Brief note on Canon 10x30 IS Battery Door issue (1 Viewer)

[Jon555]

I have a, quite old now, mk 1 pair of Canon 10x30 IS binoculars that I have been delighted with. I have had two issues over the years. One was that the focusing knob's rubber-like plastic went a bit gooey, but I got a replacement from Canon and exchanged it myself. Yesterday I had a new issue - when I took them out of their bag the batteries fell on the floor (at Astronomy club, so dark, yea). I picked up the batteries but the plastic door was just a plastic door and no metal was present, nor any way to have it stay shut. There was signs of some adhesive on the inside of the door which I assume had given up after all these years, not to mention temperature records being repeatedly broken this summer (and they live in a South-facing room in a Northern-Hemisphere house).

Anyway after MUCH searching I found three parts had escaped - the metal plate that connects the batteries together electrically, a small piece of black plastic that looks like it broke off something else, but has the bar you use to unlock the battery compartment on one side; and a small silver spring the size of a not-large Ant (shocker - I found that last).

So basically if this happens to you they are the bits you need to find, especially the spring. It's shiny so a torch may well help even in daylight.

Re-assembly - put the spring over the teeny protrusion on one end of the slider then fit it in the small channel in the battery door designed for the spring, with the bar pushing through the hole. Add the metal part so the battery orientation marks are visible (there's a notch for orientation once you've got the correct side facing out) and fix together with your glue or other adhesive method of choice.

I may just put a small piece of gaffer tape over the battery door, so if it fails again the bits won't escape. I think I'd suggest this for anyone who has an old pair of the 10x30 IS, as the spring is teeny tiny.

 

[Jon555]

Parts (not included yesterday as I was having my first go with a mild glue... didn't work so trying Superglue now and took a pic while the bits were available)...

P.S. I found the receipt - purchased in 2000 (July? not sure if a 7 or a 1) for £275, so not done too bad as they're over 22 years old either way!

 

[Hermann]

Nice repair. So the Canon worked well for over 20 years before you had this problem? Could you say something about how much you use the 10x30s? And do you use them in bad weather as well?

The reason I'm asking is there are people here who more or less seem to regard the Canon IS binoculars as junk toys that may fail at any time.

Hermann

 

[Jon555]

I find them enjoyable to use. I use them off and on, but they are a little heavy to just always carry when I go out for any reason, rather than planning to use binoculars (although light compared to many of the Canon IS models - the 15 or 18 x 50s are mostly for body-builders IMHO). Also if photographing birds I probably have a long lens so can use that to look at things. (But I did get the some 8x25s to help find things like Owls in trees while being light enough not to need me to leave a lens behind. The Canons are a modest sized lens left.)

I use them for Birds, Wildlife and some Astronomy (as you can see fainter stars due to the stabilisation).

I don't take them out if it's likely to rain a lot, they aren't weather-sealed (although like most Canon stuff a few drops of water should be fine). They do do a weather-sealed model (models?).

I basically have a number of pairs of binoculars but only three that get some use these days. Some Fujinon FMT 16x70s for Astronomy that I rarely use and were a mistake to buy (the individual eyepiece focusing just annoys me), although I did take them to Astronomy club last month. Some Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25s for ease of carrying, and the Canons.

The things I like about my Canons are:
(1) The stabilisation means you can just see more detail as stuff stays in the same place, I am happy with the stabilisers in these, even if older tech.
(2) The wide apparent field
(3) The optics seem well designed, no obvious nasties (I am a little fussy, my last Telescope eyepiece cost more than the 10x30s)
(4) Battery life is good (I took them to Astronomy club this month and didn't consider taking a spare set, even though they haven't been charged for some time)
(5) With AA batteries I don't have to worry about a built-in battery's end-of-life
(6) Even after all this time the eyepiece spacing adjustment and focusing knob are tight but not too tight. I haven't ever sent them back to Canon (I did the focusing knob change myself, it was trivial).
(7) Include field-flatteners for Astronomy use, which also give good edge sharpness for terrestrial use. (I have no idea which, if any, other Canon IS binoculars may have them, although I believe the 12x36 III does.)

