Canon 10x42 Is Binoculars

Sometimes you buy something that just makes you happy you did and that’s the feeling I get with this wonderful pair of binoculars.Background: Last year, upon returning from our annual trek to the Big Island of Hawaii, I set to the task of choosing a travel scope for future or like trips requiring air travel. Our normal stay is anywhere between 4-6 weeks and day hiking and short backpacking trips are always involved...Waimanu Valley and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park offer wonderful opportunities to explore and get away from it all so to speak, and the coastline off Chain of Craters Road offer near Bortle 1 skies now that Kilauea has gone dormant. A Patagonia travel bag carries our day hiking and my backpacking gear, and we can usually get by with one other check ... MoreSometimes you buy something that just makes you happy you did and that’s the feeling I get with this wonderful pair of binoculars.Background: Last year, upon returning from our annual trek to the Big Island of Hawaii, I set to the task of choosing a travel scope for future or like trips requiring air travel. Our normal stay is anywhere between 4-6 weeks and day hiking and short backpacking trips are always involved...Waimanu Valley and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park offer wonderful opportunities to explore and get away from it all so to speak, and the coastline off Chain of Craters Road offer near Bortle 1 skies now that Kilauea has gone dormant. A Patagonia travel bag carries our day hiking and my backpacking gear, and we can usually get by with one other check bag and two carry-ons. I usually pack my camera gear into my carry-on.In 2017 I bought the Nikon 10x42 Prostaffs for multi-use (birding, hiking, backpacking, etc) but last year when doing some observing off Chain of Craters Rd and a couple other sites I didn’t have a chair with me, it was just to shaky which prompted the idea of a travel scope. I even posted here on CN to get some ideas, but soon understood I’d need another checked bag for scope gear and that just wasn’t going to happen. So, I turned full attention to what was available in the IS binocular world and the Canon 10x42s jumped off the screen at me. Two things in particular, the L UD glass and the word “waterproof,” grabbed my attention. I own several Canon L Series camera lenses and am extremely happy with them so why not in binoculars.I ordered the binoculars from B&H, pinch end caps, a set of lens hoods, and a set of UV filters. I also ordered a vortex chest harness I haven’t used yet. Everything arrived safe and sound just in time for winter to set in. Family and personal business, the VID stuff, and life with my new Teeter dob kept me from first lighting the Canon bins. Enter comet NEOWISE and my next-door neighbor and his oldest son. This young man and his dad are science enthusiasts and I’ve been given permission to use all my powers of nerd to influence his two oldest boys, ages 4 & 6, as much as possible so “How about a look at the comet?” I asked. Dad didn’t have a pair, so I offered the use of my Nikons. Their size and light weight were perfect for father and son…son because of his yet small stature and dad cuz he had their 6 month-old Golden Retriever tethered to one arm. I finally grabbed the Canons and we met outside the main entrance of the subdivision which offers a great view to the north and east to west horizon. While we waited for the sunset glow to darken enough for the comet to appear, we spent time on Saturn and Jupiter.From this point, the commentary will now focus on my experience with the IS bins. As I focused on Jupiter the first thing that impressed me was the clarity of the planet against the late evening sky, and when I engaged the IS, it and the Galilean moons, like diamonds, pulled together as if in a picture. The IS works and at that moment, I became a true believer in these bins. Next, Saturn that looked like an elongated blob in my Nikons, appeared to be a planet w/rings. Although there was no line of delineation between the planet and its rings, the “blob” effect was gone, and you could definitely differentiate between the two. I will be spending more time on Saturn as it climbs in the evening sky as I would like to see if I can coax out the Cassini division through better skies. The Canons offered better contrast over the Nikons and it showed on NEOWISE. The comet was beautiful to observe with it’s bright bluish-green (to my eyes at least) coma and feathery long tail.We packed up and came home and I headed to my backyard to take a look at the Milky Way, which was then near Zenith and following the Meridian. I began at the Teapot spout and worked my way up towards Zenith. I could make out the following: M22, M8, M17, M24, the Coat Hanger, and was able to split the Double Double which was a real pleasure in bins. Since that night, I’ve been out with them again to observe the comet and am looking forward to a first dedicated night of astronomy with them.As for ergonomics, fit and finish, and odds and ends…these are weighty beasties and although they will find their place on day hikes, they will not be in my backpack. That will be reserved for the Nikons. With that said, they are not much larger in size than the Nikons and the weight works to my advantage in stabilizing them in my hands. I have small hands and the Canons nest perfectly without having to overly grip as I find myself sometimes doing with the Nikons. The finish is nice and the longevity of the grippy material used will only tell over time. Keeping them clean and stored properly should extend the lifetime. The IS button is in a perfect location for my righthand index finger. As some have said in reviews, these are not “intuitive” binoculars. The eye distance adjustment is not with the body but with the eyepieces themselves and I don't have an issue with the twist up eyecups so many people seem to have. But as with other upgrade items which perform to reach the same objective, there is a learning curve that is not oppressive. In farming parlance, it’s like moving up from a shovel to turn the soil in your garden to using a rototiller for same purpose…a learning/practice time period and adjustment to use to provide the same outcome.The case they came in is nice but not designed to expand with accessories. I have a small camera cast that will fill that need and I can store the bins w/original case inside this one. The Canon case is also designed for belt carry and there are loops for a shoulder strap although a dedicated strap is not included. The neck strap is standard issue Canon but seems to be a bit shorter than those provided with their cameras. The lens caps may have well been left at the factory. I bought a pair of pinch-on to replace them. As for the eyepiece caps, I may or may not use them as they will store in the orignal case which will store inside a padded soft case.Final thoughts…these are not your daddy’s binoculars but boy would he like em! For me, cost was irrelevant and compared to some “higher end” ones I feel these were a bargain. I had a need (albeit a first world one!): multi-use (birding, astronomy, and landscape observing), stable platform, fit for travel (had to fit in my carry-on with camera gear), hiking, and backpacking. Canon has merged their tried and true L UD camera lens technology with their well tested tried and true IS binocular line to make the 10x42 IS L bins a perfect fit for me. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read.Oh, and did I mention they are waterproof and have been great in the daylight for backyard birding?Thank you B&H for the great service!

