BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Chosun Juan" data-source="post: 3307672" data-attributes="member: 92780">Hi Kimmo,I have followed your penchant for stabilised optics for some time time, but the planets have never aligned with enough spare time for me to comment in reply to your various threads or posts ..... until now!  <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />)I can understand your fondness of the Canon optics ..... among other qualities:-1)  They have that wonderful Porro clarity2)  They have a lovely bright, neutral colour rendition, and well controlled CA3)  They have flat fields without any moustachio contortions, that is truly sharp to the edge  (although, as per Ed's general stance - maybe they appear too flat {clinical} in this case)4)  They have the option of turning IS on if so desiredI have only ever tried the 15x50 model for far too brief a time (I would have liked longer to see if the heavy weight fatigue set in ....)Wow - what a nice view  <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />)   :t:Remembering all of your recommendations and test results, I was very keen to pay particular attention to the IS system and the view (effect on thereof ...)Firstly I should say, that for such a heavy bin, I was able to hold it remarkably steady (the caveat here though is that I was at a wetland viewing shelter with a table to periodically put the bins down on) - maybe I'm getting stronger, but I found the grip, and resultant view very steady for the hour or two of intermittent viewing I had with them.  Perhaps it may have been a different story if I had them suspended around my neck (or in a chest harness) and was constantly aware of the weight, and had them held up long enough for fatigue, and arm shake to set in......  :cat:My takeaway from this experience, was that I had a distinct preference for the plain view with NO IS on.  Every time I engaged the IS I could detect visible movement of the viewing picture which was most unpleasant, and even detected 'artifacts' to the view, which I did not like at all.  I found this somewhat surprising, given all that has been said, the fact that magnification was 15x, and my own experience with stablised photographic equipment.  However, my preference to have IS off was quite clear in this instance.Trying to analyse and quantify my own tremor response /frequency profile is difficult.  As a teenager I distinctly remember a low speed shake when holding heavy magnum pistols out at arms length which progressively worsened with time held.  Later, I was to break and dislocate my right shoulder, leaving me with nerve damage - and the strength of a 3 year old girl! With binoculars I know that in general lighter weight is best for me (mostly in terms of the carrying far afield, but also holding to my eyes for lengthy periods), and my tremor profile can range from low to high frequency and all or anything in between depending on the situation.  I usually try to brace on a tree or something to get the last bits of detail, and if the exertion and breathing is under control, roughly get that sort of 85 - 90% efficacy.So for me, the jury is still out on IS, and I remain open to some advanced, lightweight, stellar design and implementation.  I don't feel that for the up to 9x formats I recommended for a new SV that IS is necessary, and in fact would like to see it omitted to truly bring the weights down to a new paradigm.  10x and up, I remain open to considering the possibility.Zeiss has certainly left the door open with the many shortcomings of the SF (weird distortion mechanations, warm greenish? colour bias, and myriad early production quality problems), so Swarovski certainly has opportunities to implement the designs I described and kick butt.  :king:It will be interesting to see what they do.Chosun  :gh:PS.  A great big +1  :t:  to Ed for the Vukobratovich article --- Thanks!! and well done - liked!  :t:</blockquote>

Verification