12x36 IS III is on the way. A couple questions (1 Viewer)

[rdnzl]

I am taking the plunge and getting my first IS binocular, and it will arrive tomorrow. I am excited to see what it can do for me.

I see that they do not come with objective caps. I find that pretty unacceptable, but it is what it is. I will be finding some caps. I have caps for every set I own, and there
is no way I won't fuss and fret about no caps on these.

What solutions have any of you found?

Also, the case looks pretty lame. Any ideas on a better case?

Any other tips I need to know about with these?

thanks

 

[mwhogue]

I am taking the plunge and getting my first IS binocular, and it will arrive tomorrow. I am excited to see what it can do for me.

I see that they do not come with objective caps. I find that pretty unacceptable, but it is what it is. I will be finding some caps. I have caps for every set I own, and there
is no way I won't fuss and fret about no caps on these.

What solutions have any of you found?

Also, the case looks pretty lame. Any ideas on a better case?

Any other tips I need to know about with these?

thanks

I don’t think they come with a rain guard either or at least I’m pretty sure mine did not five years ago. Opticron and Vortex rain guards(various models / sizes work depending on what sort of fit u prefer for use) and most 50 mm after market objective covers will work. Case is lame indeed. Vortex or Zeiss cases for 42 mm models work well.

Mike

 

[Ted Y.]

I am taking the plunge and getting my first IS binocular, and it will arrive tomorrow. I am excited to see what it can do for me.

I see that they do not come with objective caps. I find that pretty unacceptable, but it is what it is. I will be finding some caps. I have caps for every set I own, and there
is no way I won't fuss and fret about no caps on these.

What solutions have any of you found?

Also, the case looks pretty lame. Any ideas on a better case?

Any other tips I need to know about with these?

thanks

It cames with rain guards, but not objective caps. I am also searching some caps.
For transport and during usage, I use Zeiss Cordura Bag for Conquest HD 42
At home, the original pouch seems OK.
I will try next week a Maven Binocular Case, it is a rigid case. And probably a Canon 800SR System Bag, fully padded and repositionable padded dividers.

Very important: read the manual, at least for cleaning and storage restrictions. The warranty can depend on this ones.
I do not use the binocular when my hands are chemically protected against insects, the rubber can be affected.

 

[Dave3006]

I would send them back and get the 10x42s instead.

The eyecups of the other Canon binoculars are the worst thing ever designed by human beings.

 

[rdnzl]

I would send them back and get the 10x42s instead.

The eyecups of the other Canon binoculars are the worst thing ever designed by human beings.

Tell us how you really feel. And sure, you send me the additional 700 bucks and I will.

 

[Dave3006]

The check is in the mail.

They should fire the engineer that designed those eyecups and legally force him to work at Taco Bell for the rest of his life.

If Canon would have put decent eye cups on their binoculars, they would own the market. Stabilization makes my $1300 10x42s superior to an NL pure for handheld use.

Is that clear enough?

 

[rdnzl]

Nah. It's still a bit foggy. If they are that bad, why don't people put something else on them? It's rubber, right?

 

[Ted Y.]

The eyecups of the other Canon binoculars are the worst thing ever designed by human beings.

Other brands also have models with that kind of eyecups.

 

[Binastro]

I have been using Canon IS binoculars of various kinds for well over twenty years.

The eyecups are fine.

Not like the rubbish ones on the Conquest HDs.

B.

 

[rdnzl]

I have used these replacement cups on a few binoculars that had dried up old rubber cups, with good success. It's just a matter of getting the right size.
Sometimes the ones for microscopes work as well.

Tomorrow I will let you know what I think of the cups on the 12x36 IS III.

 

[PeterPS]

I have used these replacement cups on a few binoculars that had dried up old rubber cups, with good success. It's just a matter of getting the right size.
Sometimes the ones for microscopes work as well.

Tomorrow I will let you know what I think of the cups on the 12x36 IS III.View attachment 1477332View attachment 1477333

You'll love them: imo the 12x36 are an excellent choice for birding and their eyecups are fine (you won't need replacements). You can also use them for a bit of astro like the moons of Jupiter.

 

[jeffhosier]

You'll love them: imo the 12x36 are an excellent choice for birding and their eyecups are fine (you won't need replacements). You can also use them for a bit of astro like the moons of Jupiter.

 

[jeffhosier]

I use a Lowe-alpine Scout SH 100 bag for my 12x36s. Very good fit, lots of protection, and a handy pocket for spare batteries. (It may be discontinued, but you'll probably find one on Fleabay). I don't use objective lens covers; the bag protects the objectives, and I use an Opticron rainguard for the eyepieces.

