Articles Table of Contents   Page 1: Overview of Choosing a Binocular Page 2: Brightness: Magnification, Objectives, Exit Pupil Page 3: Eye Relief Page 4: Field of View / Depth of View Page 5: Mounting Binoculars To a Tripod For Ease of Viewing Page 6: Fujinon 7X50 Page 7: Leica Geovid 8X42 Rangefinder Page 8: Zeiss Victory FL 8 X 32 T* Page 9: Zeiss Victory FL 10 X 42 T* Page 10: Zeiss Victory RF 10 X 45 T* Page 11: Zeiss Victory FL 8 X 56 T* Page 12: Swarovski EL 10X42 SwaroVision (WOW!) Page 13: THREE Nikon EDG 8X42 and 7X42 and 8X32 Page 14: Canon 10X42L IS WP Image Stabilized Page 15: Canon 15X50 IS WP Image Stabilized Page 16: Carl Zeiss Photoscope 85 T* FL spotting scope digital camera Page 17: Binocular Buying Suggestions

Binoculars — Fujinon 7 X 50 FMTR-SX Polaris

The Fujinon 7X50 FMTF-SX Polaris binoculars use porro prisms, so they are large and heavy binoculars (3.3 lbs / 1.52kg). I’d not want to carry them except on short hikes: I call them “car or boat binoculars”.

Size and weight aside, they’re easy on the eyes and have deep depth of view (more on that below)— fantastic as far as viewing pleasure goes:

The deep depth of view afforded by the porro prism design is a huge advantage— much less fiddling with focus for minor distance changes.

The 23mm of eye relief makes them the easiest to use of any of the binoculars I tried.

In dim lighting, these 50mm objectives can peer into dark corners.

At under $600, these binoculars offer incredible value— image quality is as good as the Leica or Zeiss models, but they cost 1/3 - 1/5 the price.

The downside to the Fujinons is the awkward shape required by the use of porro prisms, as well as the 3.3 pound weight (which could also an issue for extended use eg arm fatigue). Still, if space allows and one is not carrying them for miles, these binoculars are by far the easiest on the eyes of all the models I’ve tested so far, due the 23mm eye relief.

For viewing sports, where players might move closer and farther constantly, the Fujinons would be my first pick for the deep depth of view, as well as for indoor sports because they are also very bright. The 7X power is perfect for such things.

Both eyepieces must be focused individually, as opposed to a single focusing knob used by roof prism designs (Leica, Zeiss, etc). Since there is much better depth of view, focus adjustment is needed less often. When really rapid changes in focus are needed, these are not the best choice. However, I’m told that some porro-prism binoculars do have a cenral focusing knob.

Some users might like the FMTRC-SX model, which has a built-in compass and reticle. Fujinon also makes a variety of other binoculars which I’d suspect are also outstanding.