FujifilmTechno-Stabi TS 16x28 WP

I never knew I needed stabilized binoculars till I tried them. They make viewing so much easier, especially if you are viewing from a unstable platform. I recommend these binoculars

My wife and I bought a pair of the Fujinon 16's a couple of weeks ago. VERY impressed so far.We already own two (very) expensive Zeiss 10x power binos and we use them a lot, they are world-class. But we were interested in something with a bit more "reach" for wildlife viewing and night sky/moon/stars. And here is the important part for us, WITHOUT having to use a tripod....Tripods are just too much hassle to mess with while trying to move around unencumbered outdoors.We also find that trying to hand-hold (non-stabilized) binos over 10x is pretty much impossible. Yes, you can hold 12x or 15x still for a few seconds, but after that the "quality" of your view really goes downhill.So enter these Fujinon 16's....Wow, the stabilization system REALLY works! (Quite frankly better than I expected.) I find I can hold them (at 16 power) even steadier than my high-end 10x, so it really brings things in quite nicely. Very pleased! Focus is very sharp and clear, color is beautiful. Just what we were looking for.Three qualifiers though.1. The field of view is fairly limited, so probably not the "best" for things requiring that. Quick scanning of large areas for birds or other animals, etc. But if your subject isn't darting around super quickly, no problem.2. Eye placement in the eye cups is also critical because of the very small 1.8mm exit pupil. Luckily this bino has a 4 position twist-up eyepiece that allows you to to dial in just the distance you need. We also installed a pair of the (excellent!) Field Optics EyeShield. It really helps keep your eye stable on the eyecup and kind of "locked in". (Note: For under $20, I don't know why anyone WOULDN'T have a set of these on their binos. They also really work to block out distracting light from entering your view from the side. We have them on our high-end Zeiss as well. Wouldn't be without them.)3. They also are not super bright for the night sky. After all with only a 28mm lens to work with, well the laws of physics are the laws of physics, right? But we find in practice that the stabilization system along with the high magnification of 16x is pretty darn impressive. AND they are light enough to hold up long enough to actually give you a fighting chance to really study something at night in detail....Again, without a tripod!Almost forgot to mention that they are waterproof as well, so they work great around a boat or other wet/rainy conditions. Their other competitor (in the under $1,000 category) Canon is NOT. Something to definitely keep in mind.I will update this review later if necessary. But so far....Wow! Very pleased.

Image stabilization is good. My only problem is that the eye opening is quite small and difficult to align with eyes at times. I believe this relates to the 28 part of the 28x 14 size (14 is a measure of magnification), so a number greater than 28 might be better if this is a problem for you. However, to increase this significantly you will likely have to pay considerably more. I do like the on/off switch to turn on image stabilization. It stays on for about 10 minutes. I had a Cannon image stabilizing binocular before, but you had to keep the power button pressed at all times for it to work, which was irritating. My finger tended to slip off the button, then I had to remove the binoculars from my eyes to relocate the stabilization button. These binoculars eliminate that problem.

this is my second pair, the first were sent with a crack in the lens so I sent them back.the second pair worked for about 2 days , then they would not stabilize and the light would not come on when I turned them on. I thought it was just the battery;.I set the aside and forgot about them, I just got around to getting more batteries a month later. I put in a new battery today , switched them on , the light turned green , then the light went out , and they stilll don't stabilize. $750 paperweight

Terribly uncomfortable eye cups ... or lack thereof. If not in image stabilization mode, the view rocks back and forth. The lever to turn on stabilization is difficult to manouver. AND the focusting screw becomes more and more diffiult to turn when the temperature drops. And a tiny filed of view. Going to try the Canon comperable pair, the Canon with the disintegrating rubber melting coating. TEven that is better than these fellas.