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Canon 8x25 Image Stabilization Binoculars w/Case and Neck Strap | 
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| Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
List Price: $410.00
Buy New: $250.39
as of 9/9/2010 04:46:15 EDT details
You Save: $159.61 (39%)
New (20)
Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 24665
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.7
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.6 x 3.2
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 7562A002
Model: CN8X25IS
UPC: 013803010572
EAN: 0013803010572
ASIN: B000063YA5
Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days
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| Features:
| • | 8x magnification with wide field of view | | • | Optical image stabilization system | | • | Multicoated for contrast, clarity, and color fidelity | | • | Doublet field flattener lens | | • | Rounded design for holding comfort |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
World's Smallest Image Stabilizer Compact 8x BinocularsExtremely compact and lightweight, the 8x25 IS introduces a new kind of Image Stabilization to the most popular size of binoculars. World's smallest & lightest IS Binoculars.High efficiency Tilt-System Image Stabilizer system.Ergonomically designed for better comfort and easier usage.High quality all glass Canon optics with Super Spectra Coating for excellent sharpness and contrast.Environmentally friendly lead-free glass.
Amazon.com Product Description
Whether you are sitting in the nosebleed seats of a stadium or an opera house, with Canon's 8 x 25 IS binoculars you'll get an outstanding close-up view of the action. The binoculars are designed to fit perfectly in your hands and have a rubber coating for nonslip grip and protection from damage. The focus dial is center-mounted and the image stabilizer controls are easily accessible from either hand. Canon's optical image stabilization technology eliminates shake and reduces curvature of field. The image stabilizer operates with a CR123A Lithium battery. The lenses are coated with Super Spectra multicoating that improves image quality by maximizing contrast and minimizing color smear. Image Stabilization and More
 With any high magnification binoculars, most users will experience frustrating image shake. Unless fixed to a tripod, image shake can render high magnification binoculars useless. Canon's IS technology is remarkably effective at eliminating this problem and is widely used by the television industry with Canon's professional broadcast quality video recording equipment. A special VAP (Vari-Angle Prism) corrective IS system sits between the objective lens group and the porro prism on each side of the binoculars. Within thousandths of a second of the binoculars being moved from their optical axis by vibrations, a detection system activates the IS mechanism. The VAP shape alters to refract or 'bend' the light path by precisely the right amount, thus fully compensating for the vibration. It is this essentially immediate response that effectively suppresses image shake. Super Spectra Coating
A number of optical factors affect the brightness of an image, including the amount of incidental light that is reflected by the lens. An uncoated lens will refelect away as much as 8% of the incidentail light, significantly dimming the image. Canon's Super Spectra Coating prevents that reflection. What do the numbers mean?
15x50? 8x25? The two numbers used to describe any pair of binoculars are their magnification — 8x, 12x, 15x and so on — and the diameter of their objective lenses — 25mm, 36mm, 50mm, and so on. The larger the first number is, the larger the object will appear to be in the objective lens. For instance, if you use a 10x lens and look at an object that is 100 yards away, it appears to be the same size as an object located just 10 yards away. The second number, the size of the objective lens, is important because the larger the objective lens, the more light it can admit for brighter, more detailed images, and the better suited they will be for lowlight situations. A look inside
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 Great Image Stabilizer; Mediocre Optics and Mechanics August 21, 2010
smgsmc
I recently bought two new pairs of binoculars from Amazon: (1) Pentax Papilio 6.5 X 21 and (2) Canon 8 X 25 IS. I have a separate review on the Papilio, which I rate at 5 stars. I give a few comparisons in this review on the Canon because both units share a common limitation that requires design workarounds. Pentax got it right, Canon didn't. Note that the Papilio has no image stabilization and is relatively inexpensive (~$95).
First the good news about the Canon. The image stabilizer works great. I have a tremor which makes it difficult for me to use binoculars at 8X and up. One push of the on button, and the image locks in place. There is no noticeable delay for initial lock-in and no noticeable delay when changing view. That's what you get for the extra ~$160 over the Papilio. Image stabilizer performance is solid.
As other reviewers have noted, two negs for the image stabilizer. (1) It uses a CR 123 lithium battery instead of more common and lower cost AA batteries (which are used in the more expensive Canon IS models). (2) The on/off button is momentary on. Press and hold down to operate the image stabilizer. I bought these for a concert. Holding it down with a single finger for more than 5 min gets tiring. I needed to lock one finger on top of another for extended viewing; gets annoying in the course of an hour. A bit tricky getting the fingers positioned right to hold the button down while focussing. A full on/off switch would be great for extended viewing. On the plus side, the button is slightly recessed. It won't accidently turn on if you lay the unit down on a table with the button on the bottom.