As far as the eyecups are concerned, I wear specs when using the bins. The eyecups are permanently folded down, so no problems.

You may - at first - find it difficult to lock on to your target: when I first got them, I always seemed to aim them too high, but I got used to them pretty quickly.

Finally, ignore the gainsayers. OK, the Canons are not perfect (need batteries, IPD adjustment is fiddly, not waterproof, eyecups not great for some, optics not up to Alpha levels), but they've relegated my Swarovski bins to the glovebox, because - despite the real and imaginary shortcomings - I just see so much more through the Canons.


Jeff

PS: You may also like to look at a thread I started in July 2020 before I got my 12x36s. I received lots of helpful replies.

 

[yarrellii]

The 12x36 IS III have been my most used binos for over a year now, and (at least in my experience) the first experience can be quite shocking. In my case it was appalling. Terrible, really.

• The optical quality of a modern 200 $ like a Vortex Diamondback HD (but with even more CA)
• Appalling ergonomics
• Not waterproof
• Close focus is pretty poor
• Lots of doubts about battery life (and -unfounded- fear of running out of juice) and reliability

I opened a thread about it, here. You can read it whole or, in case you are interested, here are three posts I wrote with:
My Initial impressions
A review after 3 months of intense use
A review after 1 year of use

In my case, my advice would be to persevere. I was really tempted to send them back, but I'm glad I didn't, and it turns out the 12x36 IS III are now my go-to, unless I'm doing something really specific, where I opt for some of the other very nice binos I have. Yes, the image quality is a bit of a joke compared to any top of the range (EL, UV, let alone NL or SF which I haven't tried), or even second tier (Conquest HD, MHG), and using them takes some getting used to, but what you get is simply on another level. I recently read a forum member stating that (after using IS) he rarely uses non-IS now (I think he said something in the line that he didn't get any pleasure from them). Whenever I go from my IS III to my ELSV 8x32 is like turning on HD-Cinemascope-DolbySorround... but, I can simply see more with the Canon. Not only can I have better chances of IDing, but also get invaluable information about plumage, nuances and details of shapes, etc. Following raptors in flight is a revelation, as is watching passerines on far away branches. Really. With (handheld) non-IS I can "see" the birds, with the 12x36 IS III now I "observe" the birds in all detail. As a birdwatcher, it's simply another level.

As for case. Yes, the one that comes with them (as most accessories) is indeed lame. I find the one that came with my 8x32 EL SV is a perfect match, and really comfy to carry bandolier style across the chest.

I hope this helps. I also have the 10x30 IS II and the 8x20 IS, but I think the 12x36 IS III make the best use of the IS system, and are a stunning handheld device; so much power in your hands. As a matter of fact, a powerful 8x32 and this 12x36 IS III seem like an unbeatable combo (well, yes, you could throw in a nice 7x42-35).

EDIT: A quick note to say that if you ever do some astronomy, these are simply game changers. In case this is of any help.

 

[William Lewis]

I'm tempted by i.s but to second virtually every post by a non glasses wearers the eye cups on the cannons are absolutely aweful! Does make a huge difference to seeing though, I was on my local patch on Sunday and could see some gawall in the distance that were just about i.d able. Steadied the bins on some railings and I could see them clear as a bell, lots of plumage details and what they were doing!

I was talking to an opticron rep recently who told me they have some '42 i.s in the pipeline so I'll see what they're like when they materialise - if it's an aurora with i.s I'm in!

 

[Binastro]

Probably a Kite so called 42mm with a different name.
With cut off objectives.

B.

 

[William Lewis]

Probably a Kite so called 42mm with a different name.
With cut off objectives.

B.

That's what I think it may be as well, I tried the kites and liked it but wonder if so what the delay could be when it would be relatively straightforward rebranding effort.

What's strange with the kite is that the 16x and 12x both have the same fov of 75 odd meters at 1000. I can understand that it the 16x but not the 12x. Ergonomically in terms of eye cups, weight, handling, auto off feature and spare battery storage I think the kites lead the i.s pack at the moment.

 

[Binastro]

The same fov is probably because of the size of the prisms.

Sig Sauer? name, have the same binocular.
When others jump on the bandwagon is a corporate decision.

There are monoculars with perhaps a dozen names for the same Chinese product.
Even the boxes are the same.

B.

 

[Dave3006]

Yarelli is right. Once you use IS, all other binoculars are obsolete (handheld).

Seriously, just get the 10x42L and be done. The eyecups work. You get near alpha glass. You press the button and IS stays on. For $1500, you get binoculars so much better than the so called alphas.

I won’t buy any other IS model until they fix the eye cups.

 

[rdnzl]

So....you don't like the eye cups?