I'd love to get a look through the 15x50 some day.
I´d love to see the 15x50 some day. Are they a tad heavy for hand-held viewing? Today a pair of Peregrines (adult and juvenile) were circling over my house. My daughter and I watched them with Swaro 8x32 and Canon IS 12x36, occasionally swapping. The light was good. I could discern far more detail and get a more relaxed, steady image of the birds soaring and occasionally swooping with the Canons. (I´m partly sad about this, ´cos Swaro 8x were heretofore my fave bins!!! Mind you, I can never be accused of consistency, and may change my mind in a month... )I have the 8x30 & 15x56 swaros .They are great binoculars .
But since i got the 12x36 & 15x50 canon IS,s all of the others of which i have about 20 pairs stay home.
You cannot beat the IS for hand held viewing.The optics are not 2nd rate either.
I,m sure if more birders would try them they would love them.
If they had a German name they would sell like hot cakes.
Brian.
Birders seem to want a few things most of the IS binoculars don't offer.....
Waterproofing
Good close focus ability
Good adjustable eyecups
The Canon 10x42 Ls addressed the first two, and tried to address the third, but, IMHO, did a lousy job on the eyecups. Unfortunately, it misses the mark with many birders because they also want light weight binoculars.
Finally, as with many hobbies, birders often seem to buy what the experts use. I suspect there is also a tendency to be a bit conservative and stick with the tried and true.
I am awfully glad my wife bought me a pair of the 12x36s for Christmas several years ago. The steady 12x view really helps with IDs.
Clear skies, Alan
Ron, I only just noticed the bit about the suit (in your excellent appraisal of 8x compacts v. 8x IS). You carry compacts in your pocket at work?! Brilliant!! That´s dedication....("Is that a pair of binoculars in your pocket, or are you very, very pleased to see me?" )If I am going to be around the office or in meetings or wearing a suit I carry the Zeiss just because they are smaller and lighter.
Ron, I only just noticed the bit about the suit (in your excellent appraisal of 8x compacts v. 8x IS). You carry compacts in your pocket at work?! Brilliant!! That´s dedication....("Is that a pair of binoculars in your pocket, or are you very, very pleased to see me?" )
You cannot beat the IS for hand held viewing.The optics are not 2nd rate either.
I,m sure if more birders would try them they would love them.
If they had a German name they would sell like hot cakes.
Cant believe the canon IS you tried couldnt cut it .I have the 12 & 15 versions & they are exellent.So good that i ordered the 10x30 IS yesterday .
I have swaros ,leica ,minox & pentax bins but hardly grab them anymore because the 12x36 are so good .Maybe you got a bad one to try ,altho i,ve never found a bad one.Im sure if more people tried them they would be won over
Only thing missing is snob value.
Brian.
I got my 10x36 last weekend. For a newbie bird watcher, it is good. I did try the more expensive ones like Leica and Swaros - sure they were super but could not fit in my budget. Maybe next time.
Congratulations, Tyrolean. I´m still addicted to my IS 12x36. I´m surprised more people don´t use them for longer-distance use. Happy Birding with your new bins!:t:I read through all the reviews of the Canon IS 12x36 on Amazon.com and decided to give it a try. I must say that all the enthusiastic descriptions are true! It is so much easier to see the fine details with IS and the magnification of 12x provides a real bonus over 8x! When I go out birding now I leave my Swarovski SLC 8x30 at home, but for reasons of robustness I take these in demanding circumstances (very cold, wet, tropical humidity etc)