New image stabilized binoculars from Nikon

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Ivan Rothman

Ivan Rothman

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Nikon has just announced new image stabilized binoculars: 10 x 25 model and 12 x 25 model. Should be available by November.
In the past, the image stabilized binoculars that I have seen have been quite bulky.
I previously used Canon image stabilized binoculars and the view was sharper because of the stabilization, but because of their size I stopped taking them on trips.
These new binoculars seem to be quite small and light weight, rivaling size of non-image stabilized binoculars.
I am anxious to see reviews on these new binoculars and will consider getting one of them.


https://www.nikonusa.com/sport-optics/binoculars?ET_CID=5388196&ET_RID=904813506&facets[variants.attributes.features][terms][0]=Stabilization&limit=12&sortBy=featured&utm_campaign=sro-binos-en_US-10-9-2024&utm_content=img&utm_medium=email&utm_source=MKT&utm_term=Hero
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I have not problems with 10x or 12x binoculars used hand held. But I have known from experimentation that 12x is the greatest amount of magnification that works for me. I recently added the Sig Sauer Zulu6 HDX 16x42 binoculars with image stabilization. At 16x the image stabilization makes all the difference in the world. They are lighter than my 8x42 and 10x43 binos with a weight of 21.9 ounces.

For a lightweight binocular to use when carrying a camera and telephoto lens my favorite is the Swarovski Pocket Mountain 10x25 CL that weigh in at 12.4 ounces. The Swarvo design makes them very compact and they will fit inside a water bottle sleeve on a backpack or in a jacket pocket.
 
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Ivan Rothman said:
Nikon has just announced new image stabilized binoculars: 10 x 25 model and 12 x 25 model. Should be available by November.
In the past, the image stabilized binoculars that I have seen have been quite bulky.
I previously used Canon image stabilized binoculars and the view was sharper because of the stabilization, but because of their size I stopped taking them on trips.
These new binoculars seem to be quite small and light weight, rivaling size of non-image stabilized binoculars.
I am anxious to see reviews on these new binoculars and will consider getting one of them.
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These are exciting, especially at the price. I'll be adding a 12x to my whale watching kit. Thanks for the heads up!
 
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Calson said:
I have not problems with 10x or 12x binoculars used hand held. But I have known from experimentation that 12x is the greatest amount of magnification that works for me. I recently added the Sig Sauer Zulu6 HDX 16x42 binoculars with image stabilization. At 16x the image stabilization makes all the difference in the world. They are lighter than my 8x42 and 10x43 binos with a weight of 21.9 ounces.

For a lightweight binocular to use when carrying a camera and telephoto lens my favorite is the Swarovski Pocket Mountain 10x25 CL that weigh in at 12.4 ounces. The Swarvo design makes them very compact and they will fit inside a water bottle sleeve on a backpack or in a jacket pocket.
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I recently did get get the Swarovski 8x25 CL Binoculars and they are very nice. But I am now intrigued by the new Nikon stabilized binoculars, especially the 10x25 model which is virtually the same size as the Swarovski and only a few ounces heavier. For me, image stabilization will make a great deal of difference when using the binoculars.
 
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Ivan Rothman said:
I recently did get get the Swarovski 8x25 CL Binoculars and they are very nice. But I am now intrigued by the new Nikon stabilized binoculars, especially the 10x25 model which is virtually the same size as the Swarovski and only a few ounces heavier. For me, image stabilization will make a great deal of difference when using the binoculars.
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Be interesting you report if you get them. Our Swarovski 12x42 NL Pure are so much clearer and brighter than others we have used. Agree on the stabilization.
 
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RSJ58 said:
For birding or anything in lower light early am or pm I’ve found x25 is not bright enough for me. If you currently use 10x42 or 12x42 as I do, x25’s gonna seem dim, except in full light.
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Agree, with a very small front optic of 25mm, they won't be suitable for dawn, early sunrise and late sunset hours, which is when the top 3 (Zeiss, Leica, Swarovski) come into their own.
 
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Ivan Rothman said:
These new binoculars seem to be quite small and light weight, rivaling size of non-image stabilized binoculars.
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The main reason they are small and light is the front glass is 25, not 42.
This reduced "brightness" is quite usable in good light but like an f5 .6 lens on a DSLR can be dim in low light.

The product seems an interesting trade-off between a compact size and low weight that photographers are more likely to carry with them and not so good low light performance.
 
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I received the 12x25S two extremely rainy days ago, so I haven't used them much more than standing on the porch and looking at the tops of trees. I can't really comment on the image quality, but I didn't notice any issues. The stabilization, though, is amazing! I was pleasantly surprised at just how well it worked. I would say that they were as stable or more stable than my plain 8x25 Zeiss in my hand. Also, I don't wear glasses and I could actually see better with the eyecups set all the way down. Its probably due to the 2mm exit pupil. Anyway, my synopsis is:

1) the stabilization is very effective,
2) the small exit pupil isn't as much of an issue as I thought it could be,
3) the optics seem fine, but needs more time under varying conditions to evaluate further.
 
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I have had problems with binoculars with narrow fields of view. I have found them uncomfortable to use for more than short periods. When I had these narrow fields binoculars in the past I ended up not using them. This is personal to me, I end up getting a headache from eye strain.

I currently have a pair of Maven 8x42’s and those actually work for me. The viewfinder is nice wide and bright and I have been able to use them extensively.

I would be interested in giving these new Nikons a try but I do have my doubts.
 
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A serious binocular collector on the Birdforum ordered a pair of the 10X from Japan and is quite pleased with them. I cancelled my pre-order after more thought, mostly due to the lack of weather proofing. I'll wait for more feedback on that issue before ultimately deciding.
www.birdforum.net

Updated Nikon 10x25S and 12x25S Stabilized binoculars

I have no problems with hand held 12x50 binoculars. It is at 14x and greater levels of magnification where I need either a tripod or stabilized binoculars. I added the Sig-Sauer Zulu6 HDX 16x42 a couple months ago and the stabilization works very well. The Sig-Sauer use a single AA battery that...
www.birdforum.net www.birdforum.net
 
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BillW said:
I did not see anything in the description that said whether they are waterproof. It would be nice if they are.
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Unfortunately, they are not.
The german site says "not waterproof":
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The prior version used CR2 batteries but the new ones that use two AA batteries have a project life of only 12 hours. My Sig Sauer binos use a single AA battery and have a life of a year. Either the 12 hour number from NIkon is way off the mark or someone at Nikon screwed up badly with the electronics.
 
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Calson said:
The prior version used CR2 batteries but the new ones that use two AA batteries have a project life of only 12 hours. My Sig Sauer binos use a single AA battery and have a life of a year. Either the 12 hour number from NIkon is way off the mark or someone at Nikon screwed up badly with the electronics.
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Other "maybes" are the two products have significantly different stabilisation capability, or 2 AA batteries that are readily available anywhere do not have the capacity of often significantly difficult to locate CR2.
If these binoculars accept rechargeable AA batteries (I have not checked) then 12 hours in constant "on" seems little different to a Z9 monitor constantly on for power consumption.
 
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