Firstly, thanks to all the people who replied to this thread which I started a few weeks ago. Much appreciated.
After I sold my Canon 10x42 IS bins (brilliant view, but way too hefty for me), I finally bought a pair of Canon 12x36 lll bins a couple of weeks ago when I spotted a nearly new pair in a UK web shop at a good price. I've taken them out on the once-a-day walk that I'm allowed, and here's some preliminary thoughts about them.
My normal bins are a 15 year old pair of Swarovski EL 8x42s. The view I get from the Canons without the IS is not far behind that from the Swarovskis, a little less bright, and of course a much narrower field of view. The Canon view is sharp, they 'snap' into focus, and the colours seem true. I was concerned that they'd have a small 'sweet spot' but to me the focus seems good across the whole field of view. But once the IS is on, it's chalk and cheese - the view through the Canons is vastly superior - you get to see so much more. And they're fine with glasses.
So far, I've not seen any of the anomalies, notably chromatic aberration, that others report: this may be because I'm not as much of a binocular purist as some on this site so I don't seek out such things. If the bad stuff is there, it's not bad enough to bother me.
The ergonomics of the IS system are pretty good for me. The IS button is positioned dead right - exactly under my middle finger. On the Canon 10x42s I was always searching for it. Personally, I quite like the fact that the button has to be held down to get IS - I prefer it to the system on the 10x42s where a press left the IS on for 5 minutes, but turned it off if you pointed the bins downward, which meant you had to find the elusive IS button pretty much every time you raised them to your eyes.
Another common problem people report is the rubber eye cups. There's no denying that they're are a bit crude, but because I always wear specs when I'm using bins, the eyecup on my bins are permanently rolled down to get maximum eye relief, so it's no big deal. Unfortunately, this does leave the exit lenses quite exposed, so I got an Opticron 37mm rainguard which is a nice snug fit over the rolled-down eyecups, and should provide a fair bit of protection.
There have been a couple of minor niggles. If you're used to standard bins, the Canon IPD adjustment is distinctly odd. Usually it's fine - it's a 'set-it-once-and-leave-it' thing. However, it's a bit of a pain when my wife, who is too idle to take her own bins with her, wants to look through mine. Usually the bird has flown off by the time she gets the bins right.
The other thing that has taken a bit of getting used to is pointing the things in the right direction - I always seem to aim too high - but I guess my aim will improve with time.
So far then, I'm delighted with them. I think they'll really come into their own when we get freed from house arrest, and I can get to to shores and lakes where the extra reach will be very useful. I'll let you know.
Jeff
By the way, for the UK people, Amazon and Dixons are doing the 12X36s for £549, a fair bit less than the optics specialists.
