Canon Binoculars 8 x 20 is

I am most pleased with this bino, of the five other excellent bino collection.I have Canon 10x30 IS, Pentax Papillio 6x, Vortex Diamond 8X, Nikon Monarch 8x42This Canon 10x20 IS trump them all. It equals Pentax Papillio for near viewing (down to 6 feet. Papillio allows me to see my toes, but this Canon 10x20 IS is a close second at 6 feet). It is the same is as good in image stabilizing as my bigger Canon 10x30, but it’s 5 minutes working button trumps 10x30 IS’s persistent pressing viewing button. It has lighter weight than my Vortex Diamond 8x32.All in all, when I compare them all at night, looking at fly by airport airplanes, Canon 10x20 IS comes on top. It is very light to carry around for hiking, it allows you to look at really close objects. Image stabilizing function works perfectly at night stars, no more dancing stars! That 5 minutes button is a great, great improvement over that of Canon 10x30 IS.

I bought these for use on safari. The image stabilization feature was invaluable. It wasn't good enough to prevent nausea when using the binoculars in a moving jeep, but once stopped, it removed enough of the shaking to allow me to use the binoculars comfortably. The only drawback was having to press and hold the button and the time limit on the feature's use. I know there was a way to keep the feature on without holding down the button, but the jeep bumped around too much for this to be practical. There really isn't much choice in brands at this price and strength. While I did not like the single lens covers destined to be lost immediately, the way the width had to be adjusted, the insecure strap or the cheap, non waterproof case, the actual clarity of the image was good.

I've developed a tremor making it hard for me to hold a normal pair of binos steady. The image stabilization is remarkably good here so I keep them handy - whenever traveling, hiking, or driving through the country. Mariners will also appreciate their ability to hold an image steady, even in a rocking boat.I also like that they are compact, and have a relatively short minimal focal length for aging eyes. The image is bright and clear.When Canon looses a star is accessories. Most bothersome to me is any attempt to provide lens covers that will stay put (the eyepiece covers are lose - unattached to each other or the straps) so extra care (or, I suppose, access to a 3D printer) is required to keep these good as new. Also, stabilization requires a CR123A lithium battery. The battery door is less than secure and has popped open on me, releasing the battery, while in use.Typical Canon. I have A LOT of their stuff and while their core products are very good, they always find a way to come up short.

Great clarity & magnification. Steady feature works fabulously.

I've had them a few days, and I'm very happy with them. The image stabilization is fantastic. The image is beautiful and sharp.The image stabilization makes it reasonable to get the more powerful 10x20 model.My wife uses them, and she has weak hands, so I avoided other models that required the button to be held down to keep in stabilized mode. On these Canon binocs, if you tap the button, it will stay in image-stabilized mode for 5 minutes or until you tap again. Or, if you hold the button down, it will just stay in the mode until you let go. A great design.One minor complaint is that there are no markings for when setting the distance between the eyes. A scale to quickly adjust to a known setting would be helpful if you share the binoculars with another person. I don't think it will be long before I make my own markings for this.

This 8x20 binocular us exceptional. It is lightweight. The image is bright and the image stabilization is outstanding. Unless I lean against a solid structure to anchor the binocular, the binocular shake is annoying. The image stabilization gets rid of that. We use this binocular for bird watching and take it on vacation for general use. We are pleased with our purchase.

I'm 70 and my ability to hold binoculars steady has degraded to the point I'm not using my fine Zeiss and Swarovski units. I got these Canon 8X20 to see if IS is the way to go. And yes, these have become my go to binos. Not perfect in any category but overall, very useful. I easily see more and gain more info than I do hand holding my other 8X and 10X.Battery life is great; I've only used one up in months of use. I dropped them to the concrete floor once with no injury. I thought at first that if these worked out, I might get another higher power model, but these have been so useful that I've not really thought more about it.For you astro types, it's amazing how much sky depth IS adds. To me these seem like 32mm regular binos, and certainly beat my Swar and Zeiss 25mm models. I've watched several SpaceX launches with them.I ponder the 10X version but the 2mm exit pupil seems too small - even daytime images will be a bit darker than with the 8X 2.5mm pupil.I deduct one star as the IS is not perfect. There is a low frequency "float", and as the motion compensation works you see a bit of aberration flaring that degrades the image at times.

All the positive reviews are correct. These 8X20 binoculars were equivalent to or slightly better than my daughters Nikon Monarch 8X42 binocs on a recent whale watching trip - with the added benefit of stability (which of course adds resolution).There are comments about the battery compartment. I don't share negativity on this part of the binocs. For those who had battery fall out - shame on your for not using the included Velcro which is there to hold the battery, and it holds it very well. The battery cover comes off fairly easily, but I haven't had it move at all during use.The size of the caps on the rear glass is posted on the caps themselves (39mm). One can order rain guards based on that measurement. I will be doing so myself.