Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon 18x50 Image Stabilization All-Weather Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries

These are GREAT binoculars! Worth the money!

I agonized and agonized. Should I buy the 15x50s? Some purchasers said the 18x50s don't TOTALLY stop the image from moving around, but the 15x50s will. What will I do if I don't like these things? Is $1,000 just too much money? Will I use these things or will they just sit in the closet?

Well, I took a chance, knowing Amazon's reputation for great customer service. One guy who bought these things said he didn't like them, returned them to Amazon with no problem. Well, I got 'em and... I LOVE THESE BINOCULARS! They're WORTH the money! The jitter is TOTALLY GONE from the image. TRUE, the entire image itself DOES move around a little with the movement of my hands, BUT I CAN LIVE WITH THIS in exchange for the FAN-FLIPPING-TASTIC views of aircraft, wildlife and the moon! I like to use binocs while lying down on a chaise lounge, so I just support my elbows on the chaise's arms. Even when I hold them in my hands, the image doesn't wander all that much. I can live with it. My arms DO get tired after about 5 minutes of using these binocs, but who cares? I'll get stronger arms!

I bought two Canon lens caps and two Hoya 58 mm UV filters. Yes, the Hoyas are more expensive than the recommended filters but, hey, if I'm gonna spend $1,000 plus for the binocs, why should I skimp on anything else?

A point here: I'm not a rich guy. I saved money to buy these things. And again, to ME, they're WORTH the money! Do what you need to do for you, but, for me, they were an essential purchase!

If you choose, buy these and HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I purchased these for astronomy/observing and I have not been disappointed. As some of the other reviews have pointed out, they can pull in the moons of Jupiter quite well, among other items. Perhaps the most impressive feature is how well the image stabilization works-- no need of a tripod even at 18x magnification.

The only 'cons' I can think of might be price, and perhaps field-of-view (if you want to sweep large areas of sky). I think the weight is reasonable for the degree of magnification that is offered.

We use these mostly for viewing the night sky...lately Jupiter and it's moons, which are visible with these binoculars. The only thing I don't like about them is that they are a little heavy for me to hold up for any length of time but my husband has no complaints.

I have been an avid birder watcher for several decades. I've owned most of the top-of -the-line European binoculars (Zeiss, Leica, etc.) over the years. I purchased the Canon 12x36 IS binocs over 2 1/2 years ago and I love them. However, thinking that more magnification would be better, I ordered the 18x50 IS pair a year later. I have since sold them and use mostly the Canon 12 power. Here are a few reasons why they were not right for me:

* Bigger is not always better. The extra weight and size caused me to leave them in the closet and take the 12x36s, one of my other pair, or worst, no binoculars at all. Even the best optics are no good if you don't have them with you when you need them.

* Smaller field of view. It takes some practice seeing a bird with your naked eyes and then swinging the binoculars up smoothly so that you keep the bird (or any other small subject) in line with your vision. As experienced as I am at this I found it harder to accomplish with the narrow view of these powerful optics. Sometimes all you get is a few seconds to spot and identify a rare bird. Quicker is better.

* Shallower depth of field. With greater magnification the accuracy of your focusing becomes more critical due to a reduced range of focus. With distant objects I found myself fiddling with focus knob more than I would like to.

* Less than the best optical performance. Don't get me wrong, these are very sharp, high quality glasses, just not the best. When viewing objects against the sun you can get a color flare, or ghost image (chromatic aberration). Only the highest quality optical designs get close to completely eliminating this problem. When you are trying to tell one bird from another closely related species, color is often all than you have to go by.

I am still a big fan of the Image Stabilization technology and I still use my 12x36 IS binoculars daily, however, the idea that more magnification is always better, especially for birding, is misleading. I am planning to buy the Canon 10x42 L series binos. In the past this magnification has been my favorite and the added benefit of IS will make it an even better choice. The biggest reason for this decision is the superiority of the L class optics. I own several L lenses for my Canon digital SLRs and they are superb.

If you don't mind the size and weight, or you really need the extra power (like for astronomical observation) these are great binoculars to add to your collection. If you looking one pair to use on a regular basis and you want the best optical quality combined with image stabilization, I would go with the 10x42 IS L glasses and save yourself the time and expense of buying the wrong pair. But that's just my opinion. If you can, take a look at both of them in person before you buy one.

Canon 10x42 L Image Stabilization Waterproof Binoculars

Buy these if you are into bird watching (any type) live sports, or just want to hear you friends say "WOW!" when you turn the image stabilizer on when they are looking through these binoculars.
Worth every penny!!