Canon PowerShot SD800 IS 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Image-Stabilized Optical Zoom Review

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(More customer reviews)In my opinion, this camera is worthy of a 5 star rating, one of the few I've ever given.
My experience with cameras in this class started with a Canon S-100, which I upgraded later to a Canon S-400, both of which proved to be excellent for my on-the-go photography needs. My only criticism with this class of cameras was that they lacked two features I really wanted:
1. wide angle lens
2. image stabilization
I guess the Canon folks read my mind with the introduction of the SD-800, and after reading a number of positive technical reviews for the camera on the web, I purchased one as an upgrade for my beloved S-400. I was particularly suspicious regarding image stabilization, since my only prior experience with a camera using this technology had been disappointing (Canon S-1, a larger 10x zoom model).
As might be expected with the advances in memory technology, the SD-800 takes movies at a higher resolutioni (640x480) than the S-400 (320x240) and has a higher maximum pixel count (7.1 vs 4.0). It also uses the smaller SD memory cards as opposed to the bulkier CF cards for the S-400, and the lithium battery pack has a different form factor (which means you can't reuse stuff from an earlier model).
What I consider to be the 2 real upgrade features for this camera, the wide angle lens and the image stabilization, are what truly distinguishes it from its competition. I've had this camera for about a month now and can happily report it is a significant advance over the S-400. The image stabilization is a dream. With the S-400 I had to rely on bracing the camera in many circumstances where with the SD-800 I can count on sharp images just holding it out, composing, and taking the shot. In a recent work session where my group had accumulated a great deal of writing on a wide white board along the side of a narrow conference room, I was able to capture in a single, sharply focused shot the entire board, something the S-400 would have taken 2 shots to achieve followed by a photo stitch. There is some distortion at the outer edges, but I personally don't see this as a drawback given the advantages to getting the whole image (after all you can crop the picture if the rather small amount of distortion truly bothers you).
What else? Well, the camera is lighter and more comfortably contoured than the S-400. It does retain the view finder (thank heavens ... there are simply circumstances where this is the only reasonable way to compose a shot). A single door is used for both memory and battery (vs. 2 doors on the S-400). As others have reported, the door has a flimsy feel, but my first camera in this line (the S-100) had a similar door and I never broke it. Anyway, the USB-2 picture download pretty much eliminates needing to pop out memory cards to get a faster download speed via a card reader. I did invest in a 4Gb high speed SD card since maximum movie length is 4Gb at 640x480, 30 frames per second, or about 25 minutes worth of pretty darn good movie taking. My experience to date is that with this level of capability and convenience I doubt I will every use my cam corder again for family movies.
Out of the box I found the controls and interface to be easier and more intuitive than the S-400. I have all the capabilities I had with the S-400, plus some "gee-whiz" features I've had fun with but I doubt I will use routinely (e.g., color swap). I can also recommend Canon's leather case for this camera. It provides an extremely easy way to carry the camera on your belt (it uses a belt loop, which I think is far superior to a belt clip). I was initially put off by the magnetic flap used with this case, but now agree it's a superior design (their earller cases used Velcro).

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CANON 1270B001 7.1 MEGAPIXEL POWERSHOT(R) SD800 IS DIGITAL CAMERA 7.1 MEGAPIXEL digital elph with elegant stainless steel perpetual curve design; wide-angle 28mm105mm (35mm equivalent) ;3.8x optical zoom with optical image stabilizer technology for steady, long-zoom shooting;digit(r) iii image processor with face detection technology for superior image quality, fast operation & low-power consumption;2.5" large, lcd monitor with wide viewing angle for easier on-camera viewing;ISO 1600 to reduce image blur & expand low-light shooting capability;improved movie mode with fast frame rate at 60 FPS QVGA (320 X 240) OR 30 FPS VGA (640 X 480);print/share button for easy direct printing & downloading plus id photo print & movie print with CANON(R) CP & SELPHY(TM) compact photo printers;includes powershot(r) sd800 is digital elph body, lithium battery pack NB-5L, battery charger CB-2LX, secure digital memory card(TM) SDC-16M, wrist strap WS-700, digital camera solution CD-ROM, USB interface cable IFC-400PCU, AV cable AVC-DC300 7.1 megapixel powershot(R) SD800 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 16.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-Angle Touch Screen LCD and 14-42mm Hybrid Lens (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Now I know that is a bold statement and I intend to back it up. However, before I do I need to explain what I mean. I am not saying this camera is the best at everything or even anyone thing. Cameras that are the best at something are usually specialized beasts that can really only do that one thing well. What I am talking about is a camera the is so good in so many categories that it can joyfully be used for just about and photographic or video graphic purpose you may have. The GH2 is that camera.
