
The Nocs Lite View Spotting Scope has a twist-up eyecup that can be extended or retracted, depending on what works best for your current position, while the whole thing weighs just 1.2 pounds for easily taking on the go. There’s also IPX4 ingress protection, so it should keep rain and fog at bay for those times you’re venturing out in less-than pleasant weather, while the housing is cut in an ultra-rugged thermoplastic frame, so it should be able to shrug off most bumps and drops. It comes with the outfit’s “No Matter What” lifetime warranty, by the way, so you can be confident taking it out during any kind of adventure. As of now, the scope is available in two colors, yellow and green, with more likely to come down the line.
Need something more powerful? The outfit is also offering the Long View Spotting Scope, which is, basically, a bigger and heavier version of this one. That model gets 20 to 60x magnification, an 85mm objective lens, and a 108 to 60 feet field of view at 1,000 yards, while being nitrogen-filled for fog-proof function and IPX7-rated for waterproofing.
Want one? The Nocs Lite View Spotting Scope is available now, priced at $349.95.