Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon 10x30 Image Stabilization Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries

If you want to get a quick idea why image stabilization (IS) is the next revolution in binoculars, that's easy: take any binoculars that you can get and look through them at some object (a printed page of paper with several font sizes is ideal). Then look again at the same object from the same distance, but this time with the binoculars moudnted on a steady support (don't touch em!). You will notice that the actual resolution increases by a factor of at least 2 or 3 when mounted. That is, you can discern details that are at least two or three times smaller, because mounting eliminates the smear caused by the shaking of your hands. IS is like having this support available any time and anywhere you need it by a push of a button! In most conditions, the practical resolutions I can get with my Canon IS cannot be matched by any hand-held, unstabilized binoculars in the market, including those fancy Nikons, Swarovskis, Leicas and Zeiss that cost three or four times as much. No matter how good (and how expensive) is the optics of these top-of-the-line binoculars, their limiting factor in the field is the shaking of your hands. You may have heard that IS is important because it eliminates eyestrain and headaches, or because you can use the binoculars from a boat or a moving car. While these are good reasons to buy the Canon, the best reason is that they let you see much more detail in any given distance. And this is the reason why you buy binoculars in the first place.

If you are a birder like me, and you are looking for a top of the line binoculars, do not buy anything before you try this one. In my opinion IS is going to revolutionize the whole field, so a costly pair of Swarovski or Zeiss, that normally could be considered as a good investment for life, will not be top of the line anymore in two or three years. In addition to the IS, the Canon has quite good optics, good field of view and is much smaller and lighter then most models you probably considered. This makes the Canon very close to the ideal birding binoculars: Highest resolution, less weight, and less money. I did not have the opportunity to test the larger Canon IS models, but I don't think I'd buy them even if I had the money, because they are twice as heavy and (very important for birding) has smaller field of view.

Note one general disadvantage of the Canon, however: They are not as tough as the top roof prism binoculars. They are water resistant but not water proof, and the IS requires batteries (a pair of NiMH for several hours of birding. This is the digital camera procedure: get a charger and at least one replacement set). While the binoculars feel sturdy, dropping them is not good for the IS mechanism, and this is probably why Canon gives only one year warranty. So the Canon are not the best pair to take for an expedition in Alaska, but for a Sunday birder like me, these are easily the best in their price range, and probably the best in any price.

I've been a binocular junkie for years. I've specialized in high end glasses, particularly Leitz, Swarovski and Hensoldt (when I could get them). Two years ago, in anticipation of a trip to Kenya where I would spend the days in a moving LandRover, I thought I'd try the (then new) Cannon 10x30 Image Stabilizers. I was just blown away! The optics are excellent and the weight is surprisingly light. But the image stabilizing feature is just fabulous. There is simply no wiggle when holding these binoculars (and I'm a big coffee drinker). While they won't compensate for big rolls, jumps and twists in a moving car, they eliminate all the vibration and result in much less eye fatigue. In my opinion, it's a case of technology having obsoleted a very fine product. Take my word, do not spend over $500 for fixed binoculars without first trying the image stabilized Cannons. It's a revelation.

A grad student tried a pair of these Canon image stabilized binoculars at an observatory's star party and while he thought the binocs were very fine, he didn't agree with all the other astronomers around him that they were that much better than normal binocs..........

As for myself, I read every review I could find before deciding to purchase these 10x30 IS Canon binocs. I've had them for nearly a week now and have done some careful observing and decided to share my thoughts to help others who may be "sitting on the fence" and worried about the occasional bad review seen here or elsewhere.

I will be using these binocs for many kinds of observing , but
mostly for astronomy, nature observing and for the fun of using them -- they are very enjoyable to just plain use 'em.

Astronomy use puts optics to a severe test, but these performed far better than expected, and I expected rather much. First, I didn't expect the brightness to be so good. For a 10x30, they are clearly letting through almost all of the light entering the objective lenses, even with all those elements and prisms. I own a wonderful set of french APX 10x60 military naval binocs, and these little Canons were actually brighter on daylight objects and offered truer colors, too. Color fringing is very minimal, but visible on very bright objects in the night sky and at the edges of light-colored objects in daylight, but only if you are really trying to see it. On bright stars, there is some flaring, but lesser stars are tiny and tinier dots of light, just as they should be -- not as fine as you'd see in the finest apochromatic refractors, but about as fine as you'll see in any 10x30 binocular. Image sharpness is excellent all the way to the edge of the field of view and the image "snaps" into focus just like a good refractor telescope. For some reason, I find that the image is at its most superb about halfway to the edge and I most enjoy seeing the stars just below dead center for a relaxing and most crispy view. At 60 degrees apparent field of view, this is wide enough that you don't feel like you're looking down a tunnel, as on some binocs where this specification is only about 45 degrees or so. The 3mm exit pupil on these is a bit small and does make your adjustment of the binocs rotating eyepiece turrets more critical and does add a bit of fatigue keeping the eyepieces centered on your eyes. By comparison, my french 10x60s with their huge 2" oculars offer a much more relaxed view -- assuming you have them mounted on a stable platform though. On the plus side, a 3mm exit pupil is better for those with eye astigmatism who prefer not to wear glasses while observing. The binocs will accomodate your near or far sightedness naturally and as the light will only be using 3mm of your eye opening, astigmatism is usually not a problem. So take off your eyeglasses and you'll enjoy using these even more.