Now that is out of the way we can get to the meat and potatoes of the review. I shoot mostly Nikon and Panasonic and I primarily shoot stills. I dabble in Video but do not proclaim myself any sort of an expert. I can say if you are looking for the best handling combo/cam with the most features then the GH2 is the one you want. Panasonic went out of its way to make this a video camera so that was its primary focus with this camera. However, there are lots of payoffs for the stills part of this camera so this is the best m4/3 stills camera by a long shot also. I will also say that the hard core video market is a niche market compared to the stills market because shallow depth of field video is hard to shoot properly and hard to edit. The average home user has neither the time nor inclination to properly storyboard and shoot this type of video. However, with that said, it is really nice to be able to shoot stills and video. And basic home videos are a snap to shoot with this camera; much more so than any other DSLR with the exception of the Sony SLT A55/33 which at least has a fast auto focus also. To shoot nice home movies, put the mode dial to iA, press the red button, and you are shooting video.
This camera is the next generation of cameras as it successfully blends the advantages of Point and Shoot cameras with the benefits of DSLRs and creates and incredibly small and powerful camera. Listed below are some of the benefits and weakness you get from this next gen camera.
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The handling on the GH2 is bar none the best handling "DSLR" on the market. WIth smart controls, great layout, fast autofocusing, swivel screen, full time double live view, etc. Even with how good the D7000 is, it still feels clunky after using the GH2. I get into most of the details of this down below so I don't want to repeat the info here. What I will say here is that you can do things with this camera you couldn't hope to do with DSLRs and you can generally set up your photo parameters much faster with this camera. The menus on the GH2 are not very good. However, the actual camera controls are so good you will rarely even need to use the menus.
Program Shift - Forget using Aperture priority with this camera. You can leave the camera in Program mode. With program shift you can change the aperture setting and thus the shutter speed while in program mode. To do this you press the shutter release button down half way to set the exposure. Then if the numbers are in yellow you just rotate the rear dial switch to change aperture. Want a shallower depth of field or faster shutter speed, then dial in a bigger aperture (smaller number). If the numbers are not in yellow then you are currently in exposure compensation mode. All you have to do is click the rear dial switch and then rotate it. Snap. What a neat feature.
Extra Tele Convert (ETC) Mode in Video - If you shoot video you are going to love this. This is even great for home/casual video shooters. The GH2 has a 16mp sensor but like every other consumer combo/cam shoots 2K video. That means the picture is usually down-sampled to make it 2K. This has some pluses and minuses. Enter the GH2. With the ETC mode the camera uses only 2K of the sensor. This gives you an extra 2.6x crop factor. Which means your total crop factor is now 5.2x. So that brand spanking new 100-300mm you just got is now 520-1560mm with no light loss. If you put a Nikon 135mm f2 then you now have a 702mm f2! lens for video. There are some drawbacks for using ETC also but they are pretty negligible.
Auto focus - the auto focus on the GH2 is twice as fast as the GH1 and the GH1 was the fastest of previous generation. I have seen some very knowledgeable photographers saying it is as fast as mid-level DSLRs. While I think it is supposed to be a complement I don't think it is a very good comparison. I find the focus speed of DSLRs has most to do with what lens you have on. There are some lenses that focus slowly on even a D3. All of the lenses I have used on the GH1 focus very quickly except the 45-200mm. That lens tends to be my slowest. Non of the lenses I have focus as fast as a 70-200mm f/2.8 but the rest of them focus as fast if not faster than any of the other Nikon lenses I own. The best I can say about this is that you won't notice the focus speed on the GH2 as it is fast enough to get out of your way.
