After studying the fine print of the Walmart listing, it is actually being sold by Optics Planet. Think of the listing like Amazon who stocks and sells their own inventory, but then also offers their web site to list for other companies as the Amazon Market Place.
I found another version of this on Optics Planet web page in the Aviator Series for airborne surveillance. it is just a mere $6,636.26. (Wonder how they came up with the 26 cents.) Now to think some were concerned recently about the upcoming $3,000 alphas.
http://www.opticsplanet.com/fraser-optics-stedi-eye-aviator-binocular.html
Dennis, maybe you should buy the Vivitar with ship to store for free shipping. Then you can do a shoot out review with the Yosemite! Frank will be jealous. The Vivitar must be good, the first three reviews are 5 out of 5 stars. Not only that, it includes a case, cloth and strap for the $5.41! (I wonder how they came up with the 41 cents.)
Actually, it may be worth it just for the pouch in case one is needed for another binocular. The binocular is listed at 8"L X 5.75"W X 1.75"H.
Here is review on them at Amazon. They probably sold one to some rich brat. I wonder how big his BOAT is?
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Very Impressive Binoculars
By Jeffrey Mullis on March 3, 2014
I thought I would post a review of my Fraser Bylite image stabilized binoculars in case anyone is considering buying a pair. I purchased these during an incredible sale that was hard to pass up for use on my boat.
These are drop-shipped directly from Fraser but they did take a little while to arrive. They come well packaged and include a neck strap, a cleaning kit a pouch which is actually pretty durable and a couple of batteries. Regarding the binocular themselves, the first thing I noticed is that they are light! I had a pair of Fraser MK-X’s and these are considerably lighter, I think these are also lighter that the Fujinon Technostabi’s I owned. This is a nice feature if you are planning to hold them to your face throughout the day while on your boat. They are also very well built; everything seems well constructed and built to withstand the test of time. These binoculars are supposed to be able to handle being dropped and continue working. They are also sealed with epoxy and completely waterproof. I don’t have any plans to test this but given that anything can happen on a boat, it’s nice to know they can handle some abuse. I was also very impressed with the optics of these binoculars, the image is clean and crisp and at 14x magnification you are able to see details that would otherwise be missed. It’s very easy to adjust the settings and arrive at a clear image that is clear. I was very happy with how everything is laid out and the ergonomics of the binoculars. The pan speed of these binoculars is great and the image doesn’t lag nearly as bad as it did with my Fujinon Technostabis. I’ve not yet tested them out on my boat but I found with the Technostabi’s that it was really hard on my eyes to look through them for very long. From what I’ve read, this is not an issue when looking through the Fraser binoculars. If this proves to be true they may be worth the increased cost for that feature alone.
Regarding the image stabilization, it works great. It definitely removes the instability from your hands as you hold the binoculars. Images that are difficult to see become very clear as all of the vibration is removed from the image. While holding the binoculars I rocked my body back and forth and the image is still clear enough to discern what it is. I will say that when moderately rocking myself forward and backwards, similar to the motion you might expect while on a boat in two to three foot seas, the image does move, it is not rock steady. Compared with my Fraser MK-X’s the image of the Bylite is more stable, compared with my Fujinon 14X40 Technostabi’s I would say the image of the Bylite is slightly more stable. Given that the Fujinons run $1000 and the Bylite’s are $4000, I would have expected the Bylites to have an image that is a little bit more stable, like I said, the Fujinon 14X40 provides an image that is almost as stable as the Bylites. Most guys state that when you move to a true gyro the image is incredibly improved, I don’t think I would agree with that, I will say it is improved, but the difference is not as substantial as most guys make it sound. I have not gotten my hands on a pair of Fujinon Stabiscopes so I can’t compare the Bylite to the Stabiscope as of yet, but I hope to make that comparison in the near future. From what I’ve heard the Stabiscope at 12X magnification has a more stable image than the Fraser binoculars. To some degree that is expected as less magnification would be less sensitive to instability in the image. However, most the guys I’ve talked to (and I asked around a lot before making this purchase) also say that in every other category the Frasers are better than the Stabiscope. That is to say that the Frasers are more durable, lighter, have a better warranty, cost much less to repair, use less battery life and have more magnification.
All in all I am really happy with my purchase. Hope this review helps someone.
