vkalia
Robin stroker
I got my Fury 8x28s a couple of days ago - just in time as I had to leave on a short trip for a few days starting yesterday. Due to a bunch of reasons, I didnt have a lot of room to spare in my bags and so decided to take this bino with me in the off-chance I'd get some free time.
Well, as it turns out, I did get some free time this morning and got a chance to put the binos through their paces.
The Fury 8x28s came with a rear cap but no objective covers. A standard soft neoprene shoulder strap attaches to the binos. The case has a belt loop but no arrangement for attaching shoulder straps. For carrying, it isnt a problem as you simply use the bino straps. But in the field, once you remove the binos, you have to find someplace to stuff the case. Not a big deal, really, but it would have been nice to have 2 rings on the case as well. How hard can that be?
As for the binos themselves, they are compact. They wont fit a shirt pocket, but they go into the outer pocket of my cargo pants very easily, which is what I need. And they are light - the first bino that felt ok hanging around my neck (I always use a bino harness or sling my bino strap over one shoulder). Eye relief cups were generously-sized and moved up and down with a satisfying solidity.
Given my previous experiences with small binoculars, I was expecting a lot of problems in getting the IPD and overall eye placement "just right". However, not so. The single hinge meant that adjusting the IPD was easy, and - helped in no small part by the ample eye relief - getting the right eye placement was very easy.
The focus wheel moved well (although I think I would have preferred it just a wee bit more damped), and doesnt have any play in it. However, images dont appear to "snap" into focus as sharply with this bino as they do with some other optics I own (such as the Pentax 10x43SPs and Minox 8x32BDs).
As for the optics - very good for the price. I spent this morning trying to chase down a few skulkers, and I got surprisingly decent views of a small leaf warbler porn-starring at a distance - 15-20m away, I reckon - and in pretty high contrast: enough to identify the two wing bars and the white brow (damn shame I dont know my leaf warblers, b/c this was probably the best chance I had of getting a really good view of the blasted things). I had a fairly productive walk, notching up a coucal, a verditer flycatcher (quite far from home, that one!), a black redstart and a few more.
Although the optics are very good indeed, I wouldnt classify them as great. The image is bright enough but not as bright as I get from my Vipers or Minox BDs: I'd say a hair less. Also, while the image is sharp, it doesnt have that "bite" to it that really, really sharp optics do.
How much of it has to do with the smaller exit pupil and lower resolution of a smaller objective, I dont know - I dont have any alpha compact binoculars to compare with (although I get a pair of Taigas next weekend).
Overall, I'd say that these optics are good enough to help you identify most birds that you will see (subject to the limitations of this size/format). I imagine the view would be better or more satisfying with Ultravid 8x25s and possibly, the Ultravids would perform a little better at longer viewer-to-subject distances.
But for the price, this is an excellent buy indeed. It is a compact binocular that can actually be used for serious birding. To me, it fills in a very valuable niche between the $100 porros and the $600 Ultravid/FL compacts.
I'm very happy with them. Tomorrow, I have to kill a day - after watching the Ozzies get slaughtered in cricket (hopefully), I plan to head to the zoo for a walk. Will have them on me "in case" something crops up - that was why I had bought these binos and they perform that function admirably.
Vandit
Well, as it turns out, I did get some free time this morning and got a chance to put the binos through their paces.
The Fury 8x28s came with a rear cap but no objective covers. A standard soft neoprene shoulder strap attaches to the binos. The case has a belt loop but no arrangement for attaching shoulder straps. For carrying, it isnt a problem as you simply use the bino straps. But in the field, once you remove the binos, you have to find someplace to stuff the case. Not a big deal, really, but it would have been nice to have 2 rings on the case as well. How hard can that be?
As for the binos themselves, they are compact. They wont fit a shirt pocket, but they go into the outer pocket of my cargo pants very easily, which is what I need. And they are light - the first bino that felt ok hanging around my neck (I always use a bino harness or sling my bino strap over one shoulder). Eye relief cups were generously-sized and moved up and down with a satisfying solidity.
Given my previous experiences with small binoculars, I was expecting a lot of problems in getting the IPD and overall eye placement "just right". However, not so. The single hinge meant that adjusting the IPD was easy, and - helped in no small part by the ample eye relief - getting the right eye placement was very easy.
The focus wheel moved well (although I think I would have preferred it just a wee bit more damped), and doesnt have any play in it. However, images dont appear to "snap" into focus as sharply with this bino as they do with some other optics I own (such as the Pentax 10x43SPs and Minox 8x32BDs).
As for the optics - very good for the price. I spent this morning trying to chase down a few skulkers, and I got surprisingly decent views of a small leaf warbler porn-starring at a distance - 15-20m away, I reckon - and in pretty high contrast: enough to identify the two wing bars and the white brow (damn shame I dont know my leaf warblers, b/c this was probably the best chance I had of getting a really good view of the blasted things). I had a fairly productive walk, notching up a coucal, a verditer flycatcher (quite far from home, that one!), a black redstart and a few more.
Although the optics are very good indeed, I wouldnt classify them as great. The image is bright enough but not as bright as I get from my Vipers or Minox BDs: I'd say a hair less. Also, while the image is sharp, it doesnt have that "bite" to it that really, really sharp optics do.
How much of it has to do with the smaller exit pupil and lower resolution of a smaller objective, I dont know - I dont have any alpha compact binoculars to compare with (although I get a pair of Taigas next weekend).
Overall, I'd say that these optics are good enough to help you identify most birds that you will see (subject to the limitations of this size/format). I imagine the view would be better or more satisfying with Ultravid 8x25s and possibly, the Ultravids would perform a little better at longer viewer-to-subject distances.
But for the price, this is an excellent buy indeed. It is a compact binocular that can actually be used for serious birding. To me, it fills in a very valuable niche between the $100 porros and the $600 Ultravid/FL compacts.
I'm very happy with them. Tomorrow, I have to kill a day - after watching the Ozzies get slaughtered in cricket (hopefully), I plan to head to the zoo for a walk. Will have them on me "in case" something crops up - that was why I had bought these binos and they perform that function admirably.
Vandit
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