Smaller lighter camera - I recently went on a trip to Egypt and carried nothing but my Panasonic gear. Two camera bodies, 5 lenses, 1 flash, an iPad, and camera bag. Total weight 10lbs (3lbs of that was the bag itself). My Nikon D300 and 14-24mm lens would have weight more just by themselves (I was carrying the Panasonic 7-14mm so I did have wide covered)
Swivel Screen with full-time live view - You won't know what you are missing until you become used to this and how well it works. Want to reach up as high as you can and shoot down; No problems. Want to get as low as possible but can't lay down in the mud or water; No problem. Want to take a picture of you and your daughter but there is nobody around; No problem. Turn the screen around aim the camera at you and use the screen to frame. Something that makes photos interesting is showing the viewer something from a perspective they don't often see. The swivel screen actively encourages this. The other thing the swivel screen does is make shooting from a tripod a joy. Because of how small and light this camera is you can use a much smaller tripod. I have a 3lb tripod that can support 7lbs. Also, you can now set you camera up in all sorts of whacky positions and just rotate the screen to be able to frame and focus. Very nice. Also, with no mirror to flip up you don't have to worry about any vibrations.
Touch Focus implemented as slick as on the iPhone. As I mentioned above you can shoot from many strange angles because you can swivel the screen to almost any angle. However, if the camera did not focus on what you wanted it would be hard to change it. Now you can simply touch the screen on what you want to focus and presto it will focus on that. The GH2 is worth the price just for that.
WYSIWYG - What you see is what you get. Since you are looking at either the screen or the beautiful EVF, you are seeing what the sensor sees. With a DSLR you are seeing what the lens sees. This is an important difference. If you forgot to reset your WB or Aperture or any camera setting, you will see it before you shoot. On a DSLR you would have no idea until you looked at the pictures. Also, if it is a low light situation, the EVF will start to noise up and start to lose some of its smoothness. This is a warning to you that you need to use flash or a tripod. With a DSLR the viewer becomes darker but you don't get a very good visual cue of how your camera is seeing it. For me the most brilliant thing with WYSIWYG is setting exposure. Because I can see what the camera is doing with exposure, I usually leave the camera in P mode. Then I change the exposure by changing where I aim the camera, lock the exposure and then reframe for the subject. It works something like this. I am trying to take a picture of a person but the exposure is picking up to many bright objects, thereby dimming my subject. So, I aim the camera to include more dark areas while keeping my subject in the shoot. Then I press the shutter release button down half way to lock the exposure and focus. Then I reframe back to the original photo. This works so quickly you can try several exposures in less time than you could set one with the exposure compensation dial (which is actually exceedingly well executed on this camera also.) In a DSLR, since you don't see the exposure, you are just basically guessing at what you want and then shooting, view the photo and fix. Much slower.
Shoot about any lens you want - The distance from the lens to sensor is so short, that with the appropriate adaptor, you can put just about any lens you want on this camera. Canon, Nikon, Leica, Voigtlander, Pentax, Sony, you can use them all. Generally you need to use lenses which have aperture rings. Additionally, you do lose autofocus but there are many instances where this just doesn't matter. Macro photography is a good example. You can fit a Nikon 200mm f/4 onto the GH2 and then either get a 2:1 reproduction or a 1:1 reproduction with twice the depth of field. It is like putting on a teleconverter without the loss of light and depth of field. Brilliant.
