Very long I searched for a matching optical companion. I looked at Steiner and Optloyth even Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss and Docter came into question. At first I was looking for a special rucksack compatible binoculars, but with sufficient optical reserves. I am very capable of suffering, when it comes to carry photographic or optical equipment, landing already at Steiner Sky Hawk Pro 10x42 as pocket binoculars. In my estimation, an excellent glass in the price-performance ratio. The longer I looked, the more expensive and larger were the tested glasses. However, in all tests of these glasses my own heartbeat and the slight tremor me had just disturbed upon review. Photographically I work with image stabilized telephoto lenses and am always amazed at the performance of these lenses to make even from the hand-sharp images. Even with my astronomy passion I'm used to the heavy mounts a steady image through the telescope. But apparently there is indeed a solution. The Canon 15x50 IS is the heaviest 50 mm glass which I know (1200g without batteries!), The outer rubber is a matter of taste, I would have liked a slightly different material. However, it falls with this rubber difficult to let this glass fall from his hand ... it's almost as if it stick to the hands ... Unfortunately, dust and pollen remain like stick. Nevertheless, the external processing is worked spotless. The eyecups are a subject in itself, due to the hardness of the rubber, the eyecups can not the eye completely encircle and stray light is incident through the side. Ugly and unnecessary, here the product designers seem to have slept. In addition, you can see, after watching too enthusiastic, like a spectacled bear ... For optical quality ... I admit, I've already looked through better glasses, here the premium "Manufacturers are clearly better. A slight color fringing is unmistakable and thus definitely not a (good) Apo system. The brilliance and contrast out which are really very good. Also the field is down to the very edge, without any visible distortion. 15 x magnification is an enormous leap of 10-fold or even 8-fold, here opens up new perspectives with binoculars, a weighty for me plus when it comes to ornithological observations and a Orion Nebula looks better at 15x magnification also the image field is fortunately very big now for mE after biggest asset and the biggest weakness -... the Image Stabilizer The image stabilizer works perfectly !! A press on the well-located IS button and the image is! The perception of details increases enormously during a peaceful image, birds can be observed such as through a spotting scope and stars show no more tremors in the sky, this is for me an unbeatable advantage. I discover birds in the bushes by their slight movements that have previously escaped me through my own dithering. However, there is one drawback, the image stabilizer in phases reduces the sharpness. If the BS is working, this is pumping something on the edge, not dramatically but an attentive Bobachter who perhaps would like to take the smallest details, this is actually annoying. Certainly there are other IS binoculars, but has been a minimum opening of 50mm important and a magnification beyond 10x - but since the market is tight, except this Canon (15x and 18x50 IS) and a Zeiss 20x60, which is priced in other spheres is, to my knowledge there is no competition.
Conclusion: In summary, it is a really great pair of binoculars with small drawbacks, which I would attach here the phased slight sharpness shift the IS as a critical point. There may also be due to serial dispersion, better glasses. Furthermore, other eyecups should be used. Thus, this binocular is a compromise, which I am, however, received. There are optically better glasses, but in the sum is for me this glass unrivaled well as the selection of such an image-stabilized binoculars, unfortunately, is very limited.
