Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Image stabilized binoculars

Just wondering if anyone had experience with these?
They are large and bulky and require batteries but I really wonder why many binocular makers have not offered up something...except for Cannon and Swaro.
It sure works we with SLR camera lenses.Curious.

good question I'm wondering the same thing I only came up with maybe weight ?

Apparently the major problem is indeed weight, due to adding the stabilizing stuff. Some makers try to reduce weight by using smaller objective lenses--we have a Nikon StabilEyes 16x32 binocular, and in decent light it's very effective. But the objectives are so small the exit pupil is only 2mm in diameter, so the view gets pretty dim early and late.

As a wildlife biologist In southwest Louisiana, my son had some stabilized binos that he used on boats, airboats, etc. I don’t remember the brand. They worked well but were not real bright as Mule Deer mentions.

Wifey uses an IS binoc from Fuji when we're aboard our boat. It's Fuji's compact 12x28 model, the only one she was comfortable with because of the weight. This one stabilizes +/- 3° where their larger 14x models will do +/- 5°. The Canon models mostly seemed to stabilize +/- 1° when last I looked, but that was quite some time ago. Anyway, except for the Fuji IS compacts, everything else is heavy. I wouldn't use them for hunting, unless it was for long-distance glassing from a tripod... and in that case, the tripod would likely address the stabilization issue well enough anyway. I don't carry my "boat" 7x50s when hunting either; ditto too heavy.

Then there are issues with IS eye relief (not so great for eyeglasses wearers).

-Chris

I owned a Canon IS 10x for over 10 years. Bought them mainly for using on a boat. The IS functions helps. But the overall quality of the glass is so so.

I don't think they all require Batteries ( IIRC) . Many years ago I attended a Sportsmens Festival and was able to look thru a Zeiss 20X Bino. ( maybe 20X70 ? ) . The Optical Quality was amazing and I was able to hand hold these which was even more amazing to me ...... even though they were very heavy . This was many decades ago and I think they were around $2K even then . My memory is a little foggy , but I seem to recall something about Gyroscopic / Mechanical Balance Stability . I have looked for a used pair of these for years , but only ran into one pair . The seller seemed to be very vague about my Questions , so I passed . Finding someone to repair these would be very difficult IMO . I have a Canon Stabilized and they do work . I agree with Snowwolfe about the Optics , but the Stability compensates for some of that .

Here you go ....Comerade : just Search Zeiss Image Stabilized as I just did . They are 20X60 Mechanically Stabilized , and still being manufactured . How times change : Hope you have Deep Pockets .......they are now $8999.99 .......such a bargain !