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10X42L IS Pros/cons... (1 Viewer)

This has probably been mentioned. Advice is a good starting point, but it's always a good idea to try any binocular before buying. Fit and feel varies from person to person and what feels fine in one person's hands may not be a good fit for you. (If you can try in person, make sure you buy it from someone with a good return policy.)

Long ago I was debating between two binoculars, not available locally. I ordered one and it turned out to be fine. Later I encountered a birder with the other choice, asked to try it, and found I could barely reach the focus knob. Since then I've never bought a pair without trying it.

Clear skies, Alan
 
Maico,

Welcome to the "No More Muggle Binoculars" club.

You are right about the pincushion distortion, but this also means no rolling ball while sharp to the edge.

Thanks for sharing the serial number info. You got quite a deal.

Kimmo

I checked my serial number and the date label on the boxes is indeed the date of manufacture. Mine being marked 51 which is March 2017

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Canon-Lens-Aging.aspx

So, in the first 3 weeks of March they made 91 units mine being made on the 21st March. (serial no. 51000091)

Annual production could therefore be circa 1600 ? Hard to say as with low volumes they are probably made in batches not continuously.
 
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I checked my serial number and the date label on the boxes is indeed the date of manufacture. Mine being marked 51 which is March 2017

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Canon-Lens-Aging.aspx

So, in the first 3 weeks of March they made 91 units mine being made on the 21st March. (serial no. 51000091)

Annual production could therefore be circa 1600 ? Hard to say as with low volumes they are probably made in batches not continuously.

Just got a replacement for my old 10x42, purchased in 2008.
The serial number for my new one is 35 800 014, suggesting production in Nov 2015. So the glass was in inventory for two years, at B&H in NYC, one of the largest and most active camera and optics outlets in the country. It would not be surprising if Canon decided to redeploy its superb optics talents towards more rewarding markets.
 
Greetings etudiant ...... Did the repairs on your original unit fail and thus the purchase of replacement or was it some other reason?

That is strange to get a two year old unit from B & H considering they are a high volume seller. I think others have reported units just a few months old when purchased new. Maybe yours got stocked on the wrong shelf and they just found it.

Anyway, do you see any differences in the new compared to the old?
 
Greetings etudiant ...... Did the repairs on your original unit fail and thus the purchase of replacement or was it some other reason?

That is strange to get a two year old unit from B & H considering they are a high volume seller. I think others have reported units just a few months old when purchased new. Maybe yours got stocked on the wrong shelf and they just found it.

Anyway, do you see any differences in the new compared to the old?

Hi BruceH,

Sadly, the repair did not stick, just as you suspected.
The IS unit is again not responding reliably, sometimes it engages, most times it does not. The glass only got lithium batteries, no NiMH rechargeables, but the same glitch as before.
Last time, I had to send the unit in several times to try to get it effectively repaired, even escalating the issue to the Chairman of Canon USA.
Certainly the service center did their best to respond and to make a lasting repair, but it lasted only 7 months, a month past the guarantee time.
At $512 per repair, it is not worth trying getting it fixed again, any savings are offset by the aggravation involved. I just bought a replacement instead.

Re the age of the unit, probably not that surprising. B&H recently downsized their binocular and scope sales space. They shifted it from a dedicated windowed room on the ground floor at the corner of 34th St and 9th Ave to a
portion of the camera lens and accessories counter in the windowless second floor camera sales space. That suggests insufficient traffic/turnover to justify the premium space and so perhaps they are now selling New Old Stock, especially if the rumors the 10x42 is out of production are correct

Regardless of the production date, the glass is fine, still color neutral and still sharp, but clearly a smidge brighter than my 2007 original. If there is a difference in FoV, it is tiny.

Looking back at the lessons learned, I wonder whether repair is the problem keeping Swaro and Zeiss from offering a competitive IS unit. These firms highlight their long term service commitment, but fixing 10 or 20 year old mechano-electronics components would be a whole new world for them.
So perhaps Canons IS will remain a nearly unique feature, at least until the Chinese offerings arrive.
 
Etudiant .... I am sorry to hear that the repair did not hold up. Thanks for keeping us updated. You sure tried! Based on your experience and other reports, I don't think I would try to get mine repaired if something happened to it. It would be a Goodwill drop-off and then I would think about getting a new one as you had to do. It looks to be a disposable product but I sure do not understand why it has such a poor history in being properly repaired.

The good news is they do seem to be a reliable product as there have been few problems reported. As I recall, you got a lot of good years out of yours. I do think they are worth buying for someone looking for that technology but like any tech product, they eventually fail or become obsolete. Hopefully, the owner will get enough use out of it to justify the cost. I hate to think how much money I spent on computers that you can not give away now. Digital cameras may better a example. They eventually devalue to zero but they are worth the initial purchase for what they can do. It may be better to compare the purchase of a Canon IS to a digital camera rather than a traditional mechanical binocular when contemplating a buy.

Sounds like Canon does insert some continuous improvement into the model. Best of success with the new guy.
 
Etudiant .... I am sorry to hear that the repair did not hold up. Thanks for keeping us updated. You sure tried! Based on your experience and other reports, I don't think I would try to get mine repaired if something happened to it. It would be a Goodwill drop-off and then I would think about getting a new one as you had to do. It looks to be a disposable product but I sure do not understand why it has such a poor history in being properly repaired.

The good news is they do seem to be a reliable product as there have been few problems reported. As I recall, you got a lot of good years out of yours. I do think they are worth buying for someone looking for that technology but like any tech product, they eventually fail or become obsolete. Hopefully, the owner will get enough use out of it to justify the cost. I hate to think how much money I spent on computers that you can not give away now. Digital cameras may better a example. They eventually devalue to zero but they are worth the initial purchase for what they can do. It may be better to compare the purchase of a Canon IS to a digital camera rather than a traditional mechanical binocular when contemplating a buy.

Sounds like Canon does insert some continuous improvement into the model. Best of success with the new guy.

Thanks for the good wishes.
Your digital camera analogy is spot on, they too are replace rather than repair items.
The good news here is that the 10x42 remains a really excellent binocular even if the IS fails, so unlike cameras or phones, failure does not brick the item.
 
When you look at the massive zoom range of modern semi-compacts with IS and 4k video the trend must surely be down for binoculars... https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-cyber-shot-dsc-rx10-iv?ref_=pe_1822230_261295390_dpr_nl_285_5

Presumably the reason cameras can offer massive zoom so cheaply is because the sensor size and exact position are fixed, so the light path can be precisely managed. Adding a retina quality display is straightforward, so the main obstacle to their wider acceptance as binocular substitutes is ergonomic.
 
The 18x50 IS is a good price at B&H at the moment $999. Speculation will start it's going to be discontinued but it's probably Canon clearing stock again...
 
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