When you look through these binoculars,
a powerful sensation surges through you.
Designers' messages
Mr. Nishioka, Mr. Fukumoto and Mr. Tomita are extremely fond of the stars. They all say that this is a key appeal of their jobs. So all three naturally want to look at the starry sky through WX binoculars.
To round things up, we asked them how they'd like to use these binoculars and how they want them to be used by others.
"I would love to watch the sky right through the entire night, lying down on a reclining chair. I think that would be a wonderful experience. I am sure I wouldn't get bored looking at the sky overnight. Usually, high-magnification telescopes degrade the beauty of stars. For example, when you look at the Pleiades star clusters, the stars appear to be pulling apart from one another. These binoculars give you the engaging sense of seeing them together as a whole." (Mr. Tomita)
"I often used 10x70 IF SP WP binoculars to look at stars. I enjoyed it a lot, so binoculars with a wider field of view will be great for me. A good thing about looking at a starry sky with binoculars is that it doesn't require very much preparation - all you have to do is look up, relax and enjoy the immersive feeling. You can experience an impression as if you are travelling into space." (Mr. Fukumoto)
"If you want to see the Milky Way or star clusters, I recommend the WX 7x50 IF binoculars with their wider real field of view. They are ideal for observing the corona* during a total solar eclipse. Observing the scene spread out across the whole viewfield will be magnificent." (Mr. Nishioka)
*Never look at the sun directly with binoculars. If you view the corona, view very carefully and do so only during a total solar eclipse.
All three designers say that they would like users to employ the WX binoculars for a variety of purposes as well as looking at starry skies.
"I recommend viewing majestic landscapes during daytime. Being able to view scenes so sharply and beautifully will draw out a whole new sensation from the landscape." (Mr. Nishioka)
"As well as viewing astronomical subjects you can fully enjoy nature with dynamic scenery. You will experience the difference the moment you look through the eyepiece, and even those who are not familiar with binoculars will immediately get a sense of the high image quality of WX binoculars." (Mr. Fukumoto)
"If these binoculars were used at events such as the stargazing nights often held at science museums, it could help to nurture more enthusiasts of binoculars, telescopes, space and astronomy" (Mr. Tomita)
Compromising what they created might be something resisted by most developers, who always aim higher. However, this trio of designers sees things differently.
"These binoculars will make you tremble with emotion at the landscape you see from the instant you look through them. I want users to feel this enjoyment.
I was firmly committed to creating another level of viewfield beyond that which conventional binoculars could provide.
In this way, I think the world will appear even more beautiful to you. I really want you to look through the WX binoculars, and once you've entered this amazing landscape-viewing experience, these are the binoculars you're going to want to reach for again and again." (Mr. Nishioka)
"Binoculars featuring a wider real field of view and 7x magnification - that's quite something in itself. When you want to obtain higher performance with a wider real field of view, the body must become somewhat larger. Eventually, we achieved this successful result. I would like users to take some time and actually come to handle and look through the WX binoculars for themselves, then if they're impressed, I hope they consider owning them someday. You don't have to rush into it." (Mr. Fukumoto)
"I was deeply involved in the design of the WX 10x50 IF binoculars, and hope that users enjoy the outstandingly wider apparent field of view. It's wide enough that you can barely perceive the frame of the viewfield when you look into the eyepiece. But although they possess such a wide viewfield, the image stays sharp all the way to the periphery. This is a world you can only enter with WX series binoculars. Without a doubt, you'll feel you've been brought closer to the stars." (Mr. Tomita)
Everything started with a
designer's dream.
Tatsushi Nishioka 1st Designing Section, Designing Department, NIKON VISION CO., LTD.
Image quality is astonishing,
but can it be productised?
Satoshi Fukumoto 4th Optical Designing Section, 1st Designing Department, Optical Engineering Division, NIKON CORPORATION
A staff united in an attitude of
"no compromise".
Katsunori Tomita 4th Optical Designing Section, 1st Designing Department, Optical Engineering Division, NIKON CORPORATION
When you look through these binoculars, a powerful sensation surges through you.
Designers' messages
From all three designers, "This project was helped toward its realisation by the customer feedback at the reference exhibit.
We deeply express our sincere thanks to all those who gave us warm support at various exhibitions as well as astronomical events.
And last but not least, the successful achievement of these products was made possible with the strong support of many people within Nikon and cooperating companies. We would like to express our deep gratitude to everyone involved in this project."