There are quite a lot of people out there who simply love starring at the night sky or watching the wildlife from a safe distance. And although professional equipment is pretty expensive, the German company Minox has a pretty affordable solution for these users, namely a monocular dubbed the MS 8x25 Makroskop, which combines a very good level of portability with some pretty impressive optical features.



Thus, this small and compact telescope body, designed by Volkswagen-Design, delivers a field of view of more than 114 m, not that different from full-sized telescopes. Additionally, its optical system makes full use of Porro prisms, which by their very nature provide naturally high light transmission. The lens diameter of 25 mm, combined with its innovative optical system and high quality multi layer coating of the optics, ensures bright images with high contrast and accurate colour rendition under all conditions.



It's also important to note that the MS 8x25 Makroskop includes the Quick Close Focus (QCF), a new type of focussing mechanism which allows better and more accurate focussing. With just a single turn of less than 360° of the focussing ring on the lens, users can very easily adjust the mini telescope to any setting from close-up to infinite.



Another interesting fact worth mentioning about the device from Minox is that it sports an extended exit pupil (very good for people who wear glasses), as well as a twist-up/twist down eyecup.



Despite being lightweight (around 150 grams) and having very “petite” dimensions (92 x 57 x 44 mm), the Makroskop has been equipped with a tough rubber armouring to protect against everyday wear and tear. Furthermore, the optical components are sealed with a special sealing technique, while the interior is purged with special Argon gas, not only to minimize internal corrosion but also to prevent internal fogging during quick temperature or humidity changes.



As mentioned earlier, the Minox MS 8x25 Makroskop is quite affordable, selling for an estimate 180 US dollars, which is not even that much, given just how useful this device could prove to be.