Canon 12 x 36 IS III arrived

[Mr Spock]

40 minutes ago, THEGREAT said:

Is there a way to try to fix the problem for this model (other than returning)?

If they are new, send them back. You shouldn't have to keep something that doesn't work!

[Stephenstargazer]

Congratulations @JeremyS

My 15X50 IS are just more of the same thing. Would never have bought them, but for along service award - 20yrs ago. No end caps, no problems at all. Work fine with rechargeables and my case has room for spate batteries. No regrets and many holidays later but ..........

🗯Warning 🗯 I turned them from wildfowl to the sky, and now have four telescopes.

Collimation should be perfect, definite fault. However the extra stabilising element adds a little CA, compared to good static binoculars. The IS advantage is still overwhelming. I have managed M33, let alone the Southern sky.

PS Canon have stuck with the Vari Prism system, but the latest type III are no doubt better in some way. Even my old ones are capable of panning very smoothly. Check this on other IS systems. When the batteries weaken mine just turn off the IS - still useable. 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Stephenstargazer

[HollyHound]

Thanks to all for the information and positive affirmation regarding the suitability of Canon IS binoculars for astronomy 👍

I’ve just ordered a pair of the 15x50, to add my arsenal 😀

Will be interesting to see how they compare with my Lunt 16x70, which I use mounted on a Neweer job camera crane🤞

[Mr Spock]

Revisiting this and my 'tacky' rubber problem. Apparently this quite common and can be fixed - I'll let you know how I get on...

I am still tempted by the 15x50s though 😋

[Mr Spock]

It works - rubbing alcohol. It takes the tacky rubber off and leaves a shiny surface. A lot of hard work though. I'll continue tomorrow. I'm not sure they look as good without the matt finish, but at least now they wont leave black marks on my clothes.

[F15Rules]

Have you got an "after cleaning" photo to compare with the "before" one you posted above, that you can share please?🙂

I have an old pair of 20mm Carton mini bins with the same issue..

Dave

[Mr Spock]

I’ll grab a pic later. It does take it back to the plastic body. Not a problem for me as long as they are useable. 

[F15Rules]

Thanks Michael..no problem for me either, as these particular bins live in my car for "just in case" nature spotting etc: they're mainly plastic body anyway, but some rubber trim such as on the focussing wheel has this stickiness, and it makes them almost unpleasant to the touch, quite "gooey" almost..worse in hot weather..

Dave

[Mr Spock]

Not finished yet, still a lot to do. But already you can see the difference between the clean looking plastic and the grubby, tacky rubber.

When they are done they are going to look fine.

[PeterW]

Have to take a pic of mine… lots of ipa wipes and elbow grease… cleaned most the coating off. I do wonder if I should “reclothe” it, but not got round to it yetZ

Peter

[IB20]

How are you finding these @JeremyS? 

The recent conditions have got me hankering for some IS bins, think they’d be perfect with winter approaching and the jet stream loving sitting above my house. 
Are they enough in terms of mag and fov? I’d primarily want them for clusters, asterisms and starfields, throw in some Galilean moon dances and ice giant spotting too.

 

[pinballwiz]

The Canon 15x50's IS are one of my favorite astronomy purchases ever. I live in Bortle 7 skies and the 15x magnification really darkens the sky. The image stabilization gets rid of the jitters you would get from using such high magnification in a handheld pair of binoculars. The image quality exceeds my mid-range non IS binoculars such as the Celestron Trailseeker ED, and the Meade MasterClass Pro ED.

[ocharms]

I own a 12x36 IS III since August and I’m still happy with it. I found This case for it (which is good but too expensive).

What you don’t read often in reviews is that the amount of movement you still notice depends on your own stability. I didn’t experience ‘rock steady’ images while standing, but when I sat down in a chair with arm support….there it was: everything you dreamed of before buying these binoculars. This subject was recently discussed in the Actual Astronomy Podcast as well 

[JeremyS]

On 16/10/2023 at 15:15, IB20 said:

How are you finding these @JeremyS? 

The recent conditions have got me hankering for some IS bins, think they’d be perfect with winter approaching and the jet stream loving sitting above my house. 
Are they enough in terms of mag and fov? I’d primarily want them for clusters, asterisms and starfields, throw in some Galilean moon dances and ice giant spotting too.

