review: Canon 10x30, 10x42 (1 Viewer)

I have been using the Canon 10x42 and 10x30 for a couple of years each and thought I´d publish my experiences including some insider information from a specialized German dealer...

http://www.tmfilmpro.com/alleseiten/reviews/binoculars/CanonIS/CanonIS.html

Both have a unique user value. But I really wish Canon would built a better version of the 10x30 for higher middle class and leave the low end market to the 8x25... The 10x42 is absolutely the best bino for demanding handheld use but a bulky ugly beast.

Tobias Mennle said:

I have been using the Canon 10x42 and 10x30 for a couple of years each and thought I´d publish my experiences including some insider information from a specialized German dealer...

http://www.tmfilmpro.com/alleseiten/reviews/binoculars/CanonIS/CanonIS.html

Both have a unique user value. But I really wish Canon would built a better version of the 10x30 for higher middle class and leave the low end market to the 8x25... The 10x42 is absolutely the best bino for demanding handheld use but a bulky ugly beast.

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I've been using the 15x50 for the last two weeks and although it is big and heavy like the 10x42 I love the extra magnification which gives it the WOW factor when viewing birds which I would not give up for anything.

Gaugerer said:

I've been using the 15x50 for the last two weeks and although it is big and heavy like the 10x42 I love the extra magnification which gives it the WOW factor when viewing birds which I would not give up for anything.

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Agree 100%!
Canon should learn to make lemonade from their lemons.
If they would simply accept that their IS makes an inherently big and bulky glass which benefits from Canon's superb optics, they could focus on maximizing the market potential of the IS technology.
Specifically, the IS, by cutting jitter, allows the comfortable use of higher magnification. It is a whole new world of viewing, made possible by IS.
I would buy a 15x50 ISL in a heartbeat as the successor to my 10x42 ISL, because there are many occasions when a greater reach is really wanted.
There is a FoV tradeoff of course, but that is not a dealbreaker, provided the L standard optical and mechanical performance remains.

But oh my how big that 10x42 is... I met a happy user on Greenland recently who claimed he had used his for 10 years in difficult conditions without use. But I did not even remember what a beast the Canon is - had my 8x30 Swaro Habicht to compare...

Tobias Mennle said:

But oh my how big that 10x42 is... I met a happy user on Greenland recently who claimed he had used his for 10 years in difficult conditions without use. But I did not even remember what a beast the Canon is - had my 8x30 Swaro Habicht to compare...

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No argument that birding with a Habicht is a pirouette in the park, particularly in comparison to lugging the big Canon.
Fortunately, a decent harness goes a ways towards making the Canon bearer friendly and the product's performance keeps me happy, just as it pleases your Greenland friend.