Fujinon 14x40 Stabilized Binoculars....

C

Casey

New member
Ok ... I've had some Fujinon 7x50 binoculars for several years that I love.

But yesterday I got the newest advert from ActiveCaptain, and near the end was the Defender Marine ad. Until 12/24 Defender is offering Fujinon 14x40 Stabilized binoculars (retail $2K, usual price $1200) for $975+shipping.

Hmmm....

But my experience with "stabilized" binoculars hasn't really Wow'd me. But I wanted to check-out the Fujinon's. I borrowed a friends truck and drove back to up Marathon to try and find them in stock. I found some in a large marine store (Sale price $1299).

None of the clerks had experimented with them, but after we did some binocular-trials we were ALL saying: W O W !

I found that the stabilizing effect of these binoculars was instantaneous and simply amazing.

As a result, I am seriously considering hammering my piggy-bank and buying a pair.

Do any 'Brats have these(?) or impressions/experience with other brands of stabilizing bino's?

I was simply Amazed at the clarity and stabilizing effect.

Thoughts?

Best,
Casey&Mary
 
Haven't tried the Fujions, but have some Canon 10x30 image stabilized.

After using regular non stabilized binocs for most of our lives, the image stabilization is wonderful. Judy uses them at all times when we cruise.
And I hear that the Fujions are better( and more expensive.) On the other hand, the small size of the Canon we have is easier to handle. So you might consider a smaller Fujion pair.

Go for it. You'll never regret it.

Boris
 
Casey, I've heard nothing but good about the Fugi 14 x 40. I have had the Canon 15x50 stabilized for over 10 years & i'm never on the boat or traveling without them. Only thing I don't like is their being heavy compared to most binocs.

Jay
 
I've had a pair for 6 years. They are great. They are pricey, all right! (6 years ago I paid only slightly less than today's Defender price.) In less than flat calm conditions they will let you see things clearly that you simply could never discern with conventional binoculars. On a small boat they are pretty big and heavy (mine came with a very nice Pelican case, too), and they will eat up batteries if you have them "on" a lot, but they are well worth it to me. I also think the stabilizing mechanism uses up some light, so they may not be quite as effective as a good pair of conventional binoculars in very low-light, but calm conditions.

They're great for everything from watching wildlife to reading buoy numbers.
 
I have several pair of stabilized binoculars:

Fujinon 14x40
Canon 12x36
Canon 10x30
Canon 9x25

Love them all!

They are a bit heavier, of course, and they do use batteries.

But I've learned that you don't always need to push the button and use the stabilization system, at least when just scanning.

Push the button when you find something that you need to discern the details about.

The Fujinon's are top of the heap, in both detail and degree of compensation (eliminate up to 5 degrees of motion by the binocular body). Wonderful for everything from searching for bird flocks over bait balls at great distances over the ocean to astronomy (no holder induced motion bounce to make images undecipherable.)

I was told the military version of the Fujinons are particularly good a differentiating the good guys from the bad guys as you ride along on patrol and have to look ahead for IED's and their button pushers in the Middle East.

The Canons are excellent as well. The larger ones, while being heavier, are more powerful (magnification) and seem to have a greater angular presentation to your eye, though, of course, in reality, you're seeing a smaller true field. They degree of stabilization is limited to one degree, but I've never experienced that as a limitation.

You'll have to try them to believe them. They at least double or triple the apparent image quality and observed detail by stopping the jumpiness, jiggling, and constant, tiring motion of all types.

Ideally suited to boating, you'll find many other applications to justify owning a pair.

Find a shop where you can try them all out in succession, side by side. Go outside, try the real world. Spend your $$$ wisely and usefully!

Joe. :teeth :thup

Photo_on_2013_01_08_at_10_45_3.jpg
 
I also have had the 14 x 40 stabilized Fuji's for about 6 years. I don't find that they use batteries all that fast, but again, as Joe, I only use the stabile function when I need it.

I have some Canon stabilized lenses, which are far more expensive than the binoculars--and feel that the Fuji are better. I also tried the other stabilized binocs and choose the Fuji. I think that the AC/Defender prices is a good buy.

Go for it.
 
