Vortex Recon R/T 15x50 Monocular

Lightweight, portable, but with a massive 15x magnification, a rangefinding reticle and Vortex’s premium XD glass and XR lens coatings, the Vortex Recon R/T 15x50 Tactical Scope is designed to offer the long range hunter or security personnel with a very high level of image detail and clarity at long distances.

Although far from being the lightest monocular, at 431 grams, this Vortex monocular is a lot more lightweight than the equivalent binocular. For example, the Vortex Vulture HD 15x56 binoculars are almost three times the weight tipping the scales at 1236 grams!

Likewise with their dimensions, with only one barrel and no bridge, the width is also less than half that of the binocular and thus, whilst it is somewhat larger than most monoculars that have a smaller lens, they are much more portable than a binocular making them a great option for hunters who need to also carry their weapon over long distances over difficult terrain.

There is no doubt that the very powerful 15x magnification working in combination with the very high level of optical glass and coatings are able to provide you with a very detailed and high-resolution image at long distances. However, despite using a large 50mm objective lens, that can collect more light than smaller ones, this and indeed all 15x50 scopes only deliver a 3.3mm wide exit pupil.

For use in the day, this is perfectly adequate, but just keep in mind that it will become a limiting factor in very bad light conditions and so this Vortex Recon R/T Tactical Scope will not make the ideal choice if you often say out until after sunset.

With such a high magnification, the 16mm of eye-relief is impressive and means that even with glasses on you should still be able to achieve the full field of view. Note: If you are wearing glasses, you should fold down the rubber eye-cups.

At 3.7 meters away, the closest focus distance is relatively far, but as this monocular is designed with long-distance observation in mind, this should not be an issue for most users.

Likewise, the downside to a powerful magnification that gives you a very “zoomed in” image is that you also are presented with a much narrower field of view. At close distances, this can make finding objects and keeping them in very difficult, but at long range, it is not as important.

The high power also makes it much more difficult to keep the image steady and shake free than on lower powered optics, so it is good to see that Vortex has included a substantial ambidextrous hand strap to help improve your hold on the device as much as possible. The Vortex Recon R/T 15x50 Tactical Scope is also very easy to mount onto a tri, or monopod to help you steady the view if needed as it has a standard thread mount on the body.