• • • • Also with this article. • • • Nikon and Fujinon go head-to-head in Practical Sailors’ test of image-stabilized binoculars Nikon matches Fujinon in optics, but lags in accessories and pricing.

We pitted the Nikon 14x40 Stabil-Eyes against the Fujinon TS 1040 Techno-Stabi binocular, which beat out four competitors&emdash;priced from $500 to $1,300 and with magnification factors ranging from 10x to 16x&emdash;for the top pick in December. This time, the two nearly identical binoculars carry the same 14x magnification rating but do vary a couple hundred dollars in price. Performance-wise, testers consider these two units to be equals. We found no advantage to the Nikon for its extra operating mode as it proved to be of little use on the water. We did find significant advantages for Fujinon in two areas: its superior carrying case and its lower price. However, for normal day-to-day use onboard, IS binoculars are no substitute for a quality 7x50 binocular with compass. **** This review is an update to our last image-stabilized (IS) binocular evaluation, which ran in the issue.

Roof prisms, as told to me by Fujinon. It's not specified in the manual. My Fujinon 14x40 Techno-Stabi are sharper than my better-than-20/20 eyesight.

This time, Nikon supplied us with a unit with comparable specifications to our 2006 winner, the Fujinon Techno-Stabi, to see whether the new Nikon could unseat our top pick. What We Tested We pitted the Nikon 14x40 StabilEyes against the Fujinon TS 1040 Techno-Stabi binocular, which beat out four competitors&emdash;priced from $500 to $1,300 and with magnification factors ranging from 10x to 16x&emdash;for the top pick in December. This time, the two nearly identical binoculars carry the same 14x magnification rating but do vary a couple hundred dollars in price. The Nikon StabilEyes (left) and the Fujinon Techno-Stabi binoculars are equals in the performance arena.

Blackened Sky Biffy Clyro RARE there. Our final call on these boiled down to cost: The Nikons are about $200 more than the Fujinons. Fujinon Techno-Stabi The Fujinon Techno-Stabi features a magnification factor of 14x, coupled with 40-millimeter objective lenses. They have black rubber armor coating and a polycarbonate case to protect the lenses and image-stabilizing electronics. The rear case panel holds a pair of adjustable eyepieces, the battery case cover release, and in the upper right-hand corner, the focus knob. The range of interpupillary distance adjustment is not as wide as some of the other binoculars we’ve tested; however, for our testers, it was not a problem.

Four AA batteries located in a latched compartment on the bottom side of the binocular case supply power for the electronics. Two option kits allow the user to power these binoculars from either ship’s AC or DC. Rubber eyecups extend back from the ocular lenses and must be folded down to accommodate eyeglasses. A removable hand strap fits on either side of the case. Our testers preferred using these binoculars with the hand strap removed and neck strap attached. Focusing is accomplished using a single diopter on the right eyepiece and a center-focus knob on the top of the case. The diopter scale is marked only with a plus, minus, and an index.