Joe, all very good information echoing my own experience, other than the Fuginon 14x40, which wasn't available yet when I bought the Canon 15x50. I did like you said, trying several different power & size variations out before purchasing by going to a store in Mendocino, California, which is on the coast & from the store front had a good view of the ocean. I tried the 10, 12, 15 & 18 x Canon stabilized. Of course the 10x had the largest field of view, felt the best in the hands & the least weight. The 18 was awesome in detail, but the field of view to small. The best overall combination for me turned out to be the 15x. At that time they were $1500 & I still feel their purchase, one of my best ever. Though if I had to replace them now it would most likely be with the Fuginon 14x40.

Jay
 
I've never even tried a pair of stabilized binoculars (maybe that's a good thing for the budget though!), but this thread really makes them sound wonderful. I always enjoy it when someone posts about something I don't really know anything about, and then the subsequent posts educate me :thup

And I have been good :xlol
 
Casey, Got them. Love them! Sold the boat, but keeping the Binocs! We got them from some friends that were getting out of boating for $600. Worth twice the price. Go for it.
 
Casey":3m99u6kg said:
Until 12/24 Defender is offering Fujinon 14x40 Stabilized binoculars (retail $2K, usual price $1200) for $975+shipping.
Click to expand...

Only went to look, mind you :wink: , but I was wondering if you have a link or way to find that sale? I looked at Defender's site and they show them ~$1200.

http://search.defender.com/?expression=fujinon

Edit: Okay, I figured it out. It's a special link, here:

http://www.defender.com/activecaptain.jsp

I see the ad says they have sold out, but if you "buy" them now it locks in the price for shipping in January. I also noticed (while surfing around reading reviews, etc.) that B & H photo has them for $999 with free shipping and a $50 gift card (also doesn't ship for 7+ days). Pretty soon they'll be paying us to take them! :mrgreen:
 
Sunbeam":2e8j55a6 said:
B & H photo has them for $999 with free shipping and a $50 gift card (also doesn't ship for 7+ days). :
Click to expand...

Oh, Oh OH!! Thank you Sunbeam!!

I was just reading that B & H Photo is an authorized dealer for what I want Santa to bring ME: A new Go-Pro and a DJI Phantom 2 to fly it around. And this will work out so well because Casey....oops...I mean SANTA...can use the $50 gift card from his purchase toward them! (Not to mention that he can use his fancy new binos to watch my new Phantom flying all over....and his view of my new toy will be clear and stabilized!) :xlol

If you don't know what a DJI Phantom is, click on the link below. And watch a video or two while you are there. Really, REALLY cool!

http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-2/
 
OT...

Mary, one of our sailing friends has that Phantom II quad-copter... it is a very impressive toy! His has the camera installed, doesn't use a GoPro.

Hope Santa is good to you both!

Merry Christmas!
Jim

PS After the fiasco dealing with Canon for a repair on the 10x30IS binoculars, I swore I'd never buy anything from Canon again. After 4 Canon digital cameras, I sure like my new Nikon. 8)
 
Hmmm....

I'll have to make a "note to myself" to write Karen and Jeffrey Siegel (they own/run Active Captain) to thank them and Defender for offering the Fujinon stabilized binoculars. We haven't ordered them yet (but may go through BH Photo, we'll see) in stead.

As well as another friend who introduced us to the DJI Phantom II "quadcopter."

This is turning in to a pricey Christmas! :-)

Best,
Santa&Mary
PS: The "freshening" breeze that I mentioned previously is Certainly FRESHENING! We're still at Ramrod Key, and it remains to be seen whether or not we'll get to KW ... maybe 'Manana. (Remember: 'Manana doesn't mean tomorrow ... it just means Not Today!.)
 
JamesTXSD":uss5juzn said:
OT...
Mary, one of our sailing friends has that Phantom II quad-copter... it is a very impressive toy! His has the camera installed, doesn't use a GoPro.
Click to expand...

Jim, That's the one I really want. It's called the Phantom 2 VISION. $1199 vs. $679 for the one without the camera that you use with your Go-Pro.

The main reason I think the Vision would be better is because I don't already own a Go-Pro and If I did, you can't use the wi-fi feature with the Go-Pro while attached to a Phantom 2.... so from what I understand, you can't SEE the video you are shooting while you are shooting it without buying some other accessories. But with the Phantom 2 VISION you can.

