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Durability of the Canon IS Binoculars (1 Viewer)

Hermann

Hermann

Well-known member
Germany
I've finally convinced myself that I should try one of the Canons, so I'm seriously considering getting a Canon IS 10x30. The 10x42 is too heavy as far as I'm concerned, and the 15x50 and the 18x50 are neither fish nor flesh - too much magnification for passerines, and too little for anything that's far away.

What I'm still not sure about though is how durable these bins really are. There are a lot of positive comments about the Canon's durability in the field buried in the many threads in this forum, but not all the comments are entirely positive.

What I'd like to know is how well the Canons have stood the test of time. There are quite a few people here who've used them for several years - what's your experience been like? How durable are they, given that it isn't always possible to pamper bins in the field?

Hermann
 
Hi Hermann,

I don't baby mine but I don't trash them either. However I always store them in their original case when I have finished with them, with original ocular caps on. In the case I always keep a sachet that absorbs moisture.

Mine are nearly 4 years old and are still as good as new. The batteries last for ages. I have dropped them once albeit onto a carpet but with a concrete floor beneath and they were not affected.

I know there are others that have also dropped theirs without incident but i'm sure you will have someone saying that they had some that were damaged at the slightest knock.

I cannot comment on what CANON would be like to deal with concerning repairs, as like I said I have never had a problem.

Would I buy them again? Yes in a heartbeat. I love them. However that is because they are the 10x30IS and IMO the most reasonably priced of the lot.

I would not buy any others (12x 15x 18x) as I would not want to think about replacing them, especially after the warranty has expired. .... Still think about it though ;)
 
Hi Hermann,
Your take on the 10x42 is understandable. It is big,, bulky and heavy.
Am in same boat as AnotherNightOwl. Love my 10x42, never had a problem, so no clue on repair performance.

It is a joy optically and has been a flawless performer for me for the past 4 plus years.
It has performed through tropical, wet and cold conditions with nary a hiccup. A rinse at the end of the day is all the maintenance needed for salt water or dust removal. A BinoManager harness is a useful accessory for it, keeps the glass snugged to the chest when not in use, helpful when scrambling through the brush.
It would be more useful to have the opinions of some of the experts on this forum on the durability issue.
My guess is that the biggest threat to the life of the glass is heat, rather than most shocks, as the flexible mounts of the prisms at the heart of the stabilization system age and get harder and more brittle with heat. My hope is that this process will take several decades under normal conditions.
 
It would be more useful to have the opinions of some of the experts on this forum on the durability issue.
Click to expand...

I think a decent sample of users experiences rather than opinions is much more valuable. You don't have to own the bin (or even have seen it) to have an opinion ;)
 
You are surely right, Kevin. Experience is the best teacher.

That said, I do believe that there are people on this forum who have such deep insight into the hows and whys of optics that they can point out weaknesses and possible failure nodes just by looking. My hope is that they will share their insights and help focus our attention.
 
Your approach with getting the 10x30 seems sound. I had the 15x50 for a while which was really great to use. Never a reliability issue. However, there were a few things that ultimately got me to give it up.

1. The IS ruined me for other binoculars. I thought I could tolerate it for a while but it was difficult going from a very specialized bin like 15x50 to an 8x42 or similar. It was akin to being on a boat in rough seas for an extended time then going back to land and still feeling like you were on the boat. My eyes somehow calibrated to the oscillation occurring.

2. Weight - this is not an issue with the 10x30.

3. Other users who had said Canon would not support them after the warranty period and they had to pay significant repair prices when one side quite stabilizing, etc. I just don't see the need to sink that much money into something with so many alternatives which the manufacturer will stand behind. Again, at a lower price, the risk and tradeoff isn't as extreme.

For all intents and purposes they probably would have lasted for years but there were other considerations.
 
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Matt_RTH said:
1. The IS ruined me for other binoculars. I thought I could tolerate it for a while but it was difficult going from a very specialized bin like 15x50 to an 8x42 or similar.
Click to expand...

In some cases getting used to IS seems to lessen the ability to hold conventional binos steady, even those of relatively low magnifications (8x, 7x). This process is reversible when using non-IS bins for a while. I’m not sure if this is just a problem of the hands. Perhaps IS does also lower one’s tolerance of high frequent tremor when using binoculars. I think that this kind of tolerance does exist because everybody has a tremor of the hands that is measurable. But the tremor doesn´t feel bothersome until a certain magnification is exceeded. Perhaps this is what IS causes after one got used to it: It lowers the threshold of tolerance.

Steve
 
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Kevin Purcell said:
I think a decent sample of users experiences rather than opinions is much more valuable. You don't have to own the bin (or even have seen it) to have an opinion ;)
Click to expand...

You're right. It's the user experiences I'm after. Opinions are, well, just opinions. They may be right or wrong. But it's hard to argue with user experiences, and I can't think of a more experienced bunch of users than the users here.

Hermann
 
Matt_RTH said:
Your approach with getting the 10x30 seems sound. I had the 15x50 for a while which was really great to use.
Click to expand...

The 15x50 and the 18x50 are out. Too much magnification to replace my 8x or 10x binoculars, and too little to replace my scope. I'm lugging far too much gear around anyhow, carrying yet another piece of equipment would be a bit over the top. The 10x30 is relatively cheap, so there's no real risk in case I can't get on with it, and if I do get on with it I can always add another pair at some stage.

Hermann
 
AnotherNightOwl said:
I don't baby mine but I don't trash them either. However I always store them in their original case when I have finished with them, with original ocular caps on. In the case I always keep a sachet that absorbs moisture.