Great for Newbies - All DSLRs are easy for anyone to use and the GH2 is no exception. The great handling makes the GH2 better for newbies in my opinion. Anyway, all you have to do is put the camera into iA mode and start shooting. This camera gets the subject correct more often then not and will make you look good. In dynamic situation, I actually use the iA mode quite a bit. I do this because the camera is good a recognizing as scene as a person, flower, scenery, etc. The camera then instantly sets numerous setting to make that scene look as good as possible. If you tried to do it yourself it could take a few minuets to set and then a few to set back. Or even worse you forget to reset it and you next pictures look bad. If I have time,...Read more›

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Enforced by the high-performance of new components and advanced technologies, the creative HD Hybrid DMC-GH2 is now offering an even higher level of creative possibility and intuition for every enthusiastic user to explore realms of not only photography but also of videography at the same time. The LUMIX DMC-GH2 is the latest member of the New Generation System Camera LUMIX G DSL Micro System. Fully compliant with the Micro Four Thirds System lens standard, the LUMIX G DSL Micro System combines a downsized body with advanced functions that achieve both high performance and operational comfort. Featuring an intuitive touch control, the new DMC-GH2 boasts its worlds fastest* level Light Speed AF of approx. 0.1 second to capture the subject in spur-of-the-moment in sharp focus*. The key components including the sensor and the image processing engine are totally refined to achieve the highest performance of the camera to render a stunning image with high resolution, beautiful gradation and high sensitivity - all worthy of the flagship camera of LUMIX G DSL Micro System, DMC-GH2.FEATURES:
Elevating the potential of movie recording into a "true-hybrid" digital camera - There are always two options to record spur-of-the-moment sceneshigh-quality photos or movies. The user can simply choose the one that saves precious memories most beautifully with DMC-GH2.The predecessor DMC-GH1, which was substantially the first full HD movie recording interchangeable lens system camera with practical auto focus system. The AVCHD format features almost twice the recording time in HD quality than the conventional Motion JPEG format. A special, dedicated button on the top lets the user instantly start recording movies while shooting photos without ever having to make any extra settings changes. Now the DMC-GH2 can record high-resolution full-HD 1920 x 1080 movies in astonishing smooth 60i, doublin

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M-ROCK Cascade Square SLR Camera Bag (Black/Red/Orange) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very well made bag, with a lot of attention to the details. It is still a tight fit to get both my SLR camera with lens attached, and another lens in the bag. This is with the use of the padded dividers. Without them it would be roomier, but the camera and spare lens would not be protected. The padded dividers have velcro, so you can customize the interior, which is a nice feature. There are 3 padded velcro dividers, however I could not figure out how to use one of them! So, I just left that one out. However, I found that trying to get them precisely where I wanted was a hassle. The velcro would stick too well and always where I didn't want it. At least once you have everything where you want, it is not something you have to deal with again.
The zippers are sealed against water, but this also makes them a bit stiffer to use. This may change with use, but it is still a good feature to have. The bag as a whole is very well padded and water resistant.
There are a nice variety of different size pockets to store memory cards, batteries, etc. There is a lens cloth attached inside one of the pockets. The straps are very sturdy and well padded. They can be used in a variety of ways: hang the bag in front, on the back or over the shoulder.
This bag is also designed to add on other small packs for additional lens. You can also get an attachment which turns it into a waist pack. If you are looking for a solid bag to protect your camera, this is a good product.

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SLR Camera Bag

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Panasonic DMC-GH1K 12.1MP Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Camera with 1080p HD Video Review

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(More customer reviews)Bottom line up front: this is a great stills and video camera. It is a freshly designed stills camera that gives DSLR performance with P+S ease and DSLR abilities. As a video camera it is the best implemented video system on a "stills" camera today.
This is an amazing camera but before I tell you why I would like to make a comment on the current situation of this camera. First it is disappointing that Panasonic has region coded the camera and that they are starving the US market. Check out the price difference between the US and Japan at Amazon JP. However, you cannot change the language from Japanese to English due to the region coding. Also, punish the companies that are overcharging (Big VALUE Inc. is/was charging a 1.67 price premium). I for one will never ever do business with a company that does that. If everyone boycotted these predator type companies, they would go out of business.
When people first look at the GH1 there is an initial sticker shock. Why would I pay so much more than the G1? The major reason the difference is warranted is because it has a far more expensive lens. The price difference of the 14-140mm lens and the 14-45mm that comes with the G1 accounts for 5/7 of the price difference of the cameras. On top of that the 14-140mm lens is specially designed for video as it has utterly silent focusing and aperture changes. Also, the aperture changes are step-less. This allows for very smooth lighting transitions. The remainder of the price difference can be attributed to the inclusion of the best seen-to-date video implementation in a "stills" camera and an upgraded sensor from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Blue). If you are not planning on working with movies then the GH1 is probably overkill and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Red) would be your best bet. Also, the GH1 functions very much like the G1 for stills so any of those reviews will apply to the GH1.
STILLS
Panasonic markets this camera as like a DSLR only SMLR. I think that is a cool bit of marketing and is right on the mark. This camera has the best contrast detection autofocus on the market. It is as fast if not faster than my Nikon D40 and is almost as fast as my D700. This is a great technological breakthrough and is what allows the camera to be smaller than a DSLR while giving nearly identical performance. With this camera you will not miss photos of your children or other fast moving subjects while you wait for your camera to focus. Bravo.
