Customer Reviews

Nikon StabilEyes 14x40 Image Stabilization Waterproof Binoculars with Case, Neck Strap & Batteries

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I had done some research but wanted to physically compare the Nikon to the Canon IS. I lucked into a Ritz Camera store that happened to have both. My wife and I independently judged the Nikon to have superior Image Stabilization.

We have had them for over a ear and are very happy. They fell out of an SUV (in the case) and the image stabilization was inoperative. I sent them back to Nikon and they repaired them no charge.

I run them on rechargeable AA batteries with no problems. It has two levels of stabilization (land and sea), it seems the only difference is the amount of compensation they apply. I have used them from moving cars, samll airplanes, and boats with excellent success. I also have a friend who has a genetic hand tremor and they work for him as well.

I am a big fan of these binoculars and it is not because I am a Nikon bigot. All my professional camera equipment is Canon. I just tested the IS side by side and Nikon won. Try them yourself before buying the Canon.

Comparison of image stabilized 14x40 binoculars: Nikon StabilEyes versus Fujinon Techno-Stabi.

The great thing about image stabilization is that you can use greater magnification. Without stabilization, every muscle movement, every step you take, every wave under your boat or bump under your vehicle makes you lose sight of what you're looking at. That's why the ordinary birder's binocs use 7x or 8x magnification, while these beauties use 14x magnification.

The Nikon and the Fujinon must be made under the same patent or license because they're nearly identical, down to insignificant details of the battery case. There are only two differences.

The first difference is that the Nikon has a switch that let's you put it into two modes: "land" and "on board", whereas the Fujinon is always in "on board" mode. The "on board" mode is more general, it compensates both for movement of your platform (walking, boat or vehicle movement) AND for movement of your hands, whereas the "land" mode only compensates for movement of your hands.

The second difference is that for me the Fujinon is better, in its one mode, than the Nikon is in either mode.

The problem with the Nikon is that there is just a bit of jitter. I only noticed it when trying to see the finest detail. It's like watching a movie, you see a tiny bit of a jump between the frames of the movie. The Fujinon is as smooth as silk. I could see detail with the Fujinon that I couldn't with the Nikon in either mode.

This comparison cost me $100 in restocking fees from BeachCamera.com. I got the Fujinon from LandfallNavigation.com.

These Nikon binoculars are my second pair of IS binoculars. They perform as well, if not better than the Canon IS binoculars they are replacing. The quality is up to the usual high Nikon quality. The reason I choose Nikon over Canon is that my previous Canon binoculars went out of alignment and when I sent them to the official Canon Repair Center for repair, they immediately sent them back with a note that said only "we are returning these to you unrepaired". That was it, no explanation or advise, no apology, no help at all. After I finally located an independent, nationally known binocular repair person, he said he has attempted to realign these in the past and Canon does not build in any mechanism by which they can be repaired. Live with a split image or throw them away. Considering the rude treatment I received from Canon, and the unrepairability of the binoculars, I chose to replace them with Nikon.