Hi all:
well im now in possession of 3 models of IS nocs: Fuji 12x32 jr, and canon 10X42/10X30's. right now the 10X30's are all i am using in fair weather. they are just great! very fine optics, first class porro view, maybe a bit of glare but doesnt bother me too much. there may be a tad more ca than the 10X L's, but honestly it's only visible on really hight contrast objects. they do have it all over the L's in the ergonomic arena, at least for me. reallly compact, fit the hands and face neatly, and have just the right amt of eyerelief for a spec wearer like me. i use them 80% of the time nonstabilized, only engaging the magic button when i want to make a critical ID or just enjoy the lil' birdie to the max. what i have noticed esp. is that in windy conditions, when warbs are foraging actively like they do when diving into the local coastal wood lots in migration, that eliminating one of those two forms of movement, hand shake, that it becomes much easier to spot and track the critters. my sample of the 30's, like my L's, does have that annoying focus drift when initially engaging the IS mechanism, and takes about 5 or 6 seconds to settle down, but it's a downside i can live with.
the 10X L's, despite being waterproof, a realy advantage around here, are just too bulky for me. like the gent above i have had to return mine to canon for realignment, X3. needless to say after time 2 i had been REALLY careful with them, but apparently putting them in a backpack and not so gently tossing them in an overhead compartment on a recent flight was enough to knock em out. have had no problems w/ the 30's, but have not had 'em long. on the upside, i cant say enough good things about canon's customer service, best i have ever experienced!
like someone else mentioned, there is a caution concerning taking them up to mountains: bubbles may form in the prisms, and "take a week or more to be reabsorbed" or words to that effect. no such warning on the 10 L's that i recall. i plan on calling canon and ask them "how high a mtn is too high", as i am booking it down to ecuador in a couple of months and will do some high country birding... may have to pack the L's instead.
the fujis lack the settle down time of the canons, but are nowhere near the optical quality of either of the canons, and are worse handling wise than the L's. i use them ocassionally but they have rotated to the back of the drawer over the last couple of months.
for really wet, wild fallout conditions i still grab the 7X FL's which are of course a brighter glass than the Canon 30's. However only in really heavy overcast, or at dawn or dusk is there a notable diff in practical terms, and as long as it's not raining cats n dogs the Canon 30's are the bomb for me.
i passed over the 12X's because i had the fujis, and due to the better close focus of the Canon 30's. i can recommend them unconditionally!
regards to all
UTC