canon 12x36 II IS BINS (1 Viewer)

Can anyone tell me If these canon 12x36 IS bins are fogproof,waterproof.

regards.
sean.

canonman77 said:

Can anyone tell me If these canon 12x36 IS bins are fogproof,waterproof.

regards.
sean.

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PM sent, Sean. But I hadn´t seen this....they´re not waterproof (the 10x42 IS "L-series" are, though). That said, I´ve had them out in all weather´s over here, without any problems. I´d put them in their case in a heavy downpour, but they´ve endured drizzle and light rain admirably, and I´ve never had them fog up.

what about when Its a really cold day, I know bins can fog up when you hold them because of the heat of your hands. Whats that like sancho?

Regards.
sean.

I've not seen a spec but from the descriptions (and spec wording) as Sancho (et al) says they're water-resistant aka spray resistant aka JIS 4. i.e a little care in not getting them dropped in a pool or completely soaked and they should be OK.

Ive decided against the canons & gone for the Zeiss 15x45 T conquest Instead, a lot lighter & nitrogen purged as well.

Regards.
sean.

canonman77 said:

Ive decided against the canons & gone for the Zeiss 15x45 T conquest Instead, a lot lighter & nitrogen purged as well.

Regards.
sean.

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Hi Sean,
I'm in the US and probably in a drier climate than you (SF Bay area) but I love my Canon 12x36 II's. I only use them in dry weather and the image stabilization is wonderful. How often are you going to go birding in the rain or drizzle? You will also likely need a mono or tripod for the Zeiss 15x45
I do have one gripe with the Canon, the long close focus of something like 20 feet.

Regards
Jim

Hi Jim, If I got any canon IS bins, It would be the 10x42 as they have fog-proof technology, as for the Zeiss I have very steady hands so the Zeiss will be fine for me, thats one of the reasons I bought them & because the product review stated that they can be handheld easy & the only weigh 630g, but holding them steady wont be a problem for me. I might have a look at the canon bins, as said above either the 10x42 or the all weather 15x50's. They look nice.

Regards.
Sean..

I just found the Canon IS 12x36 available at 420 sterling. I bought mine two years ago for 499 euro (in the days of strong sterling) and that was a bargain. The current sterling price is superb; for anyone thinking of them, try them out. The close focus isn´t great, indeed...but one wouldn´t expect it to be on a 12x binocular.

Yep. I love my Canon 12x36 IS's. Best size in the the Canon line. You can see amazing detail. Great binoculars. I think the 10x42's would be too heavy. Heh, Sancho you are one "posting machine" ! It's contributor's like you that make bird forum interesting. There are alot of people that post that know alot about birding and binoculars and optics. Really good forum!

Dennis

[email protected] said:

Heh, Sancho you are one "posting machine" ! Dennis

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Now that´s worrying...time to get back to real life!. Glad you like your 12x36, Dennis...I´m intrigued that Canon never brought out improved-optics versions (the 10x is just far too heavy and brick-like), and also that top-end bino manufacturers never tried to produce IS bins like the Canon versions.

Yeh. I mean you can see more detail with the Canon 12x36 II IS but they don't quite have the optics of the alpha binoculars. I still love them for what they are good at though. When I compare them to my Leica BN's or Nikon LX L's they are not QUITE as good but very close. They do have a flatter field and the best edge clarity I have EVER seen. When I want to see details at a distance they are the ones I grab though. I got mine LNIB for $350.00 shipped so it makes them that much sweeter. I have tried the 8x25's and the 10x30's IS's also and I much prefer the 12x36's. They seem to be the right size and weight and magnification.

Dennis

Ok, I hope you really like the Zeiss. I have an 8x30 Conquest that has excellent resolution comparing well to my eyes with a Leica 8x32BN but is considerably lighter (longer near focus distance and stiff focus knob are my only gripes) Before you consider the Canon 10x42 or 15x50 I would see if the weight is not a deal killer for you.

Regards
Jim

Yes, the Zeiss Conquest is great. Not quite as large of a FOV as the Leica's 8x32 BN though.

Dennis

[email protected] said:

Yes, the Zeiss Conquest is great. Not quite as large of a FOV as the Leica's 8x32 BN though.

Dennis

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I have one and rather like it: lightweight but long (so my hands don't feel cramped) and very sharp (a notch above the $300 to $400 bins below it). With a very nice "machine screw" like focuser action.

It's only downside is with stray light i.e. at about 20 degrees or so from the sun. It fall apart faster than a hand grenade in bad light with veiling glare. I was quite surprised. Quite a lot worse in that case than some "lesser" bins and worse than my good Chinese ED bins.

But you do have to push it to see that effect. I missed it for quite a while though I'd heard similar comments. But it was one of the "Oh, so that's what they meant" moments.

That said most of the time (the vast majority) it's fine and an excellent bin. I'd recommend it.

Good to see some reassuring posts, as I just bought the 12x36 today

They are reasonably light, compact and I am impressed with their sharpness.

