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Why Aren't the Image Stabilization Binos More Popular? (2 Viewers)

If Canon managed to make an IS binocular with the ergonomics and handling of a non-IS Zeiss, Swarovski or Leica, as well as a decent enough warranty, all the other alpha-bin makers would be forced to close up shop! ;)

HN

*Proud Canon 10x42L IS WP and Canon 15x50 IS UD owner*
That probably is not going to happen. To contain an electronic IS system the binocular has to be designed differently and will ultimately look differently. Why do you have to have them look like a traditional roof-prism? That is because that is what you are used to looking at. Traditional binoculars are designed with round tubes because lenses are round. When digital binoculars come out they could be square or flat or even triangular in shape. The new Sony digital binoculars are square.
 
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big, ugly, heavy, batteries needed, crappy warranty......
The Canon's have to be a little bigger and heavier than a normal binocular because of the IS mechanism and the batteries. Ugly is a matter of opinion. The Canon's don't look like a traditional binocular but some people might call them ugly because they are different. Remember the Ugly Duckling story. Because of the complex electronics inside them it would be hard for Canon to give you a 20 year warranty like a normal binocular.
 
If you're a sheep in a flock.

You're calling 99% of this board ''sheep'', because they don't agree with you. People don't like / want / need IS binoculars. I'm not arguing the merits to you or anyone else that loves them, just that 20 years of being on the market proves they are not perceived as necessary by consumers.

This thread is supposed to be about why IS binoculars are not popular, not to decide if they are better than traditional binoculars.
 
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You're calling 99% of this board ''sheep'', because they don't agree with you. People don't like / want / need IS binoculars. I'm not arguing the merits to you or anyone else that loves them, just that 20 years of being on the market proves they are not perceived as necessary by consumers.

This thread is supposed to be about why IS binoculars are not popular, not to decide if they are better than traditional binoculars.

No not a all, because I never said they were the best binoculars for everyone or even birding. Not to mention i have more than 1 pair myself, many without IS.

Back to regular programming.
 
The YouTube videos are a red herrring, the images I get through non-IS bins, top quality 8x32s or 10x32s, are nothing like the shaky ones shown in all 3 clips
 
You've not seen Chris Packham on Springwatch then?

No although I've heard he's used them. To be fair, I see very few birders in the field, so the fact I've not seen anyone using them in the UK probably isn't that meaningful. I've seen one or two birders with them in the US though.
 
The "market" cannot want to buy something if it doesn't know it exists or doesn't know the benefits of having it.

Strictly speaking, it's a question of good marketing. :smoke:

HN

I was thinking the same, HN.

Canon touts their L-Glass SLR Camera lenses in a steady, heavy-handed campaign that appears regularly in Nation Geographic, most photographic publications and All-Over the NFL media coverage areas. Personally, I only knew about their IS binocular instruments because I own their L-glass lenses and have shopped their website and seen their brochures. It appears they are trying to keep their IS line-up a secret from the public, and doing a pretty good job at that!

I understand their history, priority and push in the photo\video market place, but they certainly could use some better PR and Ad Work in their bino optic division!! :-C

Ted
 
some of us old geezers just like the simplicity of optics without electronics

but why limit the question to IS,
what about the new digital binoculars?

edj
 
Colin - which model were you using? Although I recognise the momentary judder that you describe, I'd suggest that you're basically using them wrongly. With the 10x42 IS you can do one of two things. Either you can switch the IS on while lifting the binoculars, in which case you will see no judder at all once they're at your eyes and you can pick out the bird very easily (more easily than other binoculars, given the stability of the view). Alternatively you can get on to the bird without IS and then switch it on. Although there's a judder, a bird has to move fairly erratically to be hard to follow.

I would counter your claim that they are worse than useless for flying birds. In my experience this is actually one of the situations where the advantages are most significant and obvious. It's far easier to see details on a flying bird with IS and this is also a situation in which the higher power of a scope is least practical. For things like visible migration, IS binoculars are extremely helpful.

Hi Andy,
It was a very long time ago and all that I remember that it was a Canon model and it was at the Birdfair. I suppose that things have changed a lot since then, but I found them very disconcerting to look through because I couldn't predict the judder. They were very heavy too.
 
some of us old geezers just like the simplicity of optics without electronics

Most IS bins work by simply pushing a button. This isn't more complicated than operating the focus wheel or adjusting the IPD on a regular binocular.

I think it's time to dispel the myth that IS bins are a complicated affair.

HN
 
Here are a few Youtube videos showing the difference IS makes in viewing. For those who have never looked through an IS binocular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVS0HqG2qMw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJG4Gnm7zrc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP48wWET8rg

My mum is 80 and can hold my 10x42 Leica steady enough to read car number plates at great distance ! Perhaps because she is a studio potter and uses are hands daily.

I don't shake like that last video if it's not windy. That shows trembling

I tried a pair of 16x50 the other day and was surprised that for short periods they were hand holdable although really a monopod is required.
 
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