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Canon 18X50 IS Binoculars (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter gfletcher
- Start date
AlanFrench
Well-known member
A steady, handheld 18x view of birds is quite nice, but they are, for most people, too heavy to carry around in the field much. Their narrow field can make birds a bit hard to spot and follow around, but experience helps some. They also have very poor focus, 6m (19.7'), which can be a problem in some situations.
I sometimes leave my 15x50s where they are handy to check the birds at my feeders. They are not my choice when I am wandering around looking for birds.
Clear skies, Alan
I sometimes leave my 15x50s where they are handy to check the birds at my feeders. They are not my choice when I am wandering around looking for birds.
Clear skies, Alan
Binocollector
Well-known member
I sometimes use mine for birding when I wanna have a closer look. But I don't use them quite as much as I had thought I would. I bought them mainly for astronomy but for that purpose the weight is even more annoying than when holding them horizontally. The views are spectacular though. But my most used binos are in the 8x to 10x range.
They make a great spotting scope substitute. Get a sling strap, like an Op/Tech Utility Sling strap or a Vortex Archer's Strap and wear them cross body with a lower power binocular around your neck. That way, you can just swing them up when you need to make a long range ID. They are also great for shorebirds, raptors in flight and just close looks at waterfowl, etc. They are far easier to take on a long walk than a scope. I actually know an expert birder who uses a 15x50 IS for warblers. I wouldn't have even tried that, but it apparently works for her.
Hermann
Well-known member
No, they don't. In many, many situations 18x is too low. Scopes are commonly used at far higher magnifications. The Canons are a nice additional binocular, but they're no substitute for a scope.
Hermann
By spotting scope substitute I mean that if you are going on a long walk through a wetland or some other preserve and you don't want to lug a heavy scope and tripod around all morning, you can take the 18x50 instead. I will frequently wear an 8X or 10X bin around my neck and carry the 18x50 in a camera bag. It can also replace a spotting scope if you are in a car and don't want to get out and set up the scope. Also remember that your eyes can extract more detail from a view with both eyes than from one. I think I read that a 15X binocular shows as much detail as a 20X scope.
