AllBinos.com

Cons: Of course - the lens caps... I would like to meet the designer of these one day and look at his face. It\'s simply amazing how such a small thing can ruin such a great product ! And because of the body and design of the binoculars there isn\'t many alternatives to replace them. Either you have to use some custom screw-in adapters with caps like on photo lenses or figure some exotic alternative ways. Second is the diopter adjustment. While I\'m already used to it, it absolutely drives mad other experienced viewers around me. Always plays up and down, twists together with right eyecup, etc.

Pros: STAB ! Yes, this is the single killer feature of this amazing binoculars. While for the most of people 10x does not require image stabilization yet, it\'s definitely not me. Everything is just so much detailed and comfortable to use for a long period of time when the magic button is pressed, be it birds or stars at night sky. Talking about astronomy, it\'s easy to screw 2\" astronomical filters on it (UHC, O-III or H-Beta) using custom 52mm to 48mm rings and use Canon 10x42 L IS WP for serious wide-field nebulae instrument ! While image stabilization is the main feature of this binoculars, the optics is not bad (very good in fact !) either: double ED glass, 6.5 dgr. field of view, 16mm eye relief, waterproof design, etc. With a good pair of AA lithium batteries the life of the IS is quite long, and I\'ve tested it all the way from -25C to +40C. Optically chromatic aberration is almost non-visible, glare (veil) control is very good, there\'s no annoying distortion or coma, astigmatism and other aberrations are maybe present at the very edge of the field and in general the field of view is quite flat. Really, optically it can complete very well with many binoculars in it\'s price range (up to 1500$). Certainly not Alpha binoculars class, but very good indeed.

Summary: I also have Zeiss and Swarovski alpha binoculars, but Canon 10x42 L IS WP beats them hands down any time of the day for one single reason: image stabilization. There\'s simply so much more you can see with that magical button pressed and \"click\" sound ! And your life will never be the same anymore, your finger will always look for that magical button on any other binoculars...

Cons: If you have a narrow IPD and big nose the large eyecups my be problematic. They are however removable as are the sliding plastic sleeves. The barrels underneath are 40mm diameter and can take rubber eyecups of your choice. Introduced in Japan in March 2005 so quite an old IS design. It uses parallel optical flats moving in bellows fashion rather than an optical element moving up and down. Typical of Canon L lenses the image is slightly warm and optimized for skin tones and pop. This is a matter of personal taste though. Not tested by Allbinos !

Pros: The objectives are well protected by the front optical flats. The binoculars have 52mm front threads useful for lens hoods and fitting proper pinch-fit Canon lens caps. Smooth focus. Field flattener doublet (1 of which is ultra low dispersion glass) means a flat plane of focus right to the edges. Excellent for viewing stars. Good resolution at circa 4.7 arc seconds (something Allbinos should introduce to testing procedure ) No rolling globe effect due to moderate levels of pincushion distortion dialed in. Noticeable 3D image quality Low CA due to the Porro II design and 1 ultra low dispersion element in the objectives. Other aberrations seem low and veiling glare control good. The optical performance seems better than my 2015 Leica Trinovid 10x42 which alas Allbinos haven\'t tested. Extra sealing means the bino is waterproof to JIS level 7

Summary: Unless you are using support these binoculars reveal more detail than any other 10x42 with the IS engaged.

Cons: Lens caps of poor design Objective lens left somewhat vulnerable due to lack of recess IS tends to become slightly less effective itself after panning and improvement is noticeable after switching it off and back on again.

Pros: Sublime optical properties: excellent light transmission, sharpness, contrast, colour, very flat field. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled and absent with IS turned off. When IS is turned on, slightly noticeable IS works really well

Summary: An excellent pair of binos, definitely underrated. At least on par with the very best binoculars on the market. I would rate it over my Leica Geovid 8x42.