8x25 vs 10x30 vs 12x36 IS (1 Viewer)

rka · Sep 24, 2005

I can't seem to find any clear comparisons on the optical (within 30 feet), optical (>30 feet), optical (hight contrast), low light, IS and battery performance of these.

Has anyone compared them side by side? The brochure shows the 8x25 with a higher "Relative Brightness" than the other two. I'm not sure what "Relative Brightness" means since I would expect the gathering capability of a larger objective to be greater than that of a smaller objective. So for the 8x25 to have a rating of 9.6 vs 9.0 for the other two was a bit of a surprise.

One person commented that the 8x25 IS implementation was quite excellent, especially given the low magnification.

Any help would be appreciated.

rka

kabsetz · Sep 24, 2005

Cant help much, but perhaps a little.

The relative brightness is nothing more than the exit pupil diameter squared, so all it tells is that the 8x25 has a fraction larger exit pupil.

As far as battery life, the major difference is that the 10x and 12x models use AA size batteries so you can use standard rechargeable cells with them just fine. The 8x25 on the other hand uses a small and relatively expensive camera battery which was not available in a recharceable form when I last checked.

Kimmo

dipped · Nov 23, 2005

Kimmo

A quick search reveals it is now possible to buy CR123A rechargeable batteries for the 8x25 IS. Could be a good bin. for children/elderly.

denco@comcast.n · Feb 23, 2006

8x25 IS if the best of the three.

rka said:
I can't seem to find any clear comparisons on the optical (within 30 feet), optical (>30 feet), optical (hight contrast), low light, IS and battery performance of these.

Has anyone compared them side by side? The brochure shows the 8x25 with a higher "Relative Brightness" than the other two. I'm not sure what "Relative Brightness" means since I would expect the gathering capability of a larger objective to be greater than that of a smaller objective. So for the 8x25 to have a rating of 9.6 vs 9.0 for the other two was a bit of a surprise.

One person commented that the 8x25 IS implementation was quite excellent, especially given the low magnification.

Any help would be appreciated.

rka

I have had all three models and I like the 8x25 IS the best. It is by far the lightest and most compact. A big advantage for my usages. It is optically excellent with excellent edge sharpness.
The stabilization helps alot even at 8X. You can make out more detail with these than ANY of the most expensive big name binoculars including Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski. These are one great little pair of binoculars. They are the only model in the IS line in my opinion that are not too heavy. The 10x30 IS are not bad but the 8x25 have a wider field of view and are quite a bit lighter.

Dennis

werewolf · Jul 2, 2006

I really like - make that liked -my Canon 10X30. I got them on sale about four years ago and i actually much prefered them to my much more expensive Leica Ultra 8X32's...but they couldn't take a punch! I dropped 'em. I guess that image stabilization doesn't do well on drops. I'm pretty sure that it would cost more to have them fixed than I paid for them in the first place.

Oh, one thing I didn't like about them was the eye cups which I wound up performing scissor surgery on - cut 'em off!

The binoc's still work, but the IS is kaput.

werewolf · Sep 11, 2006

Strange. I had tossed my broken 10X30 IS in a bag and I had forgotten about it. When i came accross it the other day, I thought I'd give it another try - maybe the rest cured it - and I put some fresh batteries in it - and lo and behold it works perfectly again! I guess it just needed a rest!

AlanFrench · Sep 16, 2006

I've used the 10x30s, the 12x36s, and the older 15x45s, and find the increasing magnification improves the view. I think the 12x36 IS IIs are great birding binoculars, although I sometimes find the close focus is not quite as close as I'd like. The 15x45s are just too heavy to carry in the field - at least for me, as are the 10x42s.

Clear skies, Alan

8x25 vs 10x30 vs 12x36 IS (1 Viewer)

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