As soon as I started testing the Celestron Outland X 10×50 monocular, I was impressed with its quality feel and the ease of one-handed operation. The top-mounted focus wheel feels very premium and I was impressed with the overall feel of a monocular in this price range.
The Outland X has a rugged, waterproof case and is nitrogen purged to prevent fogging. We used the Outland on rainy days and these claims certainly seemed accurate. At one point, we dropped the Outland in a lake we were visiting, and aside from cleaning and wiping the lens, it didn’t suffer any water ingress or other undue effects.
The 50mm objective lens proved useful in low light conditions, and the multi-coated lens and BaK-4 prism helped direct the light to the eye, but the 50mm objective lens made the Outland quite bulky around the end of the barrel, making it too big for most pockets.
We found the Outland X to perform well for nighttime stargazing, and it has a standard-fit tripod thread, which we recommend for nighttime use to keep the view stable.
Celestron Outland X 10×50 Monocular Review
Celestron Outland X 10×50: Design
- Durable waterproof housing
- BaK-4 full coating optics
- Excellent light transmission
The Outland X looks like a serious product, and it performed well in that regard. It’s not the lightest monocular out there, and the 50mm objective lens makes the monocular quite wide at the end, making it a bit too big to fit in your pocket. Still, it’s small enough to use with one hand. Plus, the 50mm objective lens is great for stargazing, letting in more light from dimmer, more distant stars for a more accurate view of nebulae and constellations.
The lenses have multiple coatings to reduce glare and aid in light transmission, and the prisms have a BaK-4 coating to aid in the transmission of light through the unit. These additions help create a bright image, but there’s a limit to how far manufacturers can push the quality of the glass at this price point, and we found the image to be less than crisp.
The Outland X comes with a smartphone mount, which is a nice addition, but in practice it was pretty hard to use and the resulting images were mixed. The Outland X is difficult to mount without being on a tripod, and even with a tripod it’s very tedious to get a clear image. If your phone doesn’t have the thinnest of cases, you’ll need to remove it before inserting the phone into the holder. Once attached, the clamp isn’t tight enough and the phone often ends up falling out of the lens’s field of view. All of these issues can be mitigated by using a tripod as mentioned above, but this is very tedious and generally takes away from the convenience of using a monocular.
specification
design: Roof Prism
magnification: 10x
Objective lens: 50mm
Eye Relief: 16.8mm
Weight: 14.6 oz / 415 g
size: 6.5 x 3.3 x 2.4 inches / 16.6 x 85 x 62 mm
Durability: Waterproof and anti-fog
The Outland X has a three-position rotatable eyecup with a comfortable rubber surround, making it easy for anyone to use, with or without glasses. The objective lens cover is strapped to the main body, but the eyepiece cover doesn’t come with an attachment, so you’re better off keeping it in your pocket to avoid losing it.
The Outland can be mounted on a standard photographic monopod or tripod for extended observation or digiscoping, and during testing we found a tripod to be useful, especially when using the smartphone mount.
We found that the Outland lacks a carry strap and attachment points to the body, but it does come with a carry pouch with a belt clip.
Celestron Outland X 10×50: Performance
- 50m lens provides excellent performance in low light conditions
- Not a very clear image
- Rugged Construction
Monoculars in this price range are a careful mix of tight budget constraints, and while the Outland X performs well in all areas, I found the image wasn’t the sharpest when compared to more expensive competitors.
Our testing included some bird watching on a local lake, and the Outland was sharp on subjects up to 50 meters away, but anything beyond that became a bit blurry and indistinct. This would improve with a higher magnification, but it was during this portion of the test that we noticed the price starting to limit performance.
That said, overall performance is pretty impressive. I particularly like the wide-angle 50mm objective lens, which lets in a bit more light than the typical 42mm standard for monoculars in this price range. This makes observing the night sky a breeze, and during the bright summer months I was able to easily spot the faint haze of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31).
I also found the top-mounted, easy-to-turn focus wheel very user-friendly. The eyepiece has three apertures, making it comfortable to wear glasses with the Outland, although I found that even with the eyepiece at its lowest setting, the field of view was significantly narrower than with the naked eye.
The Outland’s close focusing distance of 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) lets you get up close and personal with birds and insects, and its 4.87 mm exit pupil and 50 mm objective lens diameter provide clear images even in low light conditions.
The Outland’s body is well made and has good grip levels, but the omission of a proper strap and the eyepiece cover not being attached to the body may put some buyers off the purchase.
Celestron Outland X 10×50 Monocular: Functionality
- Rubber molded body for grip
- No shoulder strap or mount
- Good image quality even at close range
The Celestron Outland X 10×50 mm monocular is a high-performance budget-friendly product. Due to its 50mm objective lens design, it is slightly larger than its competitors, but this means that you can’t put it in your pocket when you’re on the go. Also, there are no straps or mounting points, so you’re forced to use a waist pouch or hold the monocular in your hand, which can be very inconvenient on long walks.
I found the Outland to perform well in hidden places and in low light conditions, and it’s not too heavy at 415g. The body feels sturdy and seems like it could withstand a few knocks without too much trouble.
Sitting in the garden watching bees on flowers allowed me to see fine detail in my subjects. The pollen on their legs and bodies was crisp and clear. Focusing was fast and very easy to use. This close-up focusing task suited the Outland better than long-distance observation.
Our bird table visitors were once again presented in great detail, with excellent colour display and sharply focused images.
A regular visitor to our lot found the Outlands optics to be the best, being able to focus easily at a distance of about 50 feet.
If you don’t mind carrying the Outland around when not in use, the Outland offers similarly affordable performance.
Should I buy the Celestron Outland X 10×50 monocular?
After extensive testing of this monocular, we found it to be a great value, quality optical instrument with useful magnification and excellent low light performance. It offers good optical performance for the price, but it does have limitations. Overall, it’s a great value for the money.
If the Celestron OutlandX 10×50 Monocular Isn’t Right for You
If you are concerned about the quality of the optics on the Outland X, you might want to consider the Hawke Endurance Ed 10×42 monocular. It is a bit more expensive, but the ED low dispersion glass and high-resolution phase-corrected BaK-4 prisms may make up the difference.
If you can spend a little more Vortex Solo It has similar lens coatings, but is smaller and can fit in your pocket, etc. However, this model has a small objective lens of just 36mm, making it less suitable for stargazing.
The price is about the same but the magnification is great. Addasion 12x56mm It may be a worthy contender, especially for those who want to get a closer look at smaller celestial objects with its somewhat larger 56mm objective lens.
