Canon 8x25 Image Stabilization Binoculars w/Case and Neck Strap

What they are: as it says, the lightest and least expensive IS binoculars on the market (right now). The optics themselves are only merely very good, but - HAND HELD - with the IS activated, they allow me to read fine print about 20% closer than with my Leica 8x32 Ultras. On a rest, the Leicas are superior. It's the elimination of the jiggles - the 8x25 Canons don't give an image that's as bright and contrasty as those high dollar Leicas, but the steadier image more than makes up for that.

What they aren't: waterproof or armored. So have a care if you use them in conditions of rain or dust. They're much more complicated than simple binocs, with electric circuits inside, and the matter of reliability does come into consideration - but in the first year, they've survived life in the tote bag ,bouncing along dirt roads without a hiccup. Two more things: besides armoring and ruggedizing, Canon had to compromise _somewhere_ to make them this small. So, while the IS deals well with rapid human shaking. it doesn't seem to correct at all for slow motions. I imagine the engineers were forcd to leave off the sensors for slow motions, to fit everything else in. And, they use CR123 batteries, more expensive and harder to find in a pinch than AA batteries. Of course, if the batteries run dead, all your are left with is a functional set of very good, if a bit bulky, 8x25 binocs. What Canon has created is $300 binoculars that - hand held, with the IS active - outperform my high dollar Leica 8x32 Ultras. And, I imagine, the Nikon SE's, too. No kidding.