I see very little written about Nikon's stabilized offerings but am curious about them - a friend has the Canon 10x42 L IS's, and they are very good optically, and wonder how the Nikon's would compare the the Canon L. Thanks,
John F
LV NV
General sporting goods stores don't carry them but most good marine-type places will, like this one. Also note they have the Fujinon Stabiscope for a mere $6,000... (note the error on the Techno-Stabi page: the FOV should be something like 210' at 1,000yd., not 342').Excellent post, Jan, thanks for your help. I've never seen the Fujis at any sporting goods stores, but never really looked for them, either. Again, thanks.
John F
LV NV
No, they don't do it at all. What happens is that when the batteries are weak, the system cannot operate properly and some people have reported swaying in sync with their pulse. I've never seen it but I do keep my rechargeable AAs happy. I suspect the usual marketing types decided that adding a "low battery" indicator would annoy the customer.This question has come up many times over the years, but I never bookmarked the answer because it wasn't of interest to me; however, from what I remember, the marine IS bins are not as well suited for terrestrial applications as the Canons.
Something to do with "pitch and yaw" for you yachtsmen out there. IOW, they correct better for the kinds of large motions you experience on boats rather than the micro vibrations that Canon IS bins were made to correct.
One buyer reported seeing the object he was looking at pulsate in either the Nikon or Fuji, which must look weird.
They are definitely an acquired taste.Perhaps if you use them while swaying side to side and singing "Blow the Man Down," the Nikons or Fujis could be useful for birding, but otherwise, they don't seem to be as well suited for landlubbers.
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That post is about the 12x32 bin, a well-known lemon in the family. That's why I said stay away from those. The 14x40 OTOH are apparently rugged enough for use in Iraq. They exhibit no waviness and their stabilization range is 5 degrees (not 3).Jan,
This isn't the thread I was referring to where those comments about the "swaying motion" were made, I'll look for that when I have more time, but if you read post #2 by UTCbirder in the thread below, you'll find some comments on the perceptual effects of the Fuji stabilization he noticed. Also, his unit starting falling apart after a only a month, and Fuji wouldn't cover the repairs.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=132931
That I totally understand. I'm originally from Europe where there is a slight cultural difference in that people pay relatively little attention to customer service, warranties, and the like. People couldn't care less if the clerk at the checkout counter smiles or says "hello" or not, what's important is whether those apples or cheese have a taste. Product quality is most important. I think I've never paid an extended warranty for anything and this policy has served me extremely well in the long run. I read somewhere that electronic stores (digressing from binos for a moment here) make most money nowadays from selling extended warranties to products they offer as profit margins are so impossibly narrow.Plus, they only come with a year warranty, so if the electronics fizzle after that, it's on your tab. Canon IS bins' warranty isn't much better.
The short warranty period is my main reason for not buying IS bins, other than the 10x30 IS, which I bought for $300.
Paying $1,300 for an IS bin and then having it fizzle after the warranty period expires would be frustrating, just as it is when other electronics such a computers and peripherals break down after the short warranty expires.
At least with computers, I can get extended warranties, but they ain't cheap, my two-year extended warranty cost nearly half the price of the laptop, but it paid for itself when I had to order a new battery and a new AC adapter. The keyboard also went, but that was after the warranty expired, so I bought an external wireless keyboard as a replacement.
I've had no problems after 2 years (bought them used too). Of course YMMV.With IS bins, you pays yer money and you takes yer chances. You might get a good unit that lasts a decade or more, or you might not. I've read happy tales and bitter experiences.
Alan has had his 12x36 IS II for quite a while now and is a happy camper, but there was a guy on Cloudy Nights, whose 15x50s expired shortly after the warranty did, and the bill for repairs was nearly as much as what he paid for the bin new.
If the optics were horrible, it was not the same bin. The Fujis are excellent optically, only their AFOV is smallish (56 degrees).I bought a pair of the Burris 16x32 IS at a bargain price off ebay. The Burris appears to be the same as the Fuji and Nikon. The IS worked surprisingly well. The optics were horrible. So, I returned them.