Canon 15 x 50 Image stabilising binoculars test

[egris]

I managed to get a chance to look through a pair of the Canon 15x50 IS binoculars at an Astro fair. It was during the daytime but even when looking at distance objects I could not get the shaking to stop after pressing the button down.

I was very keen on buying a pair but am now a bit put off. Anyone else had such problems?

[MarsG76]

I think no matter what the best stabilizer is a tripod.... the stabilizing features seem to me like they are a gimmick.

[Victoria1410]

I tried a smaller pair of IS last night and I didn't notice much difference. It still shakes for me too.

[Stu]

I would suspect they were not working properly. I have a pair and they are excellent. Of course Mars 76 is right that ultimately a tripod is more stable, but they are certainly not a gimmick. If I'm going to the trouble of putting a tripod out I will use a scope, not binoculars so these give me grab and go use in a different way.

The stabilisation itself cannot remove all movement, that is not possible. What it does is remove all the higher frequency movement such as your heartbeat, any shakes etc. you still need to stand still and hold them as steady as possible. Unless you are completely still, you normally get a kind of swimming motion around the fov, but without the shakes. The detail visible is far better than without the stabilisation.

I would say have another go, with good batteries, make sure they are working correctly and that you are understanding how to get the best out of them.

[BinocularSky]

As someone who really does not get on well with IS binos (it's that "swimming" motion: makes me feel nauseous), I must endorse Big Sumorian's thoughts on this: as long as it's a Canon, if it doesn't stop the shakes, there is something wrong with it. It most certainly is not a gimmick. I've never tried the Nikon IS binos, but the Fujinon is not good for smoothing the shakes - but is brilliant for large, slow movement, like the heaving deck of a boat at sea.

[laudropb]

I had the canon IS bins and they certainly did remove the shake, but I did not enjoy the views when panning. They made my head " swim ". I would suggest that the pair you tried were not working.

[egris]

Thanks for all the replies. I also now have the feeling that something may have been wrong with the pair I was testing.

Im not that bad at holding binoculars still so I was expecting the view to rock solid and it was nowhere near.

I will have to test another pair before making a decision.