So in summary I am extremely happy with them. Probably not the best choice for harsh conditions though.

Note I had the sticky (as in to touch, not to turn) focus knob issue in December 2018. That was the first problem I've had. The replacement was £14 delivered from H. Lehmann Ltd (I'm in the U.K., as per the flag to the left).

P.S. Currently I'm not that impressed on the new-ish (2017, and expensive) 14x32mm model, after reports for colour on slightly out-of-focus objects, but I don't really know how bad that is. E.g. Canon 14x32 IS Review

 

[Canip]

….. I'm not that impressed on the new-ish (2017, and expensive) 14x32mm model, after reports for colour …..

I agree, I find colour too prominent in these (the 12x model is better but shows still too much colour in my eyes, the 10x32 is the best of the three, as is to be expected).

 

[Jon555]

While answering a question elsewhere on the forum I ran down a partial parts diagram for the mk 1 10x30s in my old e-mails, so I'll add that here too...
The focusing knob that went gooey is #35 in the image and its part number is YA7-0645-000 (£14 delivered in 2018 from [email protected] ).

 

[Russell Lipp]

Parts (not included yesterday as I was having my first go with a mild glue... didn't work so trying Superglue now and took a pic while the bits were available)...

P.S. I found the receipt - purchased in 2000 (July? not sure if a 7 or a 1) for £275, so not done too bad as they're over 22 years old either way!

View attachment 1465313

I have a Canon 12x36 IS pair, and when I opened the battery door recently, the metal plate and spring went flying. I have the door and metal plate, but not the spring. I have been using tape to keep the battery door closed, but that is not a good solution. Does anyone know the size of the spring and a good source for buying the spring?

 

[KC Foggin]

I have a Canon 12x36 IS pair, and when I opened the battery door recently, the metal plate and spring went flying. I have the door and metal plate, but not the spring. I have been using tape to keep the battery door closed, but that is not a good solution. Does anyone know the size of the spring and a good source for buying the spring?

Hi Russell! I can't help you with your question but I did want to wish you a warm welcome from those of us on BirdForum!

 

[Jon555]

Do you have a release slider like the bottom left in my picture? If not you may have a problem, if so the spring needs to fit over the small projection at the right end in the pic. If the design is the same as the 10x30 then you could estimate the length by comparing to the AA battery in the picture.

You could try to get one from Canon USA, they may recommend someone who sells spare parts. (Sorry, I'm in the U.K., though you could e-mail the people I got my spare focusing knob from to ask if they have it and if they'd air-mail it, address in my previous e-mail.)

 

[Conndomat]

The reason I'm asking is there are people here who more or less seem to regard the Canon IS binoculars as junk toys that may fail at any time.

I think it's more because of the "generous" warranty period that Canon grants.
A number of other electronics manufacturers grant at least a 5-year guarantee period, which creates more trust, IMO a self-inflicted problem.

Andreas

 

[Russell Lipp]

Do you have a release slider like the bottom left in my picture? If not you may have a problem, if so the spring needs to fit over the small projection at the right end in the pic. If the design is the same as the 10x30 then you could estimate the length by comparing to the AA battery in the picture.

You could try to get one from Canon USA, they may recommend someone who sells spare parts. (Sorry, I'm in the U.K., though you could e-mail the people I got my spare focusing knob from to ask if they have it and if they'd air-mail it, address in my previous e-mail.)

I have the release slider, metal plate and cover. I just need the spring. I called Canon, and they won't even talk with me since my Canon 12x36 I Binoculars are "obsolete". If I knew the spring size, I could order a replacement spring from any of the various spring manufacturers.

 

[Jon555]

I think it's more because of the "generous" warranty period that Canon grants.
A number of other electronics manufacturers grant at least a 5-year guarantee period, which creates more trust, IMO a self-inflicted problem.

Andreas

In Europe you get 2 years on Canon stuff, that's better than many, Nikon is 1, Fuji is 1, Sony is 1. They don't do anything special for binos AFAIK, but its a specialist area. I have yet to have a Canon lens fail and I have a lot of them dating to 2008.

