Fujinon Stabiscope
Fujinon made the Stabiscope the easiest-to-use high powered binocular on earth. And then, as standard equipment aboard the shuttles, NASA made it the only stabilised binocular in space.
The Stabiscope can be hand held and used for prolonged periods with minimal fatigue. It provides rock steady images no matter if you are standing still riding in a land vehicle, are aboard a boat, or on a fixed or rotary winged aircraft.
Why stabilised is needed
The trouble with high powered binoculars is that they magnify everything...even the smallest motions such as the normal hand tremors associated with holding binoculars up to your eyes. The higher the power, the more even the slightest movement is amplified many times which leads to eyestrain, fatigue and reduced efficiency. This is bad enough when the observer is standing still on solid ground. But add in the constant motion, such as that encountered in moving cars, boats, and aircraft, and the problem is compounded. Tripods or other mounts cannot compensate for motion when they are part of a moving platform.
Just as a gimballed lamp, compass or stove stays level on boats despite turbulent sea condition so do the optics in the Stabiscope.
Easy to use
Simply switch the Stabiscope power on and wait a moment until the gyro motor reaches operating speed. Focusing is achieved by adjusting each eyepiece. Fold-back rubber eye cups permit eyeglass wearers to use the Stabiscope and still see a full field of view. To allow for individual difference in the distance between the eyes, and an interpolator control is provided. Finally, to use the Stabiscope, simply lift the locking lever to free the gimballed erecting prism assembly.
For maximum flexibility, the Stabiscope can operate on its own when equipped with either 4 AAA batteries or 1 lithium battery. Where auxiliary power is available, the Stabiscope operates on 12~32 volt DC power sources when used with the supplied DC regulator.
