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Binoculars are often used to view the stage or game in detail, taking advantage of the fact that they are smaller and easier to use than telescopes. In particular, opera glasses made for viewing the stage are very popular. Germany and Japan are famous for their spectacle lens technology for binoculars, but Sanju Optical, a Korean company, is surprising both at home and abroad by achieving $10 million in binocular exports.
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Nation’s one and only binocular maker!
Sanju Optical, a specialized manufacturer of leisure binoculars, was established in 1992 and is the only optical manufacturing company remaining in Korea. It has introduced a variety of optical products and military binoculars based on technology acquired in the optical field over a long period of time. In particular, SM30 is the first product in Korea to be designated as an excellent procurement product by the Public Procurement Service in the binocular sector and has a history of military supply from 2016 to the present. This is a proven product that has passed strict screening standards, including a transparent quality management system recognized by the ICR and new technology quality recognized by the Korea Photonics Industry Association. The SM30, along with the SM28, is equipped with an autofocus function.
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“With the influx of cheap Chinese products, we pushed harder and harder to develop our technology. We realized that when you try to focus the binoculars to see something, it takes about 20 seconds, even for the most skilled person. It’s not that autofocus didn’t exist before, but it was expensive because you had to put a special sensor in the binoculars that checks your eyesight and automatically focuses based on that” explains Kichul Kim, CEO of Sanju Optical. With the left and right eyepieces set to ‘0’, the SM30 autofocuses for fast target acquisition with a sharp image from as little as 20 meters to infinity. This is fixed at 8x magnification, so it’s easy on the eyes, and if you have a significant visual acuity difference between the two eyes or want to see precise focus, you can also use the individual focusing method, which allows you to alternately cover one eye and adjust with each eyepiece for a simple but precise view.
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Durable and waterproof!
As a military-grade product, the SM30 is exceptionally durable. The body made of silicone material is shock-resistant and stable, and has passed an impact test that confirms that the eye distance adjustment mechanism, the tilt adjustment mechanism, and other parts do not have any abnormalities in operation when subjected to 12 impacts of 40G and 15-23ms in three directions (6 components) perpendicular to each other, twice for each component. It has an ergonomic design with a secure grip for comfort and a one-touch hold-down eyecup. In addition, the SM30 is IPX7 rated. The IPX7 rating protects against submersion in water from 15 centimeters to 1 meter, which is achieved through the use of a double O-ring on the tilt adjustment. The binoculars are sealed with nitrogen to keep 0% moisture inside, and this nitrogen filling helps to ensure that the binoculars are resistant to rain, wind, and temperature differences.
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| ▲ Sanju Optical / CEO Kichul Kim |
This performance earned the SM30 a 2018 Public Procurement Service Outstanding Product Award, and the SM28, a squad leader’s binocular developed in 2020, was designated as a pilot item for the Ministry of Defense in 2020 along with the SM30. Sanju Optical developed the SM30L, an autofocus long eye-relief binocular, in 2023 and exports close to 1 million units per year to countries around the world, including Japan, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom, becoming the first domestic binocular company to reach the $10 million mark.
신태섭 기자 tss79@naver.com
