Optics4Birding.com: Fujinon
Reviews
The following comments are the opinions of the writers. We're publishing
them here with the permission of their authors, with minor edits for
clarity or brevity. If you would like to submit a comment, send me an email.
I bought a pair of these [Fujinon 6x30] after carefully examining 23 pairs of binoc in the
$200-500
dollar range. I had almost settled on a pair of Nikon 10X42, which had very
high contrast and excellent, but not outstanding resolution. Almost as an
afterthought, the salesperson said "try these" and handed me the Fuji 6X30,
(FMTRS) which is on the same chassis as the 8X30's. I really liked them!
The resolution is outstanding, on a par with Swarovski and
Zeiss, and there
isthe same edge-to-edge sharpness as the 8X50.Zeiss I have long coveted. The
contrast is very high--higher that the8X42
center-focus Fuji's which have silvered, not aluminized prisms.
They are truly flat-field. The fact that they are 6X vs 7 or 8X means that
the inevitable tremors of hand-holding vs tripod mount are minimized, and I
can actually see things better with these than I can with my sister's 8X40
Bausch and Lomb Elites. We spent a lot of time observing with both binocs,
and the consensus of 5 experienced birders is that the Fujis have better
image quality than the B&L's---
pretty neat considering the cost difference---the Fuji's were $320 and The
B&L cost
about $900 in Michigan. I do not know how the B&L's are rated, the best image
I've ever seen through binocs is through a pair of 8X56 Zeiss Porro prism
binoculars---sadly, they are prohibitively expensive.
The only drawback to the Fujinons is the lack of center focusing---I do
not mind this, as I have developed a way to hold them which allows me to
focus both oculars quickly and easily. They are salt-water-proof, I have
gotten them wet while boating on Puget Sound. I just rinse them in the sink
and let them dry!!
I think a pair of 10X70 Fuji's might be the ultimate
hand-holdable binoc
as far as resolution goes. But even the "little" 6X30 are not really
lightweight---perhaps their heaviness contributes to the steady image.
Terry Roth, January 14, 1997.
As a sailing instructor during the late 1970s and mid 1980s I had the
chance to try out a few binoculars under rough, wet- salt water spray-
conditions.
Most of the supposed water-proof binoculars either died within 1 season
or the optics so deteriorated that they were only usable for fuzzy
glimpses. Frequently the jarring motion of my Boston Whaler caused the
optics to go out of alignment. The only binos to stand up to three
seasons of use are my Fujinon 7x50 binocs. I still use them.
The individual focus makes it easier to completely water-proof
the binoculars.
They aren't cheap but they've lasted for years.
Michael Rust, 6 December 1996
I haven't seen any listing or evaluation of Fujinon binoculars in the
FAQ. I bought their 8x40 binoculars about two years ago and have been
delighted with them. Even though they're inexpensive (I bought mine
for about $250), they seem to have excellent light transmission and
clarity; and one of their great advantages is extremely close focusing,
down to at least 9 feet.
Burt Guttman, 28 Aug 1995
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