• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Is Canon getting out of the birdwatching binocular market? (1 Viewer)

jimscarff

Active member
Today the fire sales on Canon IS binos are getting more severe, with discounts looking more like "going-out-of-business" or "discontinued model" ("limited number at this price). At B&H, Amazon, etc the "new" (2017) 10x32, 12/32 and 14/32 IS binos are todaydiscounted nearly 50%. This is the third, increasingly large (desperate) discount I have seen in the last month. For example, the 10x32 IS "lists" at $1,350, the price Canon was showing on its website. A month ago Amazon was selling the 10x32 IS binos for $1,000. B&H had a Flash sale on them for $899 which I took (and subsequently returned them as being out of collimation). Then B&H dropped the price to $849, and today it is down to $699!

I wonder if Canon is going to stop selling the 10x12x/14x32 binos altogether because of low demand. They may decide to keep the 10x30 IS II which are a good buy at $499 (discounted only 9% compared to nearly 50% for the new 32mm models), the 10x42 IS L binos which have not been updated for 13? years, and the 15x astro binoculars.

In my research last month and today it was striking that I could find no birdwatching optics stores carried Canon binoculars any more, and that there were/are so very, very few user reviews of the 32mm IS binos on B&H and Amazon, that it would appear that nearly no one bought the 10/12/14x32 binos since they were released in 2017.

Canon makes me angry in that its IS technology is very effective and joy to use. But the ergonomics of their binos, particularly all their eyecups suck. And I suspect that collimation is a more common problem than Canon would have you believe; it just is something that users have to look at carefully to notice.

I wonder if Canon is going to stop selling the 10x12x/14x32 binos altogether because of low demand. They may decide to keep the 10x30 IS II which are a good buy at $499 (discounted only 9% compared to nearly 50% for the new 32mm models), the 10x42 IS L binos which have not been updated for 13? years, and the 15x astro binoculars.

Canon makes me angry in that its IS technology is very effective and joy to use. But the ergonomics of their binos, particularly all their eyecups suck. And I suspect that collimation is a more common problem than Canon would have you believe; it just is something that users have to look at carefully to notice. Bye bye Canon binocs?
 
Last edited:
I hope that they aren't getting out of the bino biz. I really don't know what is going on right now, though. B&H also has discounts on the 15x50 and 10x42 and say "limited supply at this price". Amazon seems to be matching their prices but Adorama and Optics Planet are not.

I thought the original prices were ridiculous. The EF lens IS is not an expensive technology. There are some pretty inexpensive lenses out there that have IS. Camera lenses have much higher production volumes, of course.

The current prices at B&H are about where they should be. I hope that Canon was just testing out the market with their original prices and now they are lowering them to where they might sell.

It is also possible that B&H negotiated a bulk buy. They do that a lot with their Deal Zone daily specials. I recently bought a Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 ART lens that way for $550 when the normal price is $800. That was a one day deal though.

Canon's new IS bins should be popular if they are priced right. The original vari-angle prism design did not age well. I've got four Canon IS bins and three have IS problems. Canon's EF lenses do not have that problem. I've owned dozens over the last few decades and I've never had a single problem with the IS in any of them. If the new IS bins are as reliable as their lenses then they could be a good investment. In the past, it was hard to justify spending so much on bins that don't have lifetime warranties like other bins in their price range, especially after their IS problems became known.
 
The original vari-angle prism design did not age well. I've got four Canon IS bins and three have IS problems. Canon's EF lenses do not have that problem. I've owned dozens over the last few decades and I've never had a single problem with the IS in any of them. If the new IS bins are as reliable as their lenses then they could be a good investment. In the past, it was hard to justify spending so much on bins that don't have lifetime warranties like other bins in their price range, especially after their IS problems became known.

Binoboy, have you posted elsewhere about the types of IS problems you've encountered with three of your IS Canon bins?

I owned an original 10x42is but sold it. I currently own the latest version of 10x42is and 10x30is II. fortunately I haven't had issues with any of them but I'd be curious to know what you've experienced.
 
My first Canon IS bins were the original 10x30. They were a display model at Galyan's sporting goods store. I don't remember the exact year I bought them but Galyan's was bought out in 2004 so they are more than 14 years old. They still work just fine.

My second pair was the 15x50. I've had them for 13.5 years. They were a revelation when I first got them. But, they eventually developed a weird problem that caused me to have the sensation that I was swaying forwards and backwards. It was down right disconcerting. I read on birdforum that Canon recommended that you store them horizontally (tripod socket down). After I started doing that, the swaying sensation went away. It now has a problem that causes it to pop in and out of focus slightly at random times. This seems to be a common problem with older 15x50s.

I then bought a used 10x42L. I got it cheap ($700) so I wasn't surprised that the IS had problems. When I first turn on the IS, it makes my right eye feel like something weird is going on. Panning may feel like the IS is kind of wallowing around; overshooting when you pause panning, etc. But, if you are looking at a stationary target and give it a little time, it settles down and works well. The optics of the 10x42L are so good that they are worth what I paid even if the IS is inop.

The last was a 12x36 II also bought used. It's IS doesn't seem to do much good in the y axis (side to side). I think it is actually more steady in the y axis with the IS off. With the IS on it has less jittery motion in the y axis but their are larger wallowing movements. It does work pretty good in the z axis (up and down).

Both the 10x42L and 12x36 II seems to work better if you use them regularly.

I like the ergonomics of the Canon IS bins. They put the eyepieces above the objectives. That puts my hands lower and makes them easier to hold steady than conventional bins of the same magnification. So, they are all usable but the new in lens ones are much better.
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 5 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top