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3.0 out of 5 starsSlightly underwhelmed...
Byinkyon 4 October 2014
Swayed by excellent reviews everywhere, I decided to break the bank and go for Canon's Image Stabilising technology when choosing a new pair of binoculars. As you'd expect from Canon, image quality is excellent, they're really pin sharp. And battery life on the two AAs used for the image stabilising is good. Additionally, some reviews have commented upon their weight - I didn't find them as heavy as I'd expected, probably comparative to a digital bridge camera.
The 10x30s looked like they struck the right balance between (a) magnification and (b) the very top of my budget for binoculars. However, I'm not completely convinced they justify the wallet flattening price tag.
1. They're really expensive. Canon's IS technology has been around for a few years now, I'm surprised the price hasn't come down further. I'd have opted for a pair of the 15x50s but there's no way I can justify almost £900 for a pair of binoculars, no matter how good they are. The 10x30s at £300+ still look overpriced when you can pick up a Canon camcorder with (presumably the same) Image Stabilising technology for roughly half the price of these.
2. I tried a bit of amateur stargazing using these and whilst I got a good view of the moon, they didn't really help me see much else. 10x magnification is fine for viewing scenery but you probably want something a bit more powerful if you're planning on looking at the sky at night.
3. I also don't think that 10x magnification produces sufficient 'judder' to make IS absolutely necessary. Don't get me wrong, the IS technology is very good but on a number of occasions, I forgot to use it (you hold down a button to enable the stabilisation)! The view without it was just fine and without too much shake. I'm sure the higher magnification binoculars in the same range are where the IS function is a must have, for these it's a 'nice to have'.
3. The soft zipped case supplied is a bit rubbish, too light on protection for your £300 binoculars.
So, great binoculars with Image Stabilising that works well but a price tag that's difficult to justify. If money isn't an object, you'll be really happy with these. But of you consider performance vs value when weighing up a purchase, I was a bit underwhelmed.