Telescope Reviews: 7x50 -- Vixen Foresta CF meets Fujinon FMT-SX IF

Tonight I dispense the deer feed at sunset (7:43 p.m.). However, I have to go out and do not return until 9:00 p.m. The deer feed is gone and it is quite dark outside (New Moon, heavy overcast sky). When I park my car, I go inside and grab both the Vixen and Fujinon to patrol the grounds for deer.

My first choice is the Vixen. There, 150 yards South of my driveway are three large deer eating acorns under a patch of oak trees. The Vixen reveals the shape and size of the three deer. However, there is not enough light to count antler points. I guess these are bucks--they certainly are large deer. About the size of the two 6-point deer from last night. No, I think tonight's deer might be larger?

I switch binoculars several times during the next hour. I am not using a tripod, but standing between my car and my wife's car, supporting the binoculars by propping my elbows on the car roof. The comparison tonight is to form an opinion as to which model is better, under extremely low light, at sweeping the landscape and providing a brighter view of the deer.

The landscape is pretty dark under the oak trees. With my naked eye, I can not detect any deer shapes nor can I make out the trunk of the oaks below the limb line (7-ft height above the ground). With both models of the 7x50s, the landscape comes alive. I easily discern the shape of the three deer, as well as the tree trunks and grass. But which model reveals more about the deer and their acorn dessert? It is close, very close. Not a lot of difference. However, I have to give the edge tonight to the Vixen Foresta under this cloudy moonless night.

The deer finish their acorns and walk 20 yards toward me and bed down in the grass. They are 130 yards to the South of my viewing location between the two cars. I continue to observe by switching the two models.

As time passes, I notice another important distinction between the two models. The Fujinon is designed for long vigils. The Vixen is designed for quality observation, but not conducive for long vigils. The Vixen has smaller barrels and the eyecups are hard. I find I keep pressing the Vixen deep into my eyesockets and the hard twist-up eyecups begin to ouch a little. Not so with the Fujinon. The soft rubber eyecups do not weary me at all. As time passes and I begin to switch between the models, I find myself looking forward to the large barrels and soft eyecups of the Fujinon, and dreading the hard twist-ups of the Vixen. The Fujinon design probably comes from a long line of military and marine applications where soldiers and sailors observe battle lines and coast lines for several hours at a time. Indeed, I feel part of this long vigil tradition as I observe the deer bedded in the grass.

. . .

Tonight's prize is a toss up. The Vixen gives slightly brighter views, easy focusing as the deer move around in the dark, and convenient views up to 15-20 minutes. The Fujinon, however, gives greater viewing comfort for longer observing periods (particularly when the binoculars are well supported).

For a quick walk around the grounds in low light or a binocular for a hike in a full-canopied forest, I definitely will reach for the Vixen. For a night of vigil, of observing a dark landscape, tree line, or horizon, for periods of time longer than 30 minutes and possibly as long as several hours, I will reach past the Vixen and grab the Fujinon.

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Bob
38°N