I have only had my 10x42 L IS binocular for about 3 months and have not experienced any issues with the battery compartment or external rubber coating. The IS function snaps the view stable as soon as the top button is pressed. 1 click and the image is stabilized for 5 minutes. Very cool in comparison to requiring holding the button down as on my 12x36 IS bino.

The optics, build quality, and image stabilization add up to a very nice high-quality product. My wife and I both find them easy to use and there are no problems with their body style or weight. They really aren't heavy at all and neither of us are weight lifters. You can read the accolades from many other reviewers so I will state the things I don't like about them.Why Canon chose to leave the objective lenses so exposed to inadvertent contact with things AND with insufficient shielding from unwanted light is beyond me. Worse yet, the supplied lens cover for the objective lenses doesn't stay put in normal handling. This can be remedied with the purchase of appropriate lens hoods and caps but then the binoculars won't fit into the supplied carrying case. I don't ... MoreThe optics, build quality, and image stabilization add up to a very nice high-quality product. My wife and I both find them easy to use and there are no problems with their body style or weight. They really aren't heavy at all and neither of us are weight lifters. You can read the accolades from many other reviewers so I will state the things I don't like about them.Why Canon chose to leave the objective lenses so exposed to inadvertent contact with things AND with insufficient shielding from unwanted light is beyond me. Worse yet, the supplied lens cover for the objective lenses doesn't stay put in normal handling. This can be remedied with the purchase of appropriate lens hoods and caps but then the binoculars won't fit into the supplied carrying case. I don't understand how the same company that makes such a nice instrument then misses the boat entirely with a sad lack of attention to something so simple and basic. You don't need to be an optical engineer to see the shortcomings of this design.I don't know if the rubberized coating will deteriorate as some have said theirs did. If that happens STILL then that's another stupid thing Canon missed their opportunity to correct. If the coating won't stand up over time get one that will or go some other way, maybe make a removable neoprene jacket that can be replaced if necessary. Since I don't know if this is still a problem maybe this point is moot, only time will tell.Battery life isn't a big deal and rechargeable Ni-Mh cells would be a fine way to power these if changing alkaline cells too often becomes an issue.I can't say I regret buying these, even with the aforementioned gripes. I guess what bothers me most is knowing how much better these could be with just a little more attention to simple things. Canon engineers did a great job with the optics, IS, and packaging but somehow nobody ever saw the obvious things that were missed.