If you could zoom to 18 it would be nice, but a fixed 18 seems to have limited use.
From: Ken Hohhof Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2015 2:40 PM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] IS binoculars So I decided to experiment first by ordering their oldest and least expensive model, the 8x25 IS. Observations so far: 1) The image stabilization is awesome. Totally neutralizes hand shake but you can still pan normally. Kind of surprising because this model came out quite a few years ago. 2) They are smaller and lighter than I expected from the ads. 3) Adjusting them for your eyes is a little tricky but you only do this once. 4) My old Nikons were 8x42, but 8x25 seems plenty bright unless you are bird watching at dusk or something. 5) Soft rubber eyecups are nice, I assume they will eventually need replacing, luckily Canon seems to have good support for repair parts, I should probably order a set now. Given how well the IS works, I would now feel comfortable ordering one of their higher magnification models like maybe the 12x36, whereas 8x or 10x is normally the limit for handheld. I held off partly because Canon is coming out with 2nd and even 3rd generation versions of the higher magnification models. I’m not exactly sure how they are different. I do know compared to the 8x25, some of the others don’t require you to hold the IS button down constantly and also have threads on the front so you can use lens caps or clear filters for protection. These come with rear caps but nothing for the front. Admittedly, the lens covers for my now missing Nikon Monarchs were a joke. They list up to 15x50 and 18x50, but I don’t have that kind of money. The knee of the price/performance curve seems to be 12x36. I would not try to handhold 12x binoculars without the IS feature. Maybe I just have shaky hands. From: Jason McKemie Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2015 12:36 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] IS binoculars Come on now - you know you're going to find other uses for them... On Wednesday, June 3, 2015, Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: Has anyone used image stabilization binoculars like the ones from Canon? Are they worth the money? (for WISP use, not birdwatching, stargazing, or snooping on the neighbors)
