Stabilized Binoculars

[alanl]

Last year I worked at the Sydney boatshow with the local Fujinon distributor. Many visitors to the stand had not actually experienced the stabilised image models and without exception, there was a "wow" reaction as soon as the "active" lever was deployed. Try the 14X version, focus them without the stabiliser, then move the lever. Once tried and you will be convinced

[rsn48]

I have never used, heck or even held, stabilized binocs but I do own a number of stabilized Canon lenses for my camera. First the early stabilized lens, such as the 70 - 300 mm could not be mounted to a tripod and used with stabilization on; you had to turn it off - as it recommended in the manual. Nor could the stabilization work while panning, again as instructed in the manual. It is only recently that Canon has introduced lens that can stabilized while panning and on tripods. I don't know if this technology has made it into the Canon binoculars.

Would I purchase stabilized binocs? Well, no. Do I want stabilized binocs? Well, yes. So why the hesitancy on my part? I just don't feel that the technology has gone far enough. In camera lingo, you can count on only 3 stops down (sometimes 4 stops) with stabilized technology. I am convinced in the next couple of years that will improve dramatically. I am sure the price will come down, when has electronic prices not come down, and the technology will improve before I shell out money for the binocs.

There is a learning curve to using binocs. I know this from the experiences at CFL football games. At the beginning of the season, I'm not very good with my Nikon 7 by 35's following the game; by the end of the season I'm pretty good. On my boat, if I haven't used my Bushnell 7 by 50's for a while, the experience is the same; there is some practise in holding the glasses steady.

[byrondv]

Originally Posted by rsn48

Would I purchase stabilized binocs? Well, no. Do I want stabilized binocs? Well, yes. So why the hesitancy on my part? I just don't feel that the technology has gone far enough. In camera lingo, you can count on only 3 stops down (sometimes 4 stops) with stabilized technology. I am convinced in the next couple of years that will improve dramatically. I am sure the price will come down, when has electronic prices not come down, and the technology will improve before I shell out money for the binocs.

I agree with you on price and such. I would love to pick up a pair, but I just don't want to spend the cash.

I am not sure if I would equate the number of stops to how usefull they are to look though. My hands tend to shake quite a bit, and the stabilization of either lenses or binoculars really helps. It seems that if you can hold them steady enough the natural filtering of your eyes can take over. For me, I can't hold them that steady - but 3-4 stops gets me over that threashold.

I mean, at 3 stops - the speed would be 8 times slower, and at 4 stops the speed would be 16 times slower. I personally find that to be a pretty big change. If I can hold the binocs well enough to take an "image" at 1/125th that gets me down to 1/30th or 1/15th. And if I can hold it steady enough for 1/60th it gets me down to 1/15th or 1/8th.

Now, some people may be able to hold them better (or worse) and those 3-4 stops don't do much. For me, however, it gets me from the range of pure hell trying to look through them to a very nice image.

Of course I am not saying this makes them worthwhile for you. Just that they help me out quite a bit.