monocular

thumb|200px|right|Galilean type Soviet-made miniature 2.5 × 17.5 monocular thumb|200px|right| Diagram of a monocular using a Schmidt-Pechan prism: 1 – Objective lens 2 – Schmidt-Pechan prism 3 – Eyepiece

A monocular is a compact refracting telescope used to magnify images of distant objects, typically using an optical prism to ensure an erect image, instead of using relay lenses like most telescopic sights. The volume and weight of a monocular are typically less than half of a pair of binoculars with similar optical properties, making it more portable and also less expensive. This is because binoculars are essentially a pair of monoculars packed together — one for each eye. As a result, monoculars only produce two-dimensional images, while binoculars can use two parallaxed images (each for one eye) to produce binocular vision, which allows stereopsis and depth perception.