The ‘sx’ series of binoculars are made to "milspec"
(military specification) for the U.S. Military. FUJINON
are the manufacturers, FUJINON are known for their lenses,
FUJINON make the best broadcast lenses (used for TV and
film) in the world; FUJINON have patented their own system
of coatings on the lenses.
It is the coatings that give that final ‘edge’ on the competition,
it is the coatings that make colours appear true, it is
the coatings that stop points of light appearing as star-shapes.
The ‘fmtr-sx’ series is also waterproof (meaning waterproof
for one hour at a depth of 6 meters); and are also remarkably
rugged – you should be able to drop one and it should
remain intact…though this is not a guarantee, I would never
recommend a drop-test!
Q. Why, then, are these so inexpensive (the same quality
in the other ‘big’ makes are priced at £700.00 to £900.00)?
A. Because this is a very traditional binocular-shape,
it is not the compact roof prism design, it will not stand
out in a crowd, it will never be a fashion accessory, the
7X50 and 10X50 are quite heavy, the 10X70 and 16X70 really
do need a tripod.
All can be used with the rubber eyecups folded down to
give perfect vision whilst wearing spectacles. This is a
feature of nearly all binoculars these days but it is very
rare that the system actually works! The field of view (the
area you can see left-to-right and up-and-down without moving
the binocular) is EXACTLY the same with or without spectacles.
When I show one of these to visitors at the fairs I don’t
tell them the magnification is only "6X" and they
(usually) become very excited because they have simply never
seen anything so crisp and clear and wide-angle. There are
always those, however, who say, "Oh no, 6X is FAR to
weak for me, I need at least a 20X"…and then they buy
a binocular that is 20X magnification even though the image
is far too dim and fuzzy to be of any use.
I like this one because it is so lightweight that you can
hold it in one hand. Even my small children look through
it in utter amazement, usually children struggle to see
anything at all through binoculars and come away looking
puzzled. [top]
7X50 FMTR-SX (now
only available to Special Order) £400.00
10X50 (kept in stock) £550.00
Definitely stronger and more spectacular to use than the
6X30 but quite heavy (1.3Kg.), no problem for the soldier
(he isn’t going to whinge, "It’s too heavy…when are we
going home") but think hard about this one if you’re
only 50Kg in weight and struggle to carry a camera. If that
presents no problem and you really do want the best handheld
binocular at a sensible price, this is the one to go for.
I'm continuously trying to impress on my customers that it
is lower magnification binoculars that give the brightest
image with the widest field of view, and not to go for powerful
binoculars (10X is about the upper limit for a handheld binocular).
HOWEVER, in this particular case FUJINON have managed to make
a 10X that is, in my opinion, even better than their 7X...!
Not only does the 10X version have a unique patented coating,
but the eyepieces in the 10X are very special...but you don't
need to know that, suffice it to say that this particular
10X is about THE best! [Top]
If you’re going to be sitting in a hide watching wildlife
or on the roof of a tall building on a surveillance operation
and you need something as good at those listed above; if
you need to look through the binocular for long periods;
if you can mount the binocular on a tripod, then this one
really is amazing. It is the closest to ‘flat field’ (meaning,
a perfect image to the very edge) that you are likely to
see. It has the same huge eyepieces as the 6X30 and 10X50
which means that looking through one of these is more like
looking through a window that peering down a tube.
It CAN be held in the hands, but it is JUST a bit too heavy
(about 3Kg), mounting it on a tripod means you can just sit
back comfortably and peer into the binoculars for hours. If
you visit us (at the office or at a fair) PLEASE do look at
these before wasting your money on an impressive-sounding
20X or 30X binocular! [top]
16X70 FMT-SX (not stocked but
available to special order*) £690.00 *
It’s FUJINON, it’s powerful, it’s good…but it is not, in
my opinion, ‘stunning’ like the 10X70, increasing the strength
from 10 to 16X makes it just a bit too powerful to maintain
the amazing Fujinon quality.
To maintain the quality and increase the strength, the
absolute best (though this is the one binocular I have never
had in stock) is the FUJINON 15X80 at £2,600.00
(+ £235.00 for the mount, tripod not included). I would
LOVE to get one of these for a customer, merely so that
I could play with it for a few days. [Top]
* Special Order items may NOT be returned, unlike stock
items which may be returned for exchange, credit or refund
within 14 days.
