Fujinon 16x70 FMT-SX Polaris, Water Proof BK7 Porro Prism Binocular with 4 Degree Angle of View (Individual Focus)

2021-08-19T14:51:04

Best binoculars I haven't ever looked through! The first time I used them I was amazed by there clarity. I'm new to astronomy and these replaced a pair of gosky binoculars that I bought on Amazon and you get what you pay for.

PAUL B.

2017-01-04T08:34:46

Great Binoculars for Astronomy.

DAVID M.

2015-08-11T21:00:00

I purchased these for astronomical observation using a movable binocular chair (so they are rigidly mounted and shaking is not an issue). These binoculars are very heavy (twice the weight of my Pentax 16x60 binoculars) but feel solid and well-built. They shake a lot when hand-held and I would rate them as unacceptable for hand-held astronomical use. Pros include excellent on-axis sharpness, on-axis color correction, and fabulous coatings. The optics and mechanics are first-rate. Cons are poor eye relief, significant off-axis color (on the brightest stars and especially on daytime objects with high-contrast edges) and loss of stellar sharpness outside the central 2/3 of the field. My biggest gripe is that even with the eyecups folded down, I could only see about 1/2 to 3/4 of the field-of-view when wearing my glasses, and I was unable to see the field stop. Unscrewing the eyecaps allowed me to see the field stop, but only if I pushed my glasses tightly up against the eye lens and was well-centered in the eyepieces. I would rate these binoculars as unacceptable for eyeglass wearers (thus the 4-star rating). Unfortunately this was the deal-killer for me and I returned the binoculars for a refund. If you don't have deep-set eyes or don't have to wear eyeglasses for observing, then these may be perfect for you. Since I have significant astigmatism, I am forced to wear eyeglasses to observe with binoculars. I was disappointed in having to return these binoculars since I feel the optics and mechanics are quite good otherwise. I absolutely LOVE my Fujinon 10 x 50 binoculars (work great with eyeglasses and have wonderful sharpness across the entire huge field-of-view) so I was really looking forward to a similar experience with these larger Fuji's. Unfortunately, they don't perform like the Fuji 10 x 50s for astronomy when wearing eyeglasses, and so I returned them.

Michael P.

2013-07-22T21:00:00

The short eye relief of this binocular has already been much discussed, but I would like to add that for use as an astronomical binocular I found it acceptable to go a little bit beyond my ideal IPD setting of 62 to 65 or 66 in order to obtain more "nose relief" and hence get the full field of view. Though I don't wear glasses I have deep set eyes and am able to get the full fov with this method, without unscrewing the rubber eyecups. Also, if you have a reclining chair with armrests using these handheld is a possibility though not 100% shake free. Optically, these are a 5 star binocular. But the big eps and short eye relief are a bit of a hindrance and I would imagine a deal killer for some who wear glasses, hence overall score of 4 stars.

BRIAN H.

2010-06-01T21:00:00

They are not too heavy or too large; some first-time users complain that they weigh a lot but they are lighter (1900 grams) than the older version (2200 grams). I got used to their girth after a few weeks or regular use. Now the 50mm binos feel skinny in my hands. A 50mm bino is not full-size; it's compact. The full-size are the 63mm and 70mm models.I've spotted nebulae and galaxies that are difficult to see with telescopes much larger than this 70mm aperture. The anti-reflection coatings are perfect: I see no ghosting and the background sky is maximally dark. The toughness of the frame complements the rock-solid stability of the collimation. It has made dozen of trips in my car trunk on bumpy roads and never lost alignment. They are easy to grip even with gloves because of the pebbled surface; winter observing is easy. They resolve many open clusters in individual stars where smaller, or poorly-made 70mm binos only show a mist with a vague peppering of stars. A guy who tried it immediately commented that it was better than his 80mm bino, and I tried a mid-priced 20x80mm that had poor contrast and less resolution. The hinge and the focus mechanism are firm and smooth; images are sharp over a wide 64° field. I only wished they had hinged objective lens caps that cannot be lost or forgotten, and the eye relief could be a couple millimeters longer, but just for a bit more comfort because it's long enough to take in the whole view easily. Overall nothing beats them in 70mm or 80mm aperture.

Ben

2008-07-09T21:00:00

These are very well made binoculars. Clear bright stars almost to the edge. Far better than my German made binoculars that cost four times as much or other Japanese made at twice as much. Because of the individual focus these are best at viewing things not requiring refocus. These are probably the strongest made binoculars I have but are lighter than I was expecting. Not stylish but I am inspired by the obvious quality. I am sure these will last a lifetime. I have many top rated binoculars and use them several times a day. These Jujinon 16x70 FMT-SX stand out as the best I have ever used for long time observation.

Robert

2008-01-23T19:00:00

I used these on my elk hunt and killed the biggest bull of my life. With the rugged terrain where I was hunting, they worked well to spot and stalk.

Mike H.

2007-02-23T19:00:00

I have had them for 4 years and they are still my favorites (I have several other brands/versions). I also have the 7x50 in the same series that are excellent hand held for astronomy...but the 16x70s are my favorites by far for astronomy. Super contrast and resolution with excellent edge performance. They are heavy though so expect to use a mount to hold them steady. I tried the stabilization type binos from Canon and Fuji...too heavy so you really need to put them on a mount too so the stabilization is a moot advantage. The big aperture and optical performance makes these the favorites of many astronomers I know (four of them have the 16x70s). For a really cool setup these work great with a Sky-Window platform (device that uses a front surface mirror to reflect the image and a mount that makes it sort of like looking into a microscope...very comfortable and user friendly.)

Michigan B.