The Fuji TECHNO-STABI TS-L1640 Stabilized Binoculars with Electronic Stabilization are incredible. I could end this post right here and now. That’s all you need to know. They are also $1199.95. Until last year, I wondered why anyone would pay such a price for a pair of optics, but then I found myself in a binocular booth at a birding event where I raised a $4,000 pair of binoculars to my eye only to realize they were worth every penny. The world in razor-sharp technicolor. William Gibson’s binoculars of the future, if you will.
The $4,000 pair did not have stabilization, and this is where this post lengthens out. Why? Less than 10% of birders I’ve encountered use IS binoculars. I’m having trouble figuring this out, so if you are a birder with non-IS binoculars, please let me know why. I’m not knocking you. I’m just curious. These Fuji optics have the most incredible stabilization I’ve seen yet. I can use them from the backseat of a moving car, and they remain perfectly balanced. Also, they look large and heavy, but they are not. They are far lighter than I imagined they would be. One set of triple-A batteries is good for over a day of nonstop viewing. I’ve been using this for almost two weeks on the same set of batteries.
The only real bummer here is that I don’t own this pair. I have a lease with an option to buy. Okay, not really, but I’m just borrowing them when out with the owner. These binoculars make you want to use them, which I can’t say about the pair I have now. My current option is a twenty-year-old pair of Canon IS binoculars, which are better than you might think, but nowhere near as good as the Fujis. Here are the specs.
Powerful magnification for far-reaching coverage in any setting
±3° of electronic image stabilization for shake-free visuals
Large 40mm objective lens diameter for a true-to-life bright image
Lightweight approximately 30 oz (850 g) design for effortless usability anywhere.
Extra-low dispersion glass and optical refinements for a crystal-clear view
Long 30-hour battery life for day-long reliability
Yes, I’m old and birding is now a thing, but these babies let you glass far more than birds. I’m looking at boats, planes, houses, people, and anything else that comes anywhere near. I’ve loved binoculars since I was a kid, and these are the best I’ve used.
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Hi dan,
To answer your question. With 35 years of expierience in birdwatching and using mostly smaler ones i dont need stabilisation my hands have that completely Build in by now. Iam using a pair of zeiss 8×30 from the 80 with an excelent coating and they will outlast me by far. With electronics you never know how long they last. A friend used a pair of mechanical stabelized bonoculars with something like 20x which was absolutly mindblowing in the late 90s but for 15k they better be. For flying birds i find straight and smal glass the best. If the coating is good.
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You have to get your hands on something like these Fujinon. I never had IS binoculars until my wife got a pair from Canon. They are so far beyond what you do without IS. Just do the backseat test I did. Moving car, bouncing on the road, perfectly steady. I could read license plates. When I’m birding, I can hold on the bird for SO long and in such detail it is one of the best learning assists I’ve had. And for a lot less than than some of the non IS models.
A late friend of mine who was a fire lookout in Northern Alberta personally invested in Leica binoculars for (I believe) $4000. That’s 1990 dollars. He had spent years using the gov’t issued spotting binos and swore they were messing up his vision. The Leicas were so good he couldn’t wait to do the horizons scans all day. Binoculars are really easy to take for granted until you get your hands on the real deal. Mariners love Steiners. I don’t know who the Leicas are targeted at, but I know for one person it turned his job into a real pleasure.
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The best I’ve used are Swarovski. https://www.swarovskioptik.com/us/en/birding/products/binoculars However, the Fuji’s are much less expensive, and I didn’t see anything from Swarovski with this kind of IS. I’m telling you, it’s hard to understand how good the IS is until you are using them.
I have two different Nikons – both pocket size, the Medallions and the Trailblazers. Also have Swarovskis – a gift!!!! Habicht SL, marine glasses – over 30 years old and splendid. But my favorites are the Bausch & Lomb WWII field glasses I found in an antique store and paid $60 for, worn leather case and all!
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We still have my dad’s old pair, also in leather case. They are so good for their era, and heavy and all metal and they have memories attached. However, one look through the Fuji’s and that incredible IS, and it’s a new future.
Back when I was a kid in the 70s, my fathers friend had a 8×60 WWII uboat binoculars and he used to let me use them all the years we vacationed down at the Fishermans memorial campground in Point Judith RI. There used to be a military underground bunkers we used to explore as kids at the campground and at the ramparts it was a very cool place look over the sea, especially at dawn and dusk.
The binoculars were very heavy with big optics, constructed like a titanium brick and I always marveled at the resolution and sharpness especially at dawn and dusk where there was little light
When he passed away many years ago, his wife gave me those binoculars as I always talked about those glasses and so admired them.
It was a wonderful gift that I cherish.
Your interesting post on the Fujinon now makes me wonder how the two glasses would compare.
80 year old best German glass vs current state of the art glass…………….
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Lots of great glass. Not so many great IS options. I can’t stress enough how good the IS is, and how it makes it possible to study something in detail. It’s also a lot easier on the arms for some reason. WE also have my dad’s old pair, also German I believe. They are so good and have such a wonderful history in our family. For novelty, love using them. Am I going to take them to Africa with me? Heck no. Would be Fuji all the way.
I, too, have a pair of 20-year+ Canon 10×30 IS that I inherited. I’ve wondered how much better the current versions are (of any brand). Nice to know about these in case I want to splurge someday, but I really get more good out of using the camera with a long lens. It seems to have the added feature of being able to take a photo of what I’m looking at so I can figure out what bloomin’ bird I’m looking at. 😉
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There has been a good jump in quality, but I still have and use the Canons. Totally fine.
This is beginning to turn into Uncle Dan’s Show and Tell, but even an old forest rubezahl like myself wants to play along. I have a pair of old soviet binoculars, Tento, made in the USSR (“botz” 7-50) bought from a junk store owned by an Iranian immigrant. They came in a hard leather case lined with blue felt and include a set of eye filters, yellow and red. They obviously survived some kind of fire since the case smells of smoke no matter how long it sits in the sun.
As for bags: a Hedgren backpack bought in 1993, still as good as new, indestructible. Sadly they don’t ship to Canada, but that might be irrelevant these days; a Fajllraven backpack /carryon I use as a gym bag, cleverly designed with many pockets—so clever, I can never find the shampoo bottle; a Rogue gym bag I never use, because its just a big bag; and most impressively, a canvas Saveur shopping bag with a magnetic clasp, because print is back , baby, and in that magazine, photography is alive and well!
Author
All good. The key is you are using them!
Hi Dan.
Good question. Why don’t I use binoculars with IS? I just haven’t had that brilliant idea. Thanks for enlightening me, so to speak. I used a large, heavy pair of Leica binoculars for hunting. However, on hikes and for birdwatching, I take my pocket binoculars, a Swarovski CL8x25. They’re small and light, fit in a jacket pocket, and are the perfect binoculars to always have with you. Apparently, it’s like with cameras: the best binoculars are the ones you have with you.
Take care and best regards from Germany
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Swarovski are the best I’ve seen. I’ve never had a pair, just looked through them at a birding event. But the price is like Leica prices.