 

Sorry, I only just spotted this.

Yes I’m still enjoying the IS binos. I ve taken them overseas with me a few times and had some great views. I’ve particularly enjoyed them on the summer Milky Way when in Greece.

 

[Jim Smith]

I have a pair of Mk IIs which have now gone sticky so I might try the alcohol rub. The other problem I have is that the eyepieces fog up as soon as I raise them to my eyes. (My 8x40 Olympus binoculars do not.) Has anybody else had and hopefully, cured this problem?

Jim

[powerlord]

On 09/08/2022 at 20:29, Alan White said:

I often ponder about IS binoculars, but the cost is always too rich for me.

Having looked at this particular model, perhaps, just perhaps I might be tempted.

Thanks for the post though Jeremy as very much food for thought and very apt as on holiday with Binos in Pembrokeshire at the minute.

 

Keep yer eye out on ebay. I got my set off there for just over 200 quid. Even my parents were impressed..and that is a rare thing indeed with technology.

[PeterW]

On 30/10/2023 at 08:43, Jim Smith said:

I have a pair of Mk IIs which have now gone sticky so I might try the alcohol rub. The other problem I have is that the eyepieces fog up as soon as I raise them to my eyes. (My 8x40 Olympus binoculars do not.) Has anybody else had and hopefully, cured this problem?

Jim

Zeiss antifor might help the latter issue, the former can be removed with a moderate bottle of elbow grease and a box of isopropyl alcohol wipes….. rub, rub, rub and you’ll get the sticky patches off. I’ve got a sticky-free “half naked” 12x, undecided if I should recover it with some grip tape or other coating?

 

peter

[IB20]

Been having a play with the new 12x36iii. They really are great. Roger Vine’s review has been absolutely spot on so far. A fair amount of CA in bright white conditions but in bluer skies this is reduced significantly.

Read a lot about the eyecups and some owners not quite happy with them but they obviously suit my face and I quite like them. Almost like I’m shoving my face in a bit more which I prefer with bins. I seem to get more kidney beaning with longer eye relief bins than the 15mm of the Canons.

Hand holding is very comfortable and I could hold them a fair old amount of time without any issues, nice feel in the hand too.

The accessories are a bit meh and getting the straps could be a krypton factor challenge; luckily Roger’s tip with the tweezers worked! A great tip from @JeremyS on the Opticron objective covers, they fit like a glove and provide much more peace of mind.

To the business end then and the magic button. Just wow, I tried to imagine when reading many a review what the IS would manifest itself like. But it’s so much better than I imagined. The jumpiness is no more and replaced by the gentlest of sways. So much more detail is visible. I’ve never admired a pigeon for so long. It’s a real game changer and is going to become a very heavily used tool for our wretched astro climate. Holding the button continuously isn’t a problem either and the IS kicks in under a second.

Hopefully it stays clear tonight and I can get a shot at the stars. 

[JeremyS]

You can also use them to observe sunspots. I made filters using another pair of objective covers and Baader solar film

[IB20]

2 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

You can also use them to observe sunspots. I made filters using another pair of objective covers and Baader solar film

What a brilliant idea! I have some Baader solar film going spare too. 👍🏻

[Stu]

34 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

You can also use them to observe sunspots. I made filters using another pair of objective covers and Baader solar film

Is there a thread in front of the objectives on these ones Jeremy? I found some screw in filters for my 15x50IS which work really well. 

[Mr Spock]

I have mine to hand (useful for finding things in my heavy LP) and there's no threads anywhere.

[JeremyS]

9 minutes ago, Stu said:

Is there a thread in front of the objectives on these ones Jeremy? I found some screw in filters for my 15x50IS which work really well. 

No threads, Stu.

[Stu]

1 minute ago, JeremyS said:

No threads, Stu.

That’s a shame, but your solution seems good 👍 

[IB20]

The IS is easily adding a mag of capture. It’s remarkable. Albireo seen with clear colour definition. Omicron Cygnus triple easily observable, compared to the non IS 8x42s which I only saw the faint tertiary companion momentarily. So many faint satellites and could even clearly see lit passenger windows in an overhead plane.

These are awesome. 👏🏼

Edited 21 hours ago by IB20