Canon 10x30 IS

5.0 Canon 10x30 IS II Binoculars

> Light and well made
> Easy to use and hold
> Good resolution

> Very good but not Great optics
> Momentary On/Off switch

I'd heard a lot of positive comments about the Canon's Image Stabilizer binoculars, but was not convinced such a small aperture would be effective for astronomy. I have a couple pairs of larger binoculars but have found it difficult to hold high power, heavy binoculars reasonably steady for long periods of time. I was also dubious about spending $350 for the a 30mm objective.

When they arrived I was pleased to find the binoculars are very well constructed with a rubberized exterior and a nice feel in my hand. I find them very comfortable to hold even for extended periods since they’re so light. You activate the image stabilizer by pressing a button continuously in the center of the unit. It's not hard as the binoculars have good ergonomics and not tiring but it would be nice if it had an On/Off switch that held. With about a 15mm eye relief they are light and easy to hold in proper position for long periods. Althought the central focus knob seemed small at first I found it easy to use and well positioned but the right eyepiece diopter adjustment is way too stiff. It's also annoying to me that Canon only provides eye lens covers and not Objective lens covers.

For daytime viewing the images are tack sharp for the central 90% of the 6° wide FOV with some false color visible at the outer 5% edge of the field. They have a definite violet tinge at the outer edge, but the majority of the field of view is great. The Canon 10x30 IS II are at their best at night. It's surprising just how much a pair of binoculars of this small an aperture shows. The image stabilizer function definitely aids viewing and IMHO provides as good or better views than a pair of 42mm non-stabilized binoculars due to the steady image. The effect of the stabilization is to drastically reduce the jittery movement that is normally associated with hand held viewing. It's not equal to a tripod mount but provides a steady image that smoothly glides rather than shaking. The stabilization allows you to see features such as Lunar Riffles and small craters not normally visible with regular hand held binoculars.

The Canon 10x30 IS II performed better than I had expected on DSOs. Globular Clusters are stunning, and I was impressed how well M13 looked. Generally I find the images using the IS setting on par with my 8x42 or even 7x50 binoculars because the image stability compensates for lack of light gathering ability of the 30mm objectives. An unexpected effect of the image stabilization is that it's much easier to discern the color of double stars when they're not shaking. Another surprise is how quickly you can Star Hop and locate objects with the 6° FOV and stable image. Quite often when I go to locate a 'new target' with my telescope I use these to find and study the general location first. Then when I look through the telescopes finder it's much easier to locate one of those faint fuzzies because the star patterns are already familiar.

Overall I am very happy with these binoculars and find them fun to use. I can hold them for extended periods and using hand held binoculars, rather than a tripod mount, provides a nice "Free" feeling while scanning the heavens. While other more expensive binoculars have better optics, the Canon 10x30 IS II optics are very good. The on-axis views are sharp with good contrast. For me these binoculars are a keeper. Some day I may try the 12x36 and end up bequeathing these to my wife but for now I enjoy using them regularly.