Product Features :
- Canon s first waterproof IS Binocular
- High performance L Lens with 2 Ultra low Dispersion UD elements on each side
- Doublet Field Flattener Lenses for sharp distortion free images edge to edge
- Bright field of view from a 4 2mm exit pupil diameter the largest of any Canon IS Binocular
- Wide angle rating from an apparent angle of view of 65
>> Good but with flaws
ok First of all I have owned these for 3/4 years with no problems So whoever said reliability might be a problem well I haven t had this problem
Second the lens caps are USELESS good for making yourself angry That s it They fall off and won t even stay on inside the bag
Third optics are very good maybe 4 stars but L L stands for professional and for someone who has L glass for camera lenses this is NOT the same It s good but honestly I have a pair of Nikons that I paid 200 for and the difference isn t that big
IS is GREAT awesome to have gets rid of headaches helps you see things clearly it makes a HUGE difference HUGE
maintenance washing them is a pain if you have hard water forget it you ll get residue everywhere and it s hard to get out Use only distilled water when you clean them Also even the lens cleaner will leave marks on the glass
eyecups uncomfortable I can only use them with the eyecups unscrewed all the way out dust gets inside easily and cleaning see right above
Optically I would give them 4 Image stabilization makes them really nice to use 5
But price/quality lags cleaning and things like the lens covers etc make me give it only 3 If I pay 1200 for binoculars they SHOULD be perfect
>> Canon 10x42
This is excelent product but it seems Profecional level item or luxery level so it is kind of pricy for regular family usage anyway I like it but it is too expensive for me Canon 10x42 L Image Stabilization Waterproof Binoculars
>> Not as good as the 12x for birders
Most of the reviews I see for IS binoculars are by and for plane spotters and other non birders so I wanted to add the wildlife viewing perspective to the mix
I have owned 2 different pairs of the 12x Cannon IS Binoculars one pair of the 15x Cannon IS binos and I have tested the 10x42 L series high end geared towards birders I will cross post these comments for all three For any of you birders out there trying to decide which is the right choice for you here are my observations
First general comments that apply to all three
1 Image stabilization is great There is nothing not to love about it Why all birders on earth don t use these things is a mystery to me For the money I would prefer to spend an extra 200 on image stabilization vs spending an extra 1000 for a comparable improvement in optics quality
2 These binoculars are heavy and bulky The grip the feel and the ease of use are different than those of normal high end binoculars The human factors of the engineering range from acceptable 12x to incomprehensibly bad 10x I suspect that experienced birders may pick them up for the first time and not like them because they don t feel right Here s my thought it is worth the 1 2 hours it takes to get used to them because it will change the way you bird For example YOU DO NOT NEED TO CARRY A SCOPE in many circumstances which is huge They may be slightly heavy for binos but they are much lighter than binos plus a scope and tripod
3 it is easy to underestimate the benefit and power of IS until you have used it for a while in the field For example when you are looking for a bird that is mostly hidden in leaves and occassionally pops into view these guys are great The slight vibration in your hand means that you need to see an image longer for the brain to decipher the image When it is stabilized you can see it in a flash You will be able to scan a flock of shorebirds at distance in a fraction of the time it takes someone with a scope You can see details on a bird moving 100ft above in the canopy that are utterly impossible with normal binoculars
4 THink of them as ELECTRONICS not optics These will not be passed on to your grandchildren They will last 3 5 years depending on how hard you use them Don t bother trying to get them fixed because it is uneconomical outside of the warranty period Don t buy them if you are uncomfortable with the cost because you may need to replace them in the not to distant future That said reliability has been okay for mine I have dropped them gotten them throughly wet for hours taken them to high altitudes and exposed them to a wide range of temperatures without any issues One 12x pair developed a rattle and subsequently a hiccup in the IS When I openned them up not recommended I found that a couple of screws fell out I don t know where the screws came from and don t really care because now they work fine again
Here is a comparison of the various models
12x the normal rule of thumb for birders with conventional binoculars is that 8 10x is about right in terms of image stability weight field of view and magnification With IS binoculars the equation is a little different You can have image stability at any magnification so it comes down to weight field of view and magnification For me the winner is the 12x You will have a little extra trouble finding a fast moving bird especially at close range due to the smaller field of view vs typical 10x However it is strong enough to allow me to leave my scope at home for most purposes it is equivalent to about a 15 18x conventional scope The eyepieces are comfortable and the field of view is acceptable My primary compaint is that the close limit of focus is too far for comfortable use in close quarters like dense rainforest These binos seem rugged and reliable
15x optimal for pelagic birding gulls and shorebirding but the field of view and range of focus don t work well for normal birding On a boat nobody else will be able to see the stuff you see period It is like having a scope when everyone else is using 8x bins In these circumstances the relatively limited field of view is not an issue and the extra magnification is great These are much larger and heavier than the 12x and you wouldn t want to carry these on a 10 mile hike although it would beat hiking 10 miles with a scope My main complaint and it is a big one is that the eyepieces are attrociously uncomfortable for my eyes Presumably they must be comfortable for someone like the engineer who designed them but not for me I had to replace them with eyepieces of my own because they are intollerable
10x These are fantastic Pros smaller lighter than the 12x Wider field of view and better close focus Cons 1 very expensive 2 eyepieces that are as bad or worse than those on the 15x which is why I don t own a pair I think perhaps Cannon made these because they found in their market surveys that birders want 10x binos I suspect they haven t sold many at the 1 100 price point given the Human factors issues I personally would advise birds to not buy these unless they are willing to replace the eyepieces and better yet just get the 12x Hopefully the next version will address these issues because the IS technology and the optics are great