Mine are nearly 4 years old and are still as good as new. The batteries last for ages. I have dropped them once albeit onto a carpet but with a concrete floor beneath and they were not affected.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's the kind of report I was hoping to read. I know the Canons probably won't last as long as conventional binoculars, but 4 years of use ... :t: That sounds pretty good.

Hermann
 
Go for them Hermann,

The 10x30 are reasonably priced.
Seriously for the money they are superb. Once you have engaged the IS the level of detail you can make out is remarkable. Bit liking having a photo or a picture on a stand and the only movement comes from the bird.

As stated mine are nearly 4 years old but I have read of others that have owned theirs for far longer. I mean years longer.

At the end of the day ANY binocular can be wrecked by an unfortunate incident.

Treat yourself, life is too short. ;)

Best,

Deano
 
I've had my 10x30 for almost a year now and I'm very happy with them.

Having returned to birding seriously for the first time since my teenage years, they were my heaviest investment and I went with them in favour of spending twice as much (at least) on a scope.

I used to have a lot of difficulty id'ing some birds (I still do in fact), but the added clarity brought by the Image stabilisation really helps someone like me who is relatively novice. I find that it helps when watching birds across water (which I have always found difficult, when the surface of the lake or sea is disturbed by wind or other activity).

I've found them to be fairly durable despite them getting knocked around more than they probably would by a more careful owner. I carry them around with me most of the time and just stick them in my rucksack which I carry to work and when I'm out birding.

The only time that they have (sort of) malfunctioned, is when the batteries were low. On one occasion they made some very disconcerting buzzing noises and became temporarilly unuseable from the point of view of being unable to focus them correctly. However this was swiftly corrected when the batteries were replaced. I tend to use re-chargeable batteries and do find that I get good long life (3 months on average) from each charge.

Under wet and cold conditions I have seen some moisture inside, but having left them out for a while, I have found that this has dispersed without me having to send them off for repair.

When I have leant them to friends, the first thing that they have all commented on has been the brightness and clarity of the image.

I did orginally consider buying the 10 x 42s but the 10x30s are a great size and not to heavy for carrying around all day.

So overall, I'm very happy with them.
 
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chazzyf said:
I've had my 10x30 for almost a year now and I'm very happy with them.

Having returned to birding seriously for the first time since my teenage years, they were my heaviest investment and I went with them in favour of spending twice as much (at least) on a scope.

I used to have a lot of difficulty id'ing some birds (I still do in fact), but the added clarity brought by the Image stabilisation really helps someone like me who is relatively novice. I find that it helps when watching birds across water (which I have always found difficult, when the surface of the lake or sea is disturbed by wind or other activity).

I've found them to be fairly durable despite them getting knocked around more than they probably would by a more careful owner. I carry them around with me most of the time and just stick them in my rucksack which I carry to work and when I'm out birding.

The only time that they have (sort of) malfunctioned, is when the batteries were low. On one occasion they made some very disconcerting buzzing noises and became temporarilly unuseable from the point of view of being unable to focus them correctly. However this was swiftly corrected when the batteries were replaced. I tend to use re-chargeable batteries and do find that I get good long life (3 months on average) from each charge.

Under wet and cold conditions I have seen some moisture inside, but having left them out for a while, I have found that this has dispersed without me having to send them off for repair.

When I have leant them to friends, the first thing that they have all commented on has been the brightness and clarity of the image.

I did orginally consider buying the 10 x 42s but the 10x30s are a great size and not to heavy for carrying around all day.

So overall, I'm very happy with them.
Click to expand...

Yep. Have to second that on the Canon 10x30 IS's. I have had the 12x36,15x50, and the 8x25 IS's and the 10x30's are my favorite. They are just the right size, weight, and combination of aperture and magnification. I can see more detail through them than any 10x or 8x binocular I have tried because of the steady view.
 
I had my 10x30 IS for probably around 6+ years now. I can certainly say they are durable. They have been bumped, jostled, carried, clunked into various car parts during hasty exits, and used in the rain and on dusty beaches. The plastic coating is starting to wear off, but they still hold up fine. Ya, they are not waterproof, but birding in the rain has worked fine for me as long as I cover them up while not in use.

Every few years I sent them in to canon to be re collimated (would get slightly blurry when using the IS), but they were very good and fast about this and didn't charge anything. You will probably not need to do this, but I take these things through a lot of stuff (competitions/big days, back roads, swamps, long canoe trips, etc).

I recently upgraded to the 12X36 IS II, and they are just as good. I like the added magnification, it is not so much that it makes birding difficult but still enough to bring out a little extra detail.

But ya, I love the IS bins. So much better for birding from a car or viewing really distant objects that would otherwise be blurred by movements.

Oh, and they may be more expensive, but lithium batteries significantly reduce the weight and last much longer.
 
ChIck3n said:
I had my 10x30 IS for probably around 6+ years now. I can certainly say they are durable.

I recently upgraded to the 12X36 IS II, and they are just as good. I like the added magnification, it is not so much that it makes birding difficult but still enough to bring out a little extra detail.

But ya, I love the IS bins. So much better for birding from a car or viewing really distant objects that would otherwise be blurred by movements.
Click to expand...

Chick3n,

Which is your favourite, the 10x30 IS or the 12x36 IS II?
 
AnotherNightOwl said:
Chick3n,

Which is your favourite, the 10x30 IS or the 12x36 IS II?
Click to expand...

Both are great, just depends on if you want to pay more for the 12x and don't mind a little more weight. I like the 12 a bit more, but I say go to a shop and test them both out. Unless it's side by side, I wouldn't even notice the smaller field.
 
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