Bulletproof antishake waterproof (but heavy) Fujinon binocs that excel when it counts.

(revised 3/3/04) We bought these high power high tech binoculars after owning more popular less-costly models. We wish we had bought these earlier. In prior years you would have only had access to this quality of anti-shake optics if you were in the US Navy or one of the services. They are now available to the public as costs have come down. These were the only stabilized ones (as of Nov 2003 when we bought them) that are waterproof and fogproof, with an ability to be usable in conditions where those without the anti-shake ability will not work. If you are new to binoculars, the first number given -- ie 14x40 in this case-- relates to the amount of magnification, ie 14 times by 40 (the 40 relates to the field of view). Beyond 7 power your own hand and body movements (or vehicle movement) make binocs too hard to hold steady enough to read anything at a distance because what you look at bounces so much due to magnification. The servo-motors in these keep them focused steady even with up to 5 degree movements. Its like magic. If you are piloting a sailboat or flying your own plane, two things I do, the vibration and movement makes the use of non-stabilized field glasses unusable because the image bounces too much. Forget about reading distant text without these. To use high power field binoculars you otherwise have to use a tripod (much like you have to do with a camera that has slow shutter settings). New video cameras with high magnification have given rise to the same anti-shake technology used here, making home movie cameras that can show pictures that do not make you seasick from hand movement.
These digitally stabilized glasses are heavy binoculars, but they work like miracle binoculars, giving clear vision where previously there was none. You get clear steady 14 times magnification even if you are viewing while on a bouncing boat, or car on a rough road. Using them on the seacoast of Georgia, we could clearly see the top superstructure of ships, well before you could even determine it was ship (as the main hull was below the curvature of the horizon on the ocean). We were able to see them turn and maneuver long before you could see the bow of the vessel below the horizon - when other non-stabilized binocs would have only shown a speck on the distance.

You can actually read the text at very long distances that other glasses fail at. Numbers on distant waterway buoys or text that is often unreadable until you get right upon them in bad conditions, clearly are readable while you are still far enough away to take effective action. These come in their own Pelican carry case and floating strap. They have 2 direct drive motors controlled by vibration sensors that you can barely hear work as you move them when power is on. They can be used without the 4 AA batteries turned on, but without anti-shake feature. The 3 hours continuous use batteries automatically turn off after a few minutes to conserve power. These have good optics and are bright, with high clarity and resolution. I was used to good binoculars, but wish I had these years ago. They enhance safety and operational ease on any vessel or application where you may use them.