Canon 18x50 Image Stabilization All-Weather Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon 18x50 Image Stabilization All-Weather Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries
Digital camera Review: Suitable for bird-watching and 18x magnification not 50x
Summary: 5 Stars
Update: I own them now! Bought the filter covers for the main lenses too and the lens caps. As some reviewers have noted these binos weigh a bit more than other binos due to the IS. Not too burdensome for a decent hike if you carry it postman-style over your neck and under an armpit and can still bring it around quick enough. All things considered though I wonder if a spotting scope and a light monopod might not be a better choice for weight and magnification. Perhaps for some, so far I'm sticking with this (and it's paid for).
Original: First, I don't own these binoculars (yet), due to the cost and weight (they're over 3 pounds), but I've started saving my shekels based on the Bezos review and the Canon name. Also, please note that these binoculars are 18x (not 50x as another reviewer suggests). For bird-watchers it's worth mentioning that one should keep in mind the difficulty that many have in finding a bird through higher power binoculars after spotting the bird with one's eyes. I have a pair of 12x50 Pentax binoculars that I like a great deal and have had only minimal trouble finding birds that I've spotted. Others, however, don't have the same good fortune and so they prefer lower-power binoculars. The Audobon Society (the last time I checked) recommends 7x35 binoculars, but the average age of their membership is somewhere north of 50, so most likely their reviewers are unable to hold steady the higher power binoculars (however, even our nation's elderly should do fine with these as they have image stabilization). I'm curious to know how bright the image is (as I've read somewhere that 12x50 represented the best compromise between magnification and image brightness). From the other reviews it certainly sounds like that's not a problem.
Digital camera Review: Super Stable product
Summary: 5 Stars
Buy these if you are into bird watching (any type) live sports, or just want to hear you friends say "WOW!" when you turn the image stabilizer on when they are looking through these binoculars.
Worth every penny!!
Digital camera Review: Superb Bino!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This binocular is a gem. The optics are great, the IS system works very well. They perform as advertised! Why Canon does not provide objective lens caps is a mystery to me. I purchased Canon's 58mm UV haze filters and 58mm snap on lens caps to complete the package (so...I spent more money on Canon products...hmmm...above mystery solved!). These really are spectacular binos and are manufactured to a very high quality standard. As in any best of the best product sometimes you pay appreciably more to get small noticeable improvements. These binos are no exception to the rule, but IMHO worth every cent.Digital camera Review: This will float your boat.
Summary: 5 Stars
My ten years with a $1,000 pair of Steiners was a long and happy relationship. Few things on a boat last that long or work so well. However......in pitching seas I never really mastered their use and when I needed them most, they served me the least. Along comes a nifty boat show demonstration of the new Canon Image Stabilizers (in an 18x50 setup....excellent for open water) and voila, the Steiners become below-decks backups and the Canons rise to the bridge. They are magnificent, with great optics, very good balance and of course the incredible advantage of image stabilization that actually works in 6 foot seas!Digital camera Review: Two optical defects and a design flaw
Summary: 2 Stars
Originally ordered the Canon 18x50IS as an upgrade to my superb Canon 10x30IS.
First 18x50 pair: ok for terrestrial use but displayed flairing on Jupiter through the right eyepiece (left was ok). I exchanged them.
Second 18x50 pair: Jupiter flaired in both eyepieces. I then noticed that the flairing only happened when I turned on the IS. I returned them for a refund.
Ergonomics: the rubber eyecups must be folded back for these binoculars to be usable. This helps make the eyepieces so big that there was not enough "nose relief" to get the binos close enough to my face to see the whole FOV without really jamming the binoculars in to my face (they left red marks on my nose). After some searching, I found that many others had experienced the same problem, some literally took a pair of scissors to the the eyecups to increase the "nose relief". Not a good thing to do to such expensive binos.
On a clear night from my urban (Sacramento) back yard, I used these binoculars to detect M51 - something I never thought binoculars could do from my location. Keep in mind that this feat took about 5 minutes of focused study knowing exactly where to look, and the indications of this faint galaxy that I managed to pick up were only perceptible 20% of the time. While these still perform more like binoculars than a telescope, you do get that feeling of "now your cookin with gas". Too bad my samples had bad optics and the ergonomics didn't fit my face.
One more thing: these are heavy enough that after the novelty of a new toy wears off, you wont want to travel much with them. The only use I see is astronomy, where you are reclined in a lawn chair with armrests on which you can comfortably brace for extended periods of time.
I give my existing 10x30 Canon IS 5 stars, but cant recommend the Canon 18x50.