 

[Jon555]

I have the release slider, metal plate and cover. I just need the spring. I called Canon, and they won't even talk with me since my Canon 12x36 I Binoculars are "obsolete". If I knew the spring size, I could order a replacement spring from any of the various spring manufacturers.

I'd try the UK e-mail address I gave... fingers crossed they can either supply you or at least measure it...

 

[minmingg]

I have the same problem and am now looking for a suitable superglue.

 

[[email protected]]

I have the same problem and am now looking for a suitable superglue.

Try the SIG Sauer Zulu 6 10x30. No problems with the battery door and much better optics with HD glass, better IS, and they are much smaller and lighter. The armour doesn't melt, either. They have a lifetime unconditional warranty which is fully transferable.

 

[wllmspd]

If you know roughly the size of the spring then a “bargain box of springs” from eBay or the like might provide what you need… there are times that the “random pot of assorted screws and stuff” that many people have can save the day, rather than needlessly take up space.

Peter

 

[Jon555]

Try the SIG Sauer Zulu 6 10x30. No problems with the battery door and much better optics with HD glass, better IS, and they are much smaller and lighter. The armour doesn't melt, either. They have a lifetime unconditional warranty which is fully transferable.

The Zulu-6 are, as I understand it from these forums and CloudyNights, just a standard Kamakura binocular badged by SIG, they make Guns but not Optics...

Also badged by Kite (plus Opticron and Vixen):

APC Stabilized 30 - Kite Optics

Embark on a journey of discovery with KITE’s innovative APC stabilized binoculars. Our cutting-edge technology enables us to stabilize the compact roof prism, resulting in the APC 30mm—one of the most compact and lightweight image-stabilized binoculars available. Weighing in at just 600 grams...

www.kiteoptics.com

Any user reports on the Kite Optics Bino APC Stabilized 30 (10x30 & 12x30) - Binoculars - Cloudy Nights

Any user reports on the Kite Optics Bino APC Stabilized 30 (10x30 & 12x30) - posted in Binoculars: Hello, Im putting thought into getting a light weight IS bino. I was looking at the Canon 10x30 IS II but saw there are some new IS binos out there from other brands. Has anyone tried out the...

www.cloudynights.com

 

[exup]

Try the SIG Sauer Zulu 6 10x30. No problems with the battery door and much better optics with HD glass, better IS, and they are much smaller and lighter. The armour doesn't melt, either. They have a lifetime unconditional warranty which is fully transferable.

I was not aware that the SIG Sauer Zulu 6 ..... had been around 20+ years to make a valid comparison against the Canons!

 

[Ted Y.]

Try the SIG Sauer Zulu 6 10x30. No problems with the battery door and much better optics with HD glass, better IS, and they are much smaller and lighter. The armour doesn't melt, either. They have a lifetime unconditional warranty which is fully transferable.

Lifetime warranty does not apply to electronic part.
For this part the warranty is "For a period of five (5) years from the date of manufacture". And yes, from the date of manufacture. If you buy one produced 2 years ago, you will have 3 years of warranty.

Warranty | SIG SAUER

SIG SAUER Warranty Information and Registration.

www.sigsauer.com

 

[[email protected]]

I am just giving you a tip to try the Sig's. I had three Canons. The 10x30 IS II, 12x36 IS III and the 8x20 IS. I purchased a pair of Sig Sauer Zulu 6 10x30's and the 16x42's. I compared the Sigs back to back with the Canons and there was no doubt the Sigs are better optically because they have HD glass and practically no CA, and they are brighter with better contrast. Contrast has always been a weak point of the Canons IMO.

Also, the IS on the Sigs is slightly better. Not a lot but better. The Sigs are much lighter and more compact than the Canons because their objective lenses are spaced closer, and they don't have all that wasted space in between the lenses with the concurrent extra weight. They have normal comfortable adjustable eye cups instead of the old fashioned one piece non-adjustable rubber eye cups like on the Canons. The Sigs are also IPX4 water-resistant, so you can use them in the rain and the newer HDX are IPX7 or fully submersible. Which the Canons aren't. I sold all three of my Canons the next day. I am just saying give them a try. You might be surprised.