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Gentlemen,
You folks will probably prove me all wrong on this post but, that’s exactly what I want. I thought it was general knowledge that Fujinon “EBC” coating passed 95% of the light, much more than any other?? That the Fujinon FMT-SX 7x50 is the brightest, most contrasty, and best resolution, of any binocular, at any price, on this planet!! I am sure that Nikon comes close. I have seen an SE, but have not seen the Astrolux and Prostar. I know the SE comes close, I’ll bet those other two come close, also. OK, you knowledgeable folks, please tell me where I am wrong, and set me straight, as I would like to purchase the very best for my tired eyes. At this moment, it appears to me that, the best $ for $ bins out there, or the best at any price, are Fujinons. (I must add for most applications.) Are we talking of taking some kind of meter into a store and checking all the bins??

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Man those are strong words. Honestly, I don't know which is best. And, if it is your desire to know exactly the percent light transmission, then you would need laboratory equipment to do the testimg.

But you did prompt me to pick up my 10x70 Funinon FMT-SX and my Nikon 12x50 SE and walk outside to do a comparison of the reflectivity off the coatings. (Actually, I just came in from comparing about 10 different binoculars).

A week or two ago, I picked up a pair of Nikon 12x50 SE. When I first picked up that binocular I was startled when I looked at the coatings. At first glance, you can't see any light reflected off the coatings.

Now I must tell you I hold the Fujinon in the highest regard. The 10x70 and the 16x70 are the same binocular with a different eyepiece. For a long time, I have felt they have the best coatings of any binocular I own.

Keep in mind, these two ( the Fujinon FMT-SX and the Nikon SE) are the best of all the binoculars I own. Probably next best to those above is the Oberwerk BT100. Then there's a few Pentax binoculars in the mix that are pretty good, and a fine Swift Ultralite, and the Oberwerk 15x70 holds its own, but these two above are the best. And all these binoculars reflect a slightly different color back to you, varying from a purplish to blue/green/purple to yellowish/green to just green. If coatings are applied properly, color is not an indication of the quality, only a result of the chemical composition of the coatings.

One way to tell, comparativly, how much light gets through the coatings is to look for how much light is being reflected back off the coatings. You really can't tell much by looking at just one binocular. You need to see a range of binoculars to see different amounts of reflection.

So this is it, the first time I'm picking up these two binoculars to look at them side by side.

Standing with my face in full sunlight and using the binoculars as a mirror, looking into the objectives, then standing in shade but still in outdoor light, again using the binocular objective like a mirror to look for my reflection and try to see how much detail I can pick out in my reflection.

Without a doubt the Nikon 12x50SE reflects LESS light off the objective lens than the Fujinon 10x70 FMT-SX.

Man, it's hard to see any reflected light coming off the Nikon 12x50 SE. very difficult to see the entire outline of my head. No facial light, no features visible, just a faint dark outline of my head.

edz

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Edited by EdZ (09/26/04 04:32 PM)

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