The button on Canon’s image-stabilized binoculars

Why is there a button ? Why not just image stabilize at all times ?

I think perhaps it must be energetically expensive and therefore eats the batteries ?

If I am correct, then a follow-up that I didn't see answered in the OP: how long does the image stay stabilized after you press the button ? Can you turn it off or does it time out ?

Sure you can, that is actually a thing, though image quality isn't all that from what I heard and it's also not offered by the major brands (I think). Probably because it's really hard to make something high quality.

Toman is this guy:

> In May 2020, Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt, and spotter Dunadel Daryoush set the new cannonball record of 25 hours and 39 minutes in a modified 2016 Audi S6 disguised to look like a Ford Taurus police interceptor. Police-evasion modifications included brake light kill-switches, radar detectors, laser diffusers, CB-radio, and a roof-mounted thermal camera. Performance modifications included a trunk-mounted 67-gallon auxiliary fuel cell sourced from the car used in Toman and Tabbutt's 2019 cannonball run, modified turbochargers, an upgraded heat-exchanger, and custom ECU tuning that allowed for engine-mapping to be changed on-demand to suit either 91 or 93-octane fuel; allowing the car to generate an estimated 600 horsepower. The run achieved an overall average speed of 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) for the entire run, with average speeds upwards of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) across some states, and which at no time exceeded 175 miles per hour (282 km/h).

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Run_challenge

The doctor says something like "There should be one line in front of each eye, do You see a single straight line?"

I replied "Heck no... the line on this side is higher and pretty far to the left, the other is centered and much lower."

Now with glasses binoculars work as intended. I can also make out some icons on computer screens where before almost none made sense (and the same icons would appear different based on viewing angle). The glasses do wonders for movie and television viewing, too.

One caveat: the glasses have a very restrictive horizontal viewing angle.

No problems reading without glasses. Crazy.

Have an optometrist check for eye alignment next time.

The first number refers to the magnification (18x) and the second is the size (50mm) of each objective lens, or the lens pointed at the object you’re looking at. The larger the objective, the more light they can gather.

At night, your pupil is probably 6-7mm in diameter. The 50mm objective can gather much more light than your unassisted pupils! Those binoculars also weigh over a kilogram, so they’re best for short handheld sessions if you’re standing. If you’re sitting or lying down, you won’t tire as quickly.

They’re wonderful for looking at globular clusters and nebulae, as well as for viewing Saturn or Jupiter; the Galilean moons are easy to spot! For lunar viewing, the stereoscopic view actually feels almost 3D.

Keep in mind, though: most binoculars aren’t specifically designed for astronomical observation. You won’t be able to attach ND filters, polarizers, or emission filters. So your best bet is to use them from dark skies with good “seeing” where you can just lay back and enjoy the view as you scan around trying to do a Messier Marathon. :)

Edit: it does have a standard tripod screw on the bottom, so a monopod with an added trigger-ball grip can make extended observation sessions more comfortable. Many binoculars require a bracket to mount to a monopod/tripod, but image-stabilized binos aren’t hinged; their relatively flat bottom means that larger image-stabilized binos often have a tripod screw.

2nd edit: I tracked ISS across the sky (with the stabilization on) last year, and I could clearly make out its shape.

I also have zhumell 25x100 binoculars (which also get oemed under a number of other brand names). These are huge and must be used on a tripod.

The canon are easy and convenient to use. As a result they get used more often. That said, for astronomy the big binoculars are obviously better. E.g. A couple weeks ago I looked out the window with the 25x100 and the blue glow of the Orion nebula h-beta emission was quite obvious to me, but I couldn't really see it with the canon. Juipter's moons are always nicely visible on the big binocs but harder to see with the canon. On the astro binocs jupiter almost always gets a "wait! are those moons?!?".

But it's just not compatible in the sense that the canon gets used when the big ones often don't. You can just lay back in a lounge chair with the canon and gaze at the vastness of stars (which are much more visible through the 10x42 than the naked eyes). You're not going to do something like that with 25x100 binos except with some kind of cantilevered balanced mount that looks like a dentist tortured device. :) (laying back is advised: the canon is still kinda heavy even if nothing compared t the astro-monster)

I don't particularly enjoy eyepiece astronomy-- my interest w/ astronomy is in imaging via telescopes.

I have the astro binocs for the benefit of guests and I've found in general that guests don't have the intuition or patience to correctly focus them (and it's hard for me to do it for them because I'm -3 diaopter so if I focus for myself it'll be wrong, and even through my glasses I'm still at the wrong distance). This is a place where the canon beat out the astro binocs too, because the stabilization prevents shaking/blurring the frame when you adjust focus so it's much easier for an untrained person to get it right. Similarly, I find guests will actually manage to make the IPD adjustment on the canons while they tend to give up on the zhumell, as it takes a lot of force on those.

So I would say that if you're considering the canon stabilized binos for other reasons and wonder if they'd work for astro too: Absolutely. If you're looking for astro binocs though there are better results at a lower price possible if you're willing to put up with the tripod. Without a tripod I don't think you can beat the stabilized binocs.

> Perfect for observing birds, planes, double stars, nebulae, satellites, and planets. I can't resolve Saturn's ring, but Jupiter and its moons and the Hercules cluster are not to be missed.

IS zoom lenses for cameras are optimal for when you know about how I might want to see a particular object up close, mainly for just a couple of 1/100th of a second intervals, but mostly later on after you get home and use software on it and whatnot.

You just carry binoculars, and the image stabilization makes that experience immeasurably better. Good glass costs money, the cost of the image stabilization only tacks on a small amount compared to the rest of the cost of a pair of high quality binoculars.