I got my Fury 8x28s a couple of days ago - just in time as I had to leave on a short trip for a few days starting yesterday. Due to a bunch of reasons, I didnt have a lot of room to spare in my bags and so decided to take this bino with me in the off-chance I'd get some free time.
Well, as it turns out, I did get some free time this morning and got a chance to put the binos through their paces.
The Fury 8x28s came with a rear cap but no objective covers. A standard soft neoprene shoulder strap attaches to the binos. The case has a belt loop but no arrangement for attaching shoulder straps. For carrying, it isnt a problem as you simply use the bino straps. But in the field, once you remove the binos, you have to find someplace to stuff the case. Not a big deal, really, but it would have been nice to have 2 rings on the case as well. How hard can that be?
As for the binos themselves, they are compact. They wont fit a shirt pocket, but they go into the outer pocket of my cargo pants very easily, which is what I need. And they are light - the first bino that felt ok hanging around my neck (I always use a bino harness or sling my bino strap over one shoulder). Eye relief cups were generously-sized and moved up and down with a satisfying solidity.
Given my previous experiences with small binoculars, I was expecting a lot of problems in getting the IPD and overall eye placement "just right". However, not so. The single hinge meant that adjusting the IPD was easy, and - helped in no small part by the ample eye relief - getting the right eye placement was very easy.
The focus wheel moved well (although I think I would have preferred it just a wee bit more damped), and doesnt have any play in it. However, images dont appear to "snap" into focus as sharply with this bino as they do with some other optics I own (such as the Pentax 10x43SPs and Minox 8x32BDs).
As for the optics - very good for the price. I spent this morning trying to chase down a few skulkers, and I got surprisingly decent views of a small leaf warbler porn-starring at a distance - 15-20m away, I reckon - and in pretty high contrast: enough to identify the two wing bars and the white brow (damn shame I dont know my leaf warblers, b/c this was probably the best chance I had of getting a really good view of the blasted things). I had a fairly productive walk, notching up a coucal, a verditer flycatcher (quite far from home, that one!), a black redstart and a few more.
Although the optics are very good indeed, I wouldnt classify them as great. The image is bright enough but not as bright as I get from my Vipers or Minox BDs: I'd say a hair less. Also, while the image is sharp, it doesnt have that "bite" to it that really, really sharp optics do.
How much of it has to do with the smaller exit pupil and lower resolution of a smaller objective, I dont know - I dont have any alpha compact binoculars to compare with (although I get a pair of Taigas next weekend).
Overall, I'd say that these optics are good enough to help you identify most birds that you will see (subject to the limitations of this size/format). I imagine the view would be better or more satisfying with Ultravid 8x25s and possibly, the Ultravids would perform a little better at longer viewer-to-subject distances.
But for the price, this is an excellent buy indeed. It is a compact binocular that can actually be used for serious birding. To me, it fills in a very valuable niche between the $100 porros and the $600 Ultravid/FL compacts.
I'm very happy with them. Tomorrow, I have to kill a day - after watching the Ozzies get slaughtered in cricket (hopefully), I plan to head to the zoo for a walk. Will have them on me "in case" something crops up - that was why I had bought these binos and they perform that function admirably.
Vandit
Thanks for the review.
Many opt for 8x32s. I think there is a market for good 8x28s and 8x32s in under $300 price. Yet I think Bushnell is quitting 8x32 Legends.
Happy birding.
I've tried the Fury 8x28 bino. I thought they had nice optics, great eye relief, and were very lightweight. But their size wasn't much less than an 8x32. And their field of view was a little restricted (which is usually a trade off for a compact with lots of eye relief).
They seem ideal to me as a very lightweight but effective back-up bino for a trip where you want something decent if your primary bino bites the dust. Or they would be good as a carry-anywhere or glove box bino.
I have a small quibble with one thing you said. You said that the Fury had less resolution because of the small objectives. I used to own a Nikon LXL 8x22 and I can tell you that the images were as sharp as any larger bino. They just weren't as bright.
I've noticed that resolution seems to suffer in low light conditions. But I think that is the fault of the human eye rather than the bino.