In all other respects, optically and mechanically, the Papilio is superior.
I. Optical
The Pentax has good optical quality edge-to-edge. Flat field, no noticeable vignetting or color fringes. Edges of lenses smoothly ground. Internal surfaces of lens barrel properly dulled, no stray reflections.
The Canon is disappointing. Flat field, no noticeable color fringes but noticeable vignetting around the edges of the field. The internal surfaces of the lens barrel are shiny. Stray reflections are noticeable; mainly when viewing against the sky. Edges of lenses have minute chips; mainly noticeable when viewing against the sky. In optics in this price range, I would the expect the edges of the lenses to be smoothly ground and blackened, and internal surfaces of the lens barrel to be properly dulled.
II. Mechanical
(A) Shape
Pentax has a comfortable ergonomic shape. Rubber coating gives the right amount of grip, no goopy or tacky feel like some other rubber coatings. Canon is poorly shaped and uncomfortable to hold. Hard plastic body and smooth surface leads to a slippery grip when held with sweaty hands.
(B) Interpupillary Adjustment
In most binocular designs, there are separate right and left barrels joined together with a center hinge (like a door hinge). Each barrel houses an objective lens and an eyepiece. Interpupillary adjustment (distance between left and right eyes) is performed by flexing the two barrels about the center hinge.
In both the Pentax and the Canon, the objective lenses are held in a fixed housing to accommodate their special features (close focus for the Pentax and image stabilization for the Canon). Consequently, there is no center hinge. The eyepieces pivot about the fixed housing. You need to pivot both eyepieces in unison. In the Pentax, the eyepieces are ergonomically shaped and the pivots are smooth, with just the right amount of friction to hold the final position. In contrast, the eyepieces in the Canon are awkwardly shaped and the pivots are stiff; you need to wrestle them into position.
(C) Focus
Both units have a center focus. The focus knob on the Pentax turns much smoother than the one on the Canon.
(D) Eyecups
The Pentax has helically mounted eyecups. You adjust the height by twisting them. There are click stops (three positions). The Canon has the el-cheapo roll-up/roll-down rubber eyecups.
(E) Lens Covers
Neither the Pentax nor the Canon have covers for the objective lenses. The Pentax has a two eyepiece covers held together by a plastic strap. There is a plastic loop so you can tie them to the neckstrap. The Canon has individual eyepiece covers (no loops), easy to lose. You need to unroll the eyecups to put on the eyepiece covers. So if you normally wear glasses and use the eyecups in the rolled down position, you need to unroll them to put on the eyepiece covers.
Summary: Canon has a great image stabilizer. To maintain a low price point, they compromised on the optical and mechanical design. The Pentax, however, shows that, given the limitation of a fixed objective lens housing, proper optical and mechanical design is feasible at a low price point. If Canon could combine the Pentax design with its image stabilizer at a price point of ~$250, they would have a #1 hit.
Note that the touted list price of $410 is well above that listed on the Canon website (just under $300).
 good binos March 23, 2010
FortWorthHoosier (Fort Worth, TX)
I use them at work regularly and I am very pleased. The IS feature is nice. I have several Canon products and they have all been good. The only negative is that they are a bit pricey.
Great Product - I wish I'd gone for the 10x30 February 8, 2010
k8 (Arkansas, USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great little set of binoculars. I wish I'd gone for the 10x30, but I could not resist the value of the 8x25's. You might want to look for an alternate case.
Better than anticipated January 13, 2010
K. anderson (Kent, CT USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found these glasses to be remarkable for the size and price. Having purchased the first stabilizing binoculars manufactured two years ago, I was not expecting that the smaller size and weight would translate into better quality. I am very pleased with the product. My former purchase was Bushnell and very heavy.
The resolution is the same, the price is better and these weigh less. I use these for spotting deer at 200 yards and birds at 50 yards. I am not a hunter, but the weight definitely allows for easy carrying through the woods.
So impressed, I bought these for my father and father-in-law for Christmas.
 Great companion for African Safaris November 28, 2009
Jose E. Hernandez (Virginia)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Compact and lightweigh IS binocular that delivers sharp clear images. Although not waterproof and of plactic construction, it stands well to harsh environments. Uses expensive and not easily available battery with mediocre life span.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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