[Super Dave]

Hi,

I've got a 15x50 on my wish list. I was wondering if anyone has any tips on where to buy a new one for the best price from a solid source?

There's a store called Campfire Tool Supply that has it listed for $828. Does anyone know if they are legit?

The next best price I can find is from Amazon for just under $900.

Lastly, does anyone know if these generally come down a bit in price after the holidays?

Thanks a lot,
Dave

[doug el10x32]

Hi Dave,

I do not know if you have access to a local store but due to the somewhat increased complexity of these IS binoculars, you may wish to consider buying 'retail' and although this maybe a bit more costly, you can then test the actual pair you are buying and possibly be able to return them more easily if there is a subsequent alignment problem etc. These IS binoculars seem to be quite durable and I did not encounter any difficulties with my pair from the local Canon supplier.

Doug..........

[Super Dave]

Thanks Doug, I have not been able to find them locally. But, I will contact Canon to see if they can point me in the right direction.
Dave

[etudiant]

The Canon IS line of binoculars is probably impractical to repair other than at the factory, seen that the design melds optics, electronics and movable elements.
So there would probably not be much benefit from buying locally in terms of service if you need to minimize your outlay.
Canon does a substantial mail order business, with good user satisfaction, as my mail ordered 10x42IS can illustrate, so you might look around a bit more..

[Super Dave]

Thanks for the reply. I think I'm going to wait until after Christmas to see if any prices comes down.
Dave

[RJM]

Canon USA usually offers rebates on the IS binos in the Spring.

[denco@comcast.n]

Originally Posted by Super Dave

Hi,

I've got a 15x50 on my wish list. I was wondering if anyone has any tips on where to buy a new one for the best price from a solid source?

There's a store called Campfire Tool Supply that has it listed for $828. Does anyone know if they are legit?

The next best price I can find is from Amazon for just under $900.

Lastly, does anyone know if these generally come down a bit in price after the holidays?

Thanks a lot,
Dave

This near new pair just went for $385.00 on E-bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-15x50-All-...item20b5f10d37

[Super Dave]

Yes, I saw that one. I'm pretty sure it was a scam. I recall seeing the same photos and text in another auction a while back. I've been tracking these for a while. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope it was not a scam.

I bought a new pair on ebay for $650. Right after that another new pair sold for around $450...oh well.

Overall, I'm real happy with the Canons. The fuzzy (in and out of focus) image that comes and goes with movement is annoying. I've read up on this and it appears normal. I also brought them to a Canon factory service center and they said it was normal. Once that bug is worked out these IS binos will be perfect.

I wonder if the Fuji's or Nikons have that same issue?

Thanks,
Dave

[denco@comcast.n]

Originally Posted by Super Dave

Yes, I saw that one. I'm pretty sure it was a scam. I recall seeing the same photos and text in another auction a while back. I've been tracking these for a while. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope it was not a scam.

I bought a new pair on ebay for $650. Right after that another new pair sold for around $450...oh well.

Overall, I'm real happy with the Canons. The fuzzy (in and out of focus) image that comes and goes with movement is annoying. I've read up on this and it appears normal. I also brought them to a Canon factory service center and they said it was normal. Once that bug is worked out these IS binos will be perfect.

I wonder if the Fuji's or Nikons have that same issue?

Thanks,
Dave

Yes, I almost bid on them but the guy had 0 feedback, just joined E-bay a week ago and was from Estonia which is near Russia? Sounds a little scary!
I have heard the Fuji and Nikons actually work better optically but are a little heavier. A pair of the Nikon Stabileyes just was up for sale on Astromart for pretty cheap. They looked pretty big and heavy though.

[KorHaan]

Originally Posted by Super Dave

Yes, I saw that one. I'm pretty sure it was a scam. I recall seeing the same photos and text in another auction a while back. I've been tracking these for a while. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope it was not a scam.

I bought a new pair on ebay for $650. Right after that another new pair sold for around $450...oh well.

Overall, I'm real happy with the Canons. The fuzzy (in and out of focus) image that comes and goes with movement is annoying. I've read up on this and it appears normal. I also brought them to a Canon factory service center and they said it was normal. Once that bug is worked out these IS binos will be perfect.

I wonder if the Fuji's or Nikons have that same issue?

Thanks,
Dave

Congrats on the Canons, Dave.

The fuzziness that comes and goes with movement I experienced too when I got my 18x50 IS's, probably even more so than you do, but after a while I started getting accustomed to use them in a more fluent way following moving birds in the open ( these are hard to use in wooded area, especially so if you're trying to track warblers; I managed surprisingly well though on numerous occasions). The focus wheel is very responsive, fortunately.
These big magnifications are something you must grow into, using them is different from using 8x or 10x bins.

The only times I don't take them out are when I don't feel like carrying them around, then I take a lighter glass. But I always regret leaving them at home, the thrill of a stable high mag view on any bird is enough to make me addicted to them. They are really fun to have.

Best regards,

Ronald

[Super Dave]

Thanks Ronald,

They seem to track birds fine and pan fine with minimal blur. The problem I have is just standing looking at one spot. For some reason my movements when trying to stand still throw it off. It's not that noticeable when looking at things at close distance because the image is large. It's very noticeable when looking at things 2 miles away. A person might only look 5mm tall and that's when the fuzzies are obvious because the person turns blurry.

I find they do best when I'm sitting and have better control of my movement.

It's an interesting technology that is almost there.

Dave

[gw4aurora]

My 15x50 bins only get a bit fuzzy with the IS on when viewing very distant objects, near infinity. I cure this by releasing the button then pressing again very quickly and they seem to react well to this. With this technology I think some pairs may act differently.

Chris

[Kevin Purcell]

The other idea is to refocus the bins when the IS is on which I do with my 10x30. In fact I prefer this as the finer details are sharper with IS on (of course!). On that bin I focus with my index finger and press the IS button with my middle finger (as it doesn't have a "latched on" mode).

Some of the defocus I think is drift in the IS system (think DC drift if you have an electronics background) so that they eventually run out of movement on the prism to correct for jitter. I suspect the release of the prisms on pressing the button doesn't quiet get to the zero point.

Turning IS off and on usually resets everything back to the center.