What is also nice about a great contrast detection autofocus is that Panasonic was able to start with a fresh design from the ground up. The live view is the best implementation that I have seen to date. I never use live view on my D700, but I will always be using it with the GH1. It flips out and rotates 270 degrees. This means you can see it from the back, the front (for self portraits), the top, the bottom, and on one side. In addition, to the great screen articulation, the speedy contrast focus is the last piece that makes this live view great rather than painfully slow like it is on other DSLRs.
On top of the great live view, this fresh design allows this camera to handle exceedingly well. In many ways it takes the best of the point-and-shoot (P+S) world and mixes it with the best of the DSLR world. It doesn't have as many dedicated buttons as my D700 but the Q Menu system works very well and allows for quick changes of most shooting parameters. There is a detailed menu system but I don't find myself using it very much while shooting. I feel that this setup allows photographers moving up from the P+S world to feel immediately comfortable on this camera while also giving experienced photographers the control they need to work their craft.
I don't know what kind of plastic Panasonic uses on this camera but I love the way it looks and feels. Also, I think having a red or gold camera is cool and makes it look more like a toy rather than a "professional" camera. With the photographer unfriendly laws proliferating the world, it is nice to have an incredibly capable camera that doesn't look like a professional camera.
This is a micro-4/3s camera system. That has some pros and cons. The chip is smaller than most DSLR chips. A full frame (FX in Nikon speak) sensor is ~860 sq mm, a Nikon DX sensor is ~370 sq mm, the 4/3 sensor is ~225 sq mm, and the typical sensor used in a point and shoot range between ~25-50 sq mm. However, a 2/3 sensor like many TV shows are shot with is ~60 sq mm and a 1/4 sensor like most home video recorders is only ~10 sq mm. What does all of these numbers mean? From a "stills" perspective the 4/3 format is relatively small when compared to DSLRs. That means that for the same megapixel rating, the 4/3 sensor will have smaller photoreceptors and that means more noise. However, the 4/3 sensor is roughly 60% of a DX chip so while this is a great physics discussion, in real life you will not be able to tell the noise difference based on sensor size even with a picture blown up to 100%. This is born out by the GH1's excellent noise control up to ISO800. You can also still use shots taken at ISO 1600 and 3200 but those low light shots are usually better turned into black and whites for that noire grainy look. That is the "downside" (not really much of a downside especially when compared to the up side) of the micro 4/3 system. The upside is that because you have a smaller area to cover, you can make lenses smaller (less weight and less cost). You also get a 2x multiplication factor on your lenses. So now that 200mm lens gives you 400mm of reach. Yea. However, on the wide side of lenses you need a 7mm lens to get a 14mm viewing angle and those can get pretty expensive. The point of all of this mumbo jumbo is that this camera takes great pictures and the lenses are smaller than DSLR lenses. Less weight and smaller size with no noticeable image quality compromise equals great camera.
One thing that some people list as a negative on this camera is that in low-light the electronic view finder(EVF) gets dark, grainy and jerky (slow refresh speed). However, I look at it as a positive because that is how your picture is going to look. Unlike a DSLR which shows your eyes what the world looks like through the lens, the EVF shows your eyes what the sensor sees through the lens; an important distinction. So if you look through the EVF and see a dark (low light), grainy (High ISO), and jerky (slow shutter speed) image then you know you better shoot really carefully, move the subjects to more light, or light the photo with the built in flash (not recommended but if its all you've got..) or use an external flash.
On thing that is a negative is the slow 1/160 flash sync speed. This will be very limiting for off camera flash during bright light. With such a slow sync it will be exceedingly difficult (impossible?) to get shallow depth of fields while lighting. Most people probably won't use this feature but for those that do it will be a bummer. (FP mode and ND filters can help with this though)
I also love the face recognition on this camera. When I am taking group photos, the faces that I really care about are my families'. Now I can register 6 peoples' faces and it will focus on them. Nice
VIDEO
In many ways, this camera lacks some of the features of a dedicated video recorder. So why would I want to use this camera? After all, you can get a G1 and HD video recorder for the same price as this camera. There are two main reasons. The first reason is Depth of Field (DOF). As I mentioned earlier the micro 4/3 sensor has 4 times more area than the 2/3 sensor used for many TV shows and is 22 times more area than many video recorders. Smaller sensors = larger DOF. This makes it harder to isolate your subject from the background by having the background out of