After a few days of birding in NYC Central Park with the Nikon 10x25IS in lieu of my trusty Canon 10x42 ISL, some early impressions.
These Nikons are a joy to carry, the light weight and small size fit in much better with the urban scene.
They are a a much more IS oriented glass. The Nikon without the IS is a wobbly monocular, so the IS stays on. Hence it becomes instinctive very quickly to push the IS button as one lifts the glass.
That eats batteries, about one CR2 every other day and the CR2 is usually several bucks. This is a big change from the Canon, where the IS is usually only used once the bird has been acquired and the batteries last for weeks.
I've ordered a charger and rechargeables, but note that this is a 3 volt CR2
(CR15H270), not the 3.7V version. I don't know whether the 3.7V CR2 version would be safe to use. The Nikon package included a 3V Panasonic lithium battery, so that is the type I use.
The Nikons do a good job on color and are comfy to look through, despite their small exit pupils. They do lag the Canons noticeably in bad light or at dusk, where the bigger objectives shine, but for daytime, they work well.
The Nikons are harder to handle with bulky gloves. I use heated mittens in winter and they drown the little Nikons. Finding the focus wheel or pushing the IS button with them on takes practice.
So a solid 'thumbs up' for this new Nikon. It is a well made small glass with a groundbreaking IS orientation. It should help win the broad acceptance that has thus far eluded IS.