The Canon USA store is having a sale on refurbished IS binoculars along with the usual cameras and lenses.
Canon's IS binoculars aren't the best optically, though they do compete well at their price point. However, the image stabilization can really help out people that can't comfortably use binoculars due to hand steadiness which can sometimes lead to eye strain or headaches. They're also great if you want higher power binoculars and don't want to use a tripod.
I use Leica Ultravid 8×42 for a lot of things, this level of binocular is great when the light isn't the best. I also have the Canon 15-50 IS when I want to get closer or want to spend more time just observing,
Purchase Options
- Canon 8 x 20 IS $349 (Reg $499)
- Canon 10 x 20 IS $399 (Reg $549)
- Canon 10 x 32 IS $799 (Reg $949)
- Canon 12 x 32 IS $849 (Reg $999)
- Canon 14 x 32 IS $899 (Reg $1199)
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Of the 1000's of birdwatchers I have personally seen carrying binoculars, I have never come across one with a Canon IS pair. But, birdwatchers rarely go above 8-10x, where steadiness is not a problem in practice. The Canons are not expensive for what they are compared with the prices people pay for Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski.
Optically, they’re decent. My much newer 10x42L binos are optically very good.