Image stabilized binoculars are increasingly used by pleasurecraft owners, nature observers and astronomers among others who need to decrease the natural shake experienced when using hand-held binoculars.

This shake can make it difficult to keep an image in view when trying to resolve or read detail such as the name of that nearby boat. Mariners have traditionally found the upper useful limit of binocular magnification to be about 7 times and this usually only comfortable with a 50mm lens. Astronomers will be familiar with the need for tripods in order to use binoculars on faraway targets.

As binocular users know, the shake is manageable with lighter and lesser powered binoculars but the more powerful and heavier the binoculars, the greater the apparent image movement. Image stabilization technology aims at adjusting the image instantly to the shakes in order to keep the image stable in your view. There are two main ways of achieving stabilization. Actively stabilized binoculars use electronics and gyros to sense the change in attitude produced by the shake and then change the angle of a lens group or prisms to offset the movement. Passive systems generally have floating prisms balanced by magnets. With a stabilized view, much greater magnification power than usual becomes easily manageable even with relatively small diameter lenses.

A recent popular model has been the Fujinon TS1232 which uses gyro sensors and a position sensor to feed an internal CPU which controls two motors to stabilize the prisms mounted on a gimbal assembly. The stabilizing effect is quite striking (some say 'freakishly cool'). Even small text can be easily read in the various tests done. It comfortably holds the image in centre view at 12 times magnification despite the additional weight of the electronics and the 32mm aperture. Its bigger brother the TS1440 allows 14 times magnification and is wonderfully simple to use.

See More over at BinocularChoice.com on Image Stabilized Binoculars