Canon All Weather Binoculars 18x 50mm

These binoculars are spectacular. Point them at Jupiter and you see a bright dot wandering around in the field of view. Press the image stabilization switch and the planet and its moons instantly become visible. While they can't subtract all movement they do get rid of the little shakes that make hand held viewing so difficult. 15x is enough magnification that Saturn is obviously not round.

A complaint about earier versions of the Canon IS line was that your finger went to sleep holding the IS switch down. Now you can press it briefly to turn on the IS circuitry which will automatically shut off in 5 minutes. If you press and hold the switch it shuts off as soon as you release it.

I haven't had my pair long enough to comment on battery life but do see a problem changing them when they are mounted on a tripod. Unlike most binoculars where the tripod mounting is at the objective end where the two barrels rotate on the Canons it is at the bottom of the binocular near the center of the tubes which don't rotate. And the battery compartment is just in front of it so you can't get to it if the binoculars are on a tripod of have a quick release plate attached.

Since the lens barrels don't rotate intra-ocular distance is adjusted by actually moving the oculars. They are kind of stiff but that is good because they stay in place once you get them set.

The tripod mount is lower than the highest part of the lens barrels so if you have a big quick release plate like that of the Manfrotto (Bogen) 410 geared head (highly recommended) it presses against the bottom of the barrels and not the flat between them.

For some reason Canon doesn't seem to fell that the objective lenses need any protection as they don't ship lens covers for them. They do provide lens covers for the oculars but they pop off a lot because the eye cups are so soft. It looks like you need something like 69mm lens caps. They don't tell you in the manual but Canon sales says they are threaded to accept 58mm filters so you can buy solar filters for them.

I can use the binoculars with my glasses on due to the 15 mm eye relief but it is really easier to use them without the glasses.

They are heavy, ~2,5#, but if you support them on the heels of your hands very stable.

Right out of the box, these binoculars, no doubt are one of the best pair of optics I have ever purchased. The Image Stabilization feature is what makes the bincoluars so attractive...and expensive.

They work great on the water or in situations that will reduce hand shakieness.

I own a pair of 10x30 Canon and wanted to upgrade having liked them.

With the 18x50 I got what I expected with the 10x30 model, but the weight of these bincolars is a bit of a draw back. At least they have a tripod hole for support if you need it.

The weight also creates another draw back.

**** Be aware, there appears to be a design flaw with the top eye peice portion. Due to the heavy weight of these 18 x 50 binoculars, one must be careful how you handle them.

These binoculars have a different method for their case carrying strap then the other Canon image stablization binoculars. Other models have a strap for the case and another neck strap for the binoculars themselves.

On the 18 x 50 model it uses the same neck strap, for both the bincoular and the case. Simply, the case has no strap and you place the binoculars in the case and pull neck strap out from the case, over the top case flap and use it as the case's carrying strap.

On first look, it seems like a better idea.

The neck strap attaches to the eye peice portion of the binoculars, while the other 'lighter' models have the neck strap attaching to the body itself. This causes the weight of the entire units to be supported on the eye piece portions.

Having only had these 18x50 IS binoculars less than three weeks from purchase, I pulled the binoculars out of the case when the top eye piece portion separated from the main body. This was with little pressure and being careful everytime I handled them.

I figured it was a simple fix, perhaps snapping pieces back in place. This was not the case. On closer inspection the fastening screws, which held the eye piece portion to the main body, were still in tack, but the screw holes, which kept the main body to the eye peice in place, appeared not to be strong enough to handle extra pressure.

The outer loop of the screw holes on two of the three screw holes broke away.

The screws are set too close to the outer part of the eye peice base for strong enough support and the material supporting the screw holes are too weak to support the existing body weight and pressure exerted on it over time.

This breakage came with little effort and pressure or from abuse.

I thought about repairing them myself, but figured it still was under warranty (only 3 weeks old) and the cost of $1,100 should be enough excuse to send them to Canon Repair for a quick fix.

BOY WAS I SADLY MISTAKEN. Canon Repair charged me another $350 to repair it and it's now over 4 weeks and I have not seen them yet. I've owned them less than 8 weeks and more than half of that time is in repair!

I just wonder if anyone else has had this problem as it certainly appears it's a design flaw because of the overall weight.

So to review them I would say great binoculars but becareful on how you handle these items, if you need a good pair of binoculars, I would say go with the lower models of the Canon IS series as they are more durable!

I've had these binocs (Canon 15x50 IS) for two weeks now and am regretting my purchase . . . . regretting that I didn't buy them years ago, that is!

So far I have put them to work for aircraft spotting, watching hawks soar high overhead, looking at the moon, and general observation of distant terrain. These are by far the best optical instrument I've ever had the pleasure to use. The Image Stabilizer feature is truly outstanding. It allows you to really reach in on astounding views, and enjoy them with rock solid stability.

For example, to focus in on a Boeing 747 that is still 5 miles out on final appoach, and clearly watch it extend its landing gear in all its glory of doors opening, wheels articulating, and doors closing . . . then enjoy watching it float through the air until WHOOOOOOSH it's upon you, is awe-inspiring! And fun!

Another pleasant surprise. The binocs came with two years of extended warranty from Canon free -- three years in total. I wasn't expecting that, but it was in the box when it arrived. Cheers to them!

Prior to buying, I compared the Nikon 14x40 Stabileyes and Canon 15x50 and 18x50 IS binocs and tried them extensively, back to back to back, indoors and out. The Canon's seemed a bit brighter than the Nikon's (as they should be at 15x50 vs. 14x40), sharper, they are more compact although perhaps a bit less robust, and thanks to more heavy discounting and the rebates, they cost about $350 less. The Canons are more highly regarded in the various enthusiast sites as well (both the birders and the astroheads love 'em). The Canon 18's cost $200 more than the 15's, and seemed just a bit "jitteryier" (is that a word?). I am planning to use these for daytime aircraft spotting as well as the night sky, so the 18's just seemed a "bit much" for my needs. The 15's seemed perfect.

Great price from Amazon . . . . $799, before a $100 mail in Canon rebate and a free $50 Amazon gift card. Net cost of $650 is a great deal -- enough so that I justified overnight shipping!

Cheers to Canon for a job well done!

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