Canon 10x30 IS

[David55]

After having an 80mm refractor and 200mm dobsonian for a number of years, I felt the need to get something more portable, so bought some low cost 8x42 Bushnell binoculars. They were pretty good, but I found that the effort of keeping them steady was rather tiring, so summed up the courage to buy a pair of Canon 10x30 image stabilised bins.

How fantastic are these? The quality of the glass is great and the focus pin sharp. But when the stabilisation button is pressed the view is taken to another level. It's as if the view first snaps into focus and then snaps to a stationary view. More stars become visible, clusters begin to resolve and the moon takes on a 3D feel.

The weight is low enough to use for long periods at a time and there are the usual advantages of binoculars viz everything is the right way up and the field of view is wide enough to find targets easily.

In my opinion, the view is not that much worse than through my 80mm refractor at low magnification. The main drawbacks being that, obviously, the magnification can't be changed (so not much use for planets) and one can't leave it aligned on a target to show other people the view or glance at a star guide.

So I'm really pleased. If I was to start astronomy again, I'd get a pair of these and a 200mm dobsonian as a good price/performance combination. Job done.

If anyone is thinking of getting these I'd strongly recommend them.