10x42L IS

I was undecided whether to buy these binoculars as I have a number of alpha range bins and and wondered whether the advantages of IS would be sufficient justification. On taking delivery and in their early use my immediate reaction was that their handling fell short of what I was used to with my other binoculars. They do indeed take a bit of getting used to but they do grow on you. The excellent view provided by the IS system coupled with the 'L' high quality lens makes it possible to forgive the irritations in other parts of the design. I find it possible to pick out details which I would struggle with using my other bins.

I use these binoculars mainly for stationary viewing; sea watching, hides and nature reserves and the back garden. For walks and other types of field work I use a lighter, handier 8x32 or 8x42 to take advantage of the wider field of view and easier tracking.

Generally agree with jimscarff's comments, but believe he overstressed the negatives.
This is a uniquely capable glass, thanks to the combination of effective IS and Canon L class premium optics in a robust and waterproof package. It is superb for picking out detail on birds in motion or far away, much better than any non stabilized glass. Plus it is well built, my only maintenance in 6 years of ownership has been periodic battery replacement.
Like jimscarff, I have not been able to find a better binocular for me, at any price.

The glass is clunky and heavy, so a harness is essential to carry it comfortably all day. Also. the eye cups are huge and hard beneath their rubber cover, the lens covers are hard to put on and harder to keep on, really poorly designed, the case is too snug to carry the glass even with a strap attached, much less with a harness and the early production units were field stopped to 37mm equivalent, not the 42mm specified.
Against that, there are some nice touches, the objective lenses are covered by a flat glass, so the active optical surfaces are protected, there is a central tripod fitting and the whole thing is sealed well enough that Canon recommends rinsing the glass under running water when needed to remove salt or dirt.

The IS technology makes the extra reach high power gives really useful in the field. If Canon were to offer a 12x50 ISL glass, even if heavier than this one, I'd buy it immediately. Ideally, Canon will someday also offer IS in a hand held scope, so that birders can ditch the bothersome tripod.

Birder71 - I think your review is way too positive and unqualified. These binocs have been reviewed by many others in the binocular forum here that people should review.

I have now had two pairs of these binocs since 2006 (this review updated in 2013) (the 1st set was stolen from my car). Prior to that I had the Canon 10x30 IS binocs, a pair of Swarovski 8x32 and years ago some Leica 10x40 Trinovids. My main use for them is birdwatching, though I do use them for other purposes. I disagree with a prior reviewer who would not recommend these for birdwatching...if you can handle the weight. (I also have the Canon 12x26 IS binocs.)

The IS works brilliantly. In my experience the view through these blows away the view one can get from ANY non-IS binocs (Leicas, Nikon, etc). The 10x42 L are much larger and much heavier than the 10x30 binocs, however you gain (1) a significantly brighter, more contrasty view, (2) a much wider field of view, and (3) great ruggedness and waterproofness.

The downsides are: (1) Did I mention they are heavy? (Canon provides a thick neoprene strap - you might consider one of those behind-the-back shoulder straps, (2) the anodizing on the unarmormed part of the body wears off way too quickly, making them look more used than they are (both pairs I've owned), and (3) the glass of the objectives is barely rececessed making it too easy to get fingerprints on the glass.

I addressed the lack of recess in the far lenses by purchasing lens hoods for each which screw in (the lenses have threads for filters or hoods) which helps. The lenses closest to one's eyes are also inadequately shielded, and get gunk on them all the time. The rubber eyecaps are made out of soft rubber, and I have had them tear 3 times now and had to replace them. The adjustment on the right ocular for a diopter is terrible since it will not stay set once you have adjusted it. I have to reset it several times per birding day trip and even tried to tape it down.

The rain cover for the eyepieces is too loose and does not stay on when it rains.

On a trip birding to Costa Rica, I found that these were NOT bright enough to see colors on the birds buried in the shrubs where others on the trip could see the colors clearly.

These binos seem designed for mariners who can keep them on a shelf and just lift them up when they want to look at them. For birders, the poor design of the eyecaps, the rain cover, and the heavy weight seem inappropriate for a birding binocular this expensive.

My problem is I really want image-stabilization and good glass, and I have not found any other binoculars that give me a better view, so I put up with the many aggrevations.