Whether you like to watch whales, birds or sport, a pair of binoculars is a great accessory.
However, they do have disadvantages. Most binoculars are not light and the
longer you use them, the more tired you become.
And the more tired you become, the harder it is to hold them
steady and this problem is worse if you are using magnification of x10 or
more.
The only practical solution to these related problems
is to use a tripod. This relieves the strain on your arms and holds the
binoculars absolutely steady but most people would find a tripod just another
piece of gear that they don't want to carry.
Canon's solution to the problem is to produce binoculars with
inbuilt image stabilisation. They compensate for the inevitable "shakes" you get
when using binoculars and they are much more pleasant to use.
We reviewed two of the Canon range: the 15x50IS model which has
50mm objective lenses and x15 magnification and the 10x30IS which has 30mm
lenses and x10 magnification.
Cutting straight to the chase, the x15 model is the one of most
interest, since that degree of magnification is almost impossible to use without
having a tripod. In fact, unless you are experienced in using binoculars, it is
difficult to imagine how difficult such a seemingly modest degree of
magnification is.
