|
|
 |
| Product |
| Canon 15X50IS All Weather Image Stabilising Binoculars |
|
|
15 x 50 IS Canon binoculars
Like the other chap i spent alot of time pondering whether or not to purchase these bins, i do alot of walking and love watching aircraft fly over where i live, so, i took the plunge and bought them, all i can say is that they are fantastic, clarity is brilliant and optics sensational. My friends and work collegues all laughed when i told them i had bought them, what a waste of money they said! But, after they had had a go the feedback was excellent, it shut them up! I would not want any other binoculars, these are the nuts and worth every penny!!!
|
Quality doesn’t come cheap
I recently purchased some Canon IS binoculars after a lot of thought about the price. I’m a regular binoculars user – doorstep astronomy, wildlife, birds feeding in the garden, hill walking where I live in Scotland and holidays abroad. I guess that I pick up my binoculars most days to look at something. If I were not a regular user I probably wouldn’t have considered this purchase. My first move was to visit a camera and photography shop that actually had some binoculars in stock and try them out. The results were superb with the high magnification models (15x50 and 18x50) and less effective, though still excellent, with the lower magnifications (8x25, 10x30 and 12x36). My advice is, if you’re going to take the plunge, go for the top of the range. Get the 15x50 or 18x50 model. It’s worth the extra expense. When considering this purchase, don’t forget the quality of Canon products, especially the optics. They’ve been making quality cameras for years, and lenses are their speciality.When you weigh up the cost of these binoculars bear the following in mind. If you bought a new suit or outfit for a wedding, how much would it cost? How many times would you use it? What is the cost for every time you use it? How about the binoculars? How long should they last and what would be the cost every time you used them? By my reckoning they’re for life (I have a pair of binoculars that are 34 years old) and worth every penny for a regular user like me. There are some other points worth noting. The binoculars come in a soft case and I’m nervous about anything that pricey taking a knock, so I purchased a camera style hard case, like a small briefcase, with sponge inside for just over £40. If you want to use your binoculars predominantly in low light (evening or night) be careful of the model you buy. The effectiveness of binoculars to operate in low light is measured by the “exit pupil”, which is found by dividing the diameter of the objective lens by the magnification. So 18x50 has an exit pupil of 2.78, 15x50 an exit pupil of 3.33 and so on. The greater the figure the better, so this makes the 15x50 the best of the Canon IS range, though still not fantastic. The average binoculars you buy in a shop are 8x40, giving an exit pupil of 5. The actual stabiliser takes a little getting used to. It switches on immediately the button is pressed but takes about 2 seconds to kick in fully. It’s important to understand what it achieves. There appear to be two movements to your body – the uncontrollable twitching of your hands, especially after a coffee (and just before sex!), and the regular (almost controllable) movements as you breath. The binoculars counteract the first one, and the image moves from being one of “having the shakes” to one of a slow, repetitive movement caused by breathing. Like a marksman gaining expertise with a rifle, this can be intentionally countered, and the image moves quickly to one of absolute perfection with a little practice. The proof of the pudding is looking at the sky at night. Try and identify one of the planets (Mars, Venus or Jupiter are favourite and one of them is normally around), or a prominent star, and observe them with the binoculars without using the stabiliser. After you try to hold the image still – it’s like a dancing star – press the button and settle your breathing. The result is worth every penny as all movement ceases. Fantastic! If I win the lottery I may give some out as Christmas presents!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
I have had my Phoenix for nearly two years now and use it mainly when my wife and myself go up north (Scottish Highlands) with our 4 dogs. We choose isolated cottages with very large gardens (2 acres upwards). With no street lights at all the phoenix comes into its own and is ideal for spotting rabb.. 
The cobra optics is a nice little scope used for hunting or just walking the dog at night. I have to say its probably the best 1st gen nvg scope Ive ever used. The range is pretty good for a scope of its size and the weight isnt bad either. I have seen cheaper scopes before but nothing of this quali.. 
I recently acquired this item as a gift, and was astounded immediately by its overall performance. The weight of the product is excellent, as this was one of the first things I was worried about - I didnt want it to be too heavy to hold my head up!!! Luckily though, it is so light and comfortable th.. 
i can only say 1 thing about this it is super, good if want to spy on girl next door at night.. 
These binoculars are a boon for anyone who has trouble in getting a stable image due to handshake or who is viewing from a moving platform such as a boat.