It's a bit more expensive and, of course, I'll still want a Go-Pro for other uses....but hey, Santa will have that $50 gift card, right? Plus, its Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!
 
BoaterHomer":27vgi5ob said:
[
If you don't know what a DJI Phantom is, click on the link below. And watch a video or two while you are there.
Click to expand...

Oh sure. Click on another link for something really nifty and fun. I already want the binoculars! (But hey, those are a safety item, and we want to be safe, right?)

Seriously, I am really interested in the binoculars. Just like Google came along conveniently when my lexical recall seemed to fade a bit; now these come to give me "binonic" eyes :D I wish I were in an area where I could get my hands on a pair to try them out - will have to do a bit of looking.
 
Mary,
I suspect that you are aware, but there are a number of reports of the quadcopters flying off into the sunset, with the camera. Most of these were with model 1. One of the No no's is to try and stream any video from the camera, since the copter uses WiFi frequencies which are the same as the camera. There is a separate 5 GHZ transmitter for the video camera available. It is prudent to put a GPS tracker on the Quad Copter as well as your contact and "reward" on the quadcopter.

I have been considering the quad copters for some time--but this and the issues with crashing and repairing has kept me from buying one yet. Hopefully you will get back with your experience and a recommendation--as well as more of your fantastic photos.
 
I have piles of these from a confluence of doing bird research on boats and airplanes. One must be able to see the birds, and one is never on a stable platform.

The Canon varieties of stabilized binos (and all of the lower priced stabilized lenses) have their lenses in a gel bath. When powered on, the gel is heated slightly, and absorbs a lot of the vibration. It works great when you're on solid ground and trying to stabilize your hand shake. It does not work well from a boat or small plane.

The fujinon stabilized binos are very different. When powered on they start spinning a gyroscope that actively holds the lenses in a stabilized position. The result is an almost stationary image from an erratically moving platform. They work, and I mean they really work. But they are expensive, heavy, and run through batteries much faster than the other stabilization technology. But if you simply must see a sharp image far away from a moving platform, nothing else will do what these do without spending $10k or more.
 
Merry Christmas to All !

We are at Knights Key (south end of Marathon at the seven mile bridge).

The trip from Ramrod Key was delightful. We were about two hours ahead of a front coming through (it was easy to see the front on the iPad using Garmin's premium weather feature). With frontal passage the north winds kicked-up and have continued to through the afternoon and all night. The forecast calls for continued winds for a few days, so we'll just watch and wait-as-necessary before heading across Florida Bay and the west coast.

Yesterday Tom and Joyce (CD22 Out2C) and Tom and Marlyn (CD25 Traveler) arrived and launched. They each got a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor, so we rafted together for "happy hour" before Dessert 1st returned to Knights Key. A great evening, and a fun Christmas Eve.

Santa even managed to find Dessert 1st in all this wind. Mary got her GoPro 3+ and has been busy reading-up on it. ...a very impressive piece of equipment. (I suspect there is a Phantom II quadcopter in our not too distant future as well. ...we received an email reply from Phantom HQ re avoiding the frequency conflict between the Phanton wifi control system and the GoPro's wifi. Evidently the solution is to use a Phantom 5.8GH transmitter/receiver in lieu of the standard 2.4GH tx/rx. That will permit remote viewing while aloft.)

Santa also advised that the Fujinon Stabilized binocular's were backordered, but were on his(my) list and will be delivered sometime in January. :-)

Life is GREAT!

Best,
Casey&Mary
 
When I was shopping for a pair of image stabilizer binoculars, the salesman told me that the 5 degree variety binoculars needed to be sent in to the factory and calibrated yearly. I therefore bought a pair of the 1 degree Cannons. I saw there was no mention of having to recalibrate the 5 degree Fujinon in the posts. Has anyone else ran into the recalibration rumor or have had to recalibrate their binocs?
 
We have never had a problem with the Fujinon 14 x 40. We do keep them in the Pelican case, and handle with care. None of my friends who have the same binocs have not had them re-calibrated. I would notice if ours were out--and they are not.

We have separate binoculars for guests from West Marine. If guests use the Fuji, it is with one of us right at their side.
 
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