As others have said, a little disappointed that they they don't have a closer focus - not much different from the 15x50IS in that regard (which are terrific for astronomy - no worry about close focus there!) But, perhaps a limitation to be expected at 12x, along with a narrowish TVOF of 5*.

Still surprised (annoyed!) they don't provide caps for the objective lenses, although the case is very nice. I'll be chasing down some caps.

dvb said:

Good to see some reassuring posts, as I just bought the 12x36 today

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I am sure you will not be dissapointed. Today I went with 7 others in search of geese. We saw 1 goose that was marked with a numbered ring around the neck. No one could tell what the numbers were (and some even had Swaro EL) exept for me (canon 12x36IS). IS is such a powerfull feature. Enjoy it.

Cheers Peter

Canon 12x36 IS II Image Stabilized Binoculars

Hi Sean,

I can definitely confirm that the are not Waterproof. I have just finished writing a review of them on my binoculars website, that you may find useful: http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Canon12x36ISIIImageStabilized-5.htm

Canon 12x36 IS II Image Stabilized Binoculars

According to the manufacturers, whilst they are not waterproof, they will be fine to use in light rainy conditions. I am not sure about fog proof.

Good Birding Binoculars?
What i would like to know and something that would really help me with my review, is just how good are they as birding binoculars?

Many thanks Jason

chirundu said:

Hi Sean,

I can definitely confirm that the are not Waterproof. I have just finished writing a review of them on my binoculars website, that you may find useful: http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Canon12x36ISIIImageStabilized-5.htm

Canon 12x36 IS II Image Stabilized Binoculars

According to the manufacturers, whilst they are not waterproof, they will be fine to use in light rainy conditions. I am not sure about fog proof.

Good Birding Binoculars?
What i would like to know and something that would really help me with my review, is just how good are they as birding binoculars?

Many thanks Jason

Click to expand...

As birding binoculars, they are superb with just a few limitations. If CA ánd fringing bothers you, they may upset you. They also exhibit a lot of glare and ghosting compared to alpha bins, in bright sunlight when used in the general direction of the sun. And obviously 12x isn´t for general birding, only for more distant use (150m plus, I´d say)....not great for close-up work or woodland, etc. However, as bins to carry to an estuary, marshland, seawatching etc., they are superb, and the IS feature far outweighs the minor quibbles above.

Sancho said:

As birding binoculars, they are superb with just a few limitations. If CA ánd fringing bothers you, they may upset you. They also exhibit a lot of glare and ghosting compared to alpha bins, in bright sunlight when used in the general direction of the sun. And obviously 12x isn´t for general birding, only for more distant use (150m plus, I´d say)....not great for close-up work or woodland, etc. However, as bins to carry to an estuary, marshland, seawatching etc., they are superb, and the IS feature far outweighs the minor quibbles above.

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Many thanks for this and I guess it makes sense really. I will add it to my review on them.

Regards

Jason

12x36 IS II v. 10x42 IS etc

Suprised to see someone would choose Zeiss 15x45 binocs over the Canon 12x36. I'm sure the Zeiss optics are superb, but the Zeiss binocs have a field of view of only 64m at 1,000m v 87m for the Canon's. I had an ancient pair of Leica 15x60 ages ago, and I cannot imagine birding with them. You have to have extremely stable hands to use 15x non-IS binocs. I don't think folks appreciate the difference IS makes until they try it themselves.

I have owned at various times many of the Canon IS binocs (10x30, 10x42 L, 8x25, and as of last week 12x36 II). I got a pair of used 12x36 II in excellent condition on eBay for $400. I use them for birding and other wildlife viewing.

Currently, the 12x36 II are my favorite of the bunch. I am selling my 8x25s today. At 8x, IS does not have a major impact; it is dramatically less noticeable than at 12X. The 10x30 IS are nice and what I would recommend to most birders. (I sold mine a couple of years ago when I got the 10x42s.) My knock against the 10x30s is that they are not as durable as non-IS binocs.

The 10x42s are a brick. They are too heavy, particularly if you are carrying a lot of other gear (photographic). I say that, owning my 2nd set of 10x42. They do have the highest quality image, but not by enough to justify their downsides (weight, price). They are more rugged, but I have still had to send mine back twice for major collimation adjustments. I wrote extensive comments on the 10x42 here and at Amazon.com for those who want more feedback.

I'm off birding this afternoon, and my 12x36s are going with me. For birdwatching, they are great in the open and not bad at all in the woods. I was chasing warblers and kinglets on Wednesday which is always a challenge, but the 12x36 II were wide-angle enough that it was fine.

Yesterday, I was shocked at the brightness of the 12x36 II binocs. I was looking into a barn owl nesting box and the barn owl was tucked against the back wall in deep shadow. Through my excellent Pentax 65mm scope, I could just barely make out the owl. With the 12x36 binocs, the owl was very clearly visible. Hooray! Official Berekely city bird!