brocknroller
porromaniac
Brock
You have made me even more determined to have one now
I was afraid of that, let the bidding wars begin....
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Fujinon 8x30 FMTR-SX (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Ingle1970
- Start date
I was afraid of that, let the bidding wars begin....
Ingle1970
Well-known member
birdazzLED
Well-known member
Hi Mook, Has a date of 2003 on the bottom of the ad, but you never know.
Regards,Steve
Looks like someone forgot to update the date on all pages. This page is dated 2009. If items are no longer available, why would they continue to display the page after updating to 2009 on the home page?
**edit. never mind. Each page is dated when the page was create3d. Maybe they still have stock. I'm tired. Now I can dream of Fujinon Image stabilised with Image Intensifier.
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I am currently the lucky FMTR-SX 6x30 guy. My eyes are only about .5 D different, so I don't suffer Brock's focusing complications. Also I find the binocular quite comfortable to hold, and to work the IF in the normal way. You cup the just-right ridges in the grippy rubber at the sides of the barrels where your fingers meet your palms, leaving thumbs and forefingers free. I tried the belt drive scheme for a little while, but the eyepieces move so stiffly that twice that force was more than I liked applying one handed. Mainly, the binocular needs so little focusing, as it appears to have twice the depth of field of my 8x42 Zeiss, IF is just not the pain I imagined. I usually skulk around with the eyepieces set 1D from infinity, and a small and easily synchronized motion gets me either to infinity or down to 15 yards.
Like Brock, I find the image quality little short of amazing. My knees were knocking the first few times I went out owl watching vs my wife and her 8.5x42 Swaro, but now I know I can keep up just fine. Things look sort of small to tell the truth, but so bright and clear, I'll take it. I rarely carry my Zeiss 8x42 FL anymore. I'm beginning to feel that it's like, for rich folks, not for me, you know?
Ron
Like Brock, I find the image quality little short of amazing. My knees were knocking the first few times I went out owl watching vs my wife and her 8.5x42 Swaro, but now I know I can keep up just fine. Things look sort of small to tell the truth, but so bright and clear, I'll take it. I rarely carry my Zeiss 8x42 FL anymore. I'm beginning to feel that it's like, for rich folks, not for me, you know?
Ron
Jason Bugay Reyes
Well-known member
Let say if you could only keep one binocular, 8x32 SE or 8x30 Fujinon, which one would be your keeper ?
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In the interest of not perpetuating another Urban Myth of "The Perfection of Unobtanium", there are three more observations I'd like to make, having tried the 8x30, and owning the 6x30.
1) The basic optical quality, ie sharpness, brightness, color saturation, and freedom from color fringing, is better in the 6x than the 8x. It is exactly analogous to the comparison between the big brothers, the 7x50 vs the 10x50. Higher power, and wide, flat field is nice, but comes at a cost. The 8x30, allegedly optically similar to the 8x32 SE, is still very good however.
2) The 6x30 has one mechanical flaw--the eyecups are too short for the long eye relief, and too small in diameter to feel right. I fixed mine satisfactorily by carefully cutting and edge-smoothing bands of rubber-type sheet, similar to the eyecup material, and wrapping around the outside of the eyecups, effectively enlarging them and extending them about 1mm.
3) The 6x30 has one secondary optical flaw--an admission of stray light under bright/shade conditions like early morning, pointing near the sun. It is not what I'd call bad, but worse than Trinovid, Zeiss FL 8x42, or the 7x50 big brother. Careful eye positioning helps avoid the effect.
So maybe that will help your feelings, who may have been eating your hearts out!
Why they quit making them, well why does Fujinon do anything? A less communicative company, you will not find.
Ron
1) The basic optical quality, ie sharpness, brightness, color saturation, and freedom from color fringing, is better in the 6x than the 8x. It is exactly analogous to the comparison between the big brothers, the 7x50 vs the 10x50. Higher power, and wide, flat field is nice, but comes at a cost. The 8x30, allegedly optically similar to the 8x32 SE, is still very good however.
2) The 6x30 has one mechanical flaw--the eyecups are too short for the long eye relief, and too small in diameter to feel right. I fixed mine satisfactorily by carefully cutting and edge-smoothing bands of rubber-type sheet, similar to the eyecup material, and wrapping around the outside of the eyecups, effectively enlarging them and extending them about 1mm.
3) The 6x30 has one secondary optical flaw--an admission of stray light under bright/shade conditions like early morning, pointing near the sun. It is not what I'd call bad, but worse than Trinovid, Zeiss FL 8x42, or the 7x50 big brother. Careful eye positioning helps avoid the effect.
So maybe that will help your feelings, who may have been eating your hearts out!
Why they quit making them, well why does Fujinon do anything? A less communicative company, you will not find.
Ron
Kevin Conville
yardbirder
True. To pile on, I had a Fujinon ED80 spotting scope. Great design (lightweight, excellent sighting device, and the best stay-on case I've ever seen), and optically as good as any... with the 30xw EP that is. The zoom was a monumental let down and the remaining EP selection was weak - mediocre.
They never acknowledged the crappy EPs and they just let the line die.
And... rather than producing a center focus porro with the guts of their FMTs or even ARs, they produced the BFLs which were easily forgettable.
BTW, here's a fun fact... Fujinon produces the best cine lenses in the world and those ultra, mega, super quality zooms that allow the wide angle view of a stadium zooming to a close up on a football player's face from a blimp? Fujinon. They also produce the lenses for the ultra premium Hasselblad medium format digital cameras. Of course we all know of their comet sighting 150mm super binoculars.
Us lowly birders are just mostly SOL.
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NDhunter
Experienced observer
Kevin:
Fujinon also makes colonscopes, so you may be right about being SOL.
Jerry
mooreorless
Well-known member
Jerry I'll keep this in mind this fall.
Regards,Steve
Regards,Steve
Ingle1970
Well-known member
brocknroller
porromaniac
Ron,
Good to have well matched eyes and good focus accommodation. What you described is how I experienced my first pair of 6x30 Fujis many long years ago.
I'm surprised after going through all the paperwork and expense to patent your HarperHyperDrive ™ that you don't use it. I guess my 6x30 FMTR-SX wasn't the only one that had very stiff diopters (or perhaps you have my old one? If the yellow and black end cap has a crack in it, that's it).
By turning the Fuji upside down, I overcame the ergonomics issues. I'm wondering if I bought a pair of prescription reading glasses if that would obviate the problems with the IP EPs? I'll have to PM Peter on CN.
Do you wear glasses? The 6x30 FMT's spec ER is 20mm, but the 8x30 is about 4-5mm less than advertised, only about 11.6-12.6mm. So the 6x30s might not have enough ER if it follows that pattern.
You're right the FL being for rich folks. Please ship it immediately to Ben Stein. Home address at link below:
http://www.fanmail.biz/7919.html
You will feel much better, and perhaps the Brahmins will let you bathe in the Ganges again.
henry link
Well-known member
The original version looked like the photo below from a 1991 Fujinon brochure. I'm not sure when the body style was changed, but the 8x30 I bought in about 2001 is the new style. I think FMT's always retained the yellow ring. The 6x30 AR-SX doesn't have a yellow ring and lacks the flat field eyepiece.
Attachments
Ingle1970
Well-known member
Thank you Henry :t:
I wasn't aware of the Newer version so to speak, Fujinon are totally new to me !, as you have probably guessed already .
mooreorless
Well-known member
lilcrazy2
Well-known member
Cambridgeworld.com is showing the 8x30 FMTR-SX available to order for $359.95. you might check it out:
http://www.cambridgeworld.com/fujinon_8x30_fmtr_sx_binoculars_i1867.html
tom
http://www.cambridgeworld.com/fujinon_8x30_fmtr_sx_binoculars_i1867.html
tom
henry link
Well-known member
You can't believe everything you read. Check out Canbridgeworld's reputation and ratings. That website is full of binoculars that haven't been available for years.
brocknroller
porromaniac
Ooo Wee, I see dat dey still have dose Audubon 804 EDs. You can't get dose down 'ere in 'Ousiana no more, no siree.
http://www.cambridgeworld.com/swift_audubon_8_5x44_ed_i2426.html
How much you want a bet that's really an 820 ED, and that they just haven't updated the photo and information in the past 20 years?
See Cambridge Policies #2:
http://www.cambridgeworld.com/policies_page_m1.html
Discount stores like this often stock "gray market" optics, which don't carry US warranties. Hence, the cheap prices.
There was another store like this called AAA Camera in NYC.
Here's an interesting update about both of them:
http://donwiss.com/pictures/manhattanstores/h0008.htm
Caveat Emptor!
http://www.cambridgeworld.com/swift_audubon_8_5x44_ed_i2426.html
How much you want a bet that's really an 820 ED, and that they just haven't updated the photo and information in the past 20 years?
See Cambridge Policies #2:
http://www.cambridgeworld.com/policies_page_m1.html
Discount stores like this often stock "gray market" optics, which don't carry US warranties. Hence, the cheap prices.
There was another store like this called AAA Camera in NYC.
Here's an interesting update about both of them:
http://donwiss.com/pictures/manhattanstores/h0008.htm
Caveat Emptor!
