Review on Canon 18x50 Image Stabilization All-Weather Binoculars: With Case, Neck Strap, and Batteries - Perfect for Outdoor Enthusiasts by Amber Gaiser

As an amateur astronomer, I have used my stabilized Canon 18X50 lenses for several years on two continents and in many dark sky locations and now I find them unsuitable for celestial observations. I start with the positive and then move on to my problems. If you use your binoculars for hunting, bird watching, boating, etc. my comments may not be relevant. The big advantage of Canon is that the stabilization works really well. My 18X50 binoculars are MUCH more stable than regular 7X or 10X handheld binoculars, although not as stable as binoculars on a tripod. If you've ever used monopod-mounted binoculars, you can expect this level of stabilization — the canons absorb most of the rapid handshake, but do little with breath-induced directional errors, says the pilot. "induced vibrations" and muscle fatigue (they're significantly heavier than regular 50mm binoculars and your hands FEEL it). Also, unlike other reviewers, I had no trouble adjusting focus, and the binoculars seem to hold focus well from use to use. The rubber armor held up well too, without the stickiness that others have reported (note that I don't typically use sunscreen or bug spray before tackling binoculars). But here's my biggest problem, and it bothers me: Liquid-filled variable prisms bubble at altitude, rendering binoculars unusable. If you've tried using a liquid-filled compass at altitude, you've probably encountered a similar problem - the vapor pressure of gases dissolved in liquids is higher than atmospheric pressure, which prevents them from escaping solution, so blisters form. Although Canon mentions that such bubbles will likely dissipate as you return to lower altitudes, I live at 7000ft in New Mexico and my dear Canons are permanently off. Since most amateur astronomers eventually get to the top, as a skywatcher you should consider other options. Another issue that limits their use for stars and nebulae is that wedge prisms introduce chromatic aberration as soon as you turn on stabilization. With stabilization off, image quality is pretty good, although not on par with many other $1,000 binoculars that have less glass between the eye and the sky. When stabilization is enabled, color banding greatly affects the image. Please note that this is not a matter of setting, but a property of using wedge-shaped prisms of the stabilization system. The third issue that bothered me initially was the tendency of the stabilized image to wobble a bit between 1/2 and 1Hz, causing a bit of dizziness, although I did get used to it over time.