As others have said, the image stabilization is the breakthrough feature of these 10x30s and the other Canons in their IS line-up. When I HOLD down (not just click on) the IS button, in about six seconds the image goes from terribly shaky and rather unpleasant to view to moderately stabilized to locked-in full stabilization. If you let go of the button, the image immediately reverts back to "shakey as ever". And if you press the button again without much delay, you don't have to wait the six seconds for full stabilization, but only a fraction of a second in practical use. Some have written that the IS feature causes a lessening of resolution or sharpness in the image, but not in these 10x30s -- the image is tack sharp.
The image stabilization works perfectly for most practical uses. If you shake like Mohammed Ali, these binocs will not help you, but if you have a reasonably stable set of arms, these will do the rest to give you a virtually motionless view -- even while someone (else!) drives the car on your next trip.

A few minor nits, or how Canon can make these even better!
The focus is so wonderfully sharp and precise that Canon needs to put a finer thread screw on the focusser as it is a bit hard to obtain precise focus without constantly overshooting. This will cost Canon about nothing to improve. Oh, and I DO like the fact that the objectives move when you focus and not the eyepieces. In most binocs, pressing against the eyepieces will cause defocussing. And for a few pennies, Canon could integrate a flip-down-and-under objective lens cover which would certainly be nice. Or maybe even a simpler two-piece combination objective and eyepiece cover set that connect to each other with stretchcord on each side -- simply pull off and use -- stretch back-on and protect. Finally, as even alkaline batteries will last 4 hours continuously using the IS, why not change the IS "press and hold" button to and on-off switch with 5-minute auto-off. Gets to be a bit of a bother holding the button down all the time you are looking through them. Canon, are you listening?

So, what's my bottom line? Well, if you were to lay a pair of $1200. Zeiss binocs of similar power on the table along with a pair of these Canons I would still choose the Zeiss. Surprized? Allow me to explain: I sell the Zeiss on eBay and use that $1200. to buy FOUR pairs of these Canons which offer far higher practical resolution and fun over all the other binocs out there. Christmas is coming and these Canons have more WOW factor than anything I can think of for the money.

Oh, as for that grad student at the observatory who didn't think much of these binocs on first use -- when informed the next night that he had to HOLD the IS button and not just click it, he changed his mind somewhat .......... LOL

I like these binoculars a lot, and the image stabilization does the job well. You must hold down a button on top of the binoculars to keep the image stabilization engaged, and as soon as you touch the button, you see the image in the binoculars jerk once, then steady itself. Holding down the button isn't difficult or a big deal, by the way, and it does save batteries. If your batteries are dead, or you are concerned about minimizing battery use, the binoculars work fine without the image stabilization engaged.
The effect of the stabilization isn't quite what I expected beforehand--In long viewing sessions, there is less fatigue from hand movement thanks to the stable image, and I expected this. But the big benefit is that you can see much more detail in the steady image--In effect you have an increase in magnification! You can see a lot more with image-stabilized binoculars.
Now for the quirks--First, the small aperture and high power mean the image isn't very bright. This isn't a problem in many applications (for whalewatching in bright Sun, the binocs were wonderful!), but it means these binocs may not be the best choice for low-light applications--birding in deep woods, for instance.
Second, the IS mechanism is slightly fragile. Don't drop 'em!
Third, the binocs do use batteries. I recommend Lithium, particularly if you might let them set unused for quite awhile. They cost more upfront, but cost the same or less in the long run due to their greater lifespan. Also, the long storage life means you won't hike out in the boonies and find your only set of batteries is dead!
Fourth, the binocs aren't light. They aren't monstrously heavy, but they they do weigh a bit. The 8x25 binocs may not be as bad in this regard, but they were released just after I bought my own pair, so I haven't tried them.
Fifth, panning with the Image stabilization engaged may confuse the binoculars a bit. Let up on the button to turn off stabilization a moment before panning. I do sweeping searches with stabilization off, then turn on stabilization when I find what I am looking for.
If you decide to buy, look for a rebate coupon from Canon. Canon frequently seems to have a $50 rebate on these binoculars (I applied for and received the rebate for my pair). Recommended, but keep those quirks in mind....

I was recently given these image stabilized binoculars as a gift and they are simpley astounding. While their optics are quite good without the image stabilization engaged, with it engaged they are phenomenal. Despite steady hands (I'm a surgeon) there is always some high frequency tremor that causes the image to quiver. Even with the superb optics of far more expensive binoculars such as Zeiss or Leica the limitting factor in resolution becomes this high frequency quiver. With Canon's image stabilization engaged the image becomes essentially rock solid and not only substantialy sharper but also more restful on the eyes. Image stabilization is a true leap forward in binocular design and is a great example of how a high tech advance makes a good product fantastic. Quite frankly, Canon's image stabilized binoculars make traditional binoculars even from high-end Euopean brands obsolete. Don't buy an expensive pair of binoculars without trying these first!