Barr & Stroud 20x50 Sprite Monoculars Review

The Barr & Stroud 20x50 Sprite Monocular is ideal for those people who still want the performance of a binocular with a large objective lens and a very powerful 20x magnification, but where space is at a premium.

The Body

Looking just like the less powerful 10x50 version, the 20x50 Barr & Stroud Sprite Monocular is part of their Sahara range and is basically a binocular cut in half, making it about half the size of a full size binocular, but it still offers almost as much light gathering capabilities as that of a large 50mm binocular.

Whilst it must be said that the difference in brightness between the 20x and 10x is noticeable, this one is still bright enough to use in most conditions and you have the added bonus of twice the magnification.

This monocular has been designed to be used single handed or with a tripod, I would however say that because of the very powerful 20x magnification it can be a little difficult to keep completely steady just using your hands and would suggest using it with a tripod.

The monocular has the standard tripod thread located under the body, meaning that it will work with most tripods. What is more is the Sprite also comes with a small table-top tripod that works really well, and is ideal for setting up on a windowsill. It also sits very comfortably in the palm of your hand and the focusing wheel is simple enough to use from this position, but as I mentioned it can be a little trick to keep the image completely still.

Waterproof
The Barr & Stroud Sprite features a waterproof housing that has been immersion tested at 1m in depth for 60 seconds. They are also filled with Nitrogen Filled ensuring that the Sprite monocular is fog proof.

The monocular feels very light and the body is made from tough & lightweight polycarbonate that has a rubberised coating on the exterior which means that your monocular should survive most minor bumps as well as keeping any noise generated from knocks to a minimum. This may not initially seem that important, but is if you are observing anything that is easily spooked by noise like birds.

The Sprite monocular also comes with an objective lens cover that is tethered to the body, that fits well and shouldn't fall off accidentally. I really like the fact that the objective lens cap is tethered to the barrel of the monocular, but if you don't they can be removed, so everyone is a winner!

Focusing

If you are hand holding the Sprite monocular, the large focusing wheel is simple to use without removing your eye from the device. Focusing is very accurate and it takes about 2 full turns to go from infinity to it's closest focusing distance of about 2.5 meters (8.2ft).

The Optics

Quality BaK-4 roof prisms are used on all Barr & Stroud Sprite spotters as are fully coated lenses that give you an optical performance that is at least equal to, or better than other monocular in their class.

Overall I was very impressed by both the clarity and considering the magnification, the brightness of the image produced is not too bad. Whilst it is noticeably less bright than the 10x version the larger than usual 50mm diameter objective lenses help and it should be enough for most reasonable light conditions.

The apparent field of view for the Barr & Stroud Sprite 20x50 is a fairly good 152ft at 1000 yards, which is obviously a lot less than most 10x binoculars, but that and the brightness of the image produced is the price you have to pay for the more powerful magnification.

Accessories
This Sprite 20x50 monocular comes with a quality carrying case as well as a table top tripod, with rubberised feet, a position fixing screw and in general works really well. Also included was a lens cleaning cloth.

Conclusion & Uses

Available for around �50 to £60, I feel that the Barr & Stroud Sprite 20x50 monocular must be one of the best value monocular currently available and is ideal for anyone looking for some powerful optics, where space is at a premium.

I can see it being ideal for anyone going traveling, but especially those going camping, backpacking or cycle touring. It would also make a great optic to take to most sporting events or for anyone wanting to view birds or nature, where you either have to carry other equipment, like a camera or just want to keep at least one hand free. I also feel that combined with the table top tripod, it is perfect for leaving on pretty much any windowsill that has a view or as I do have it trained on the bird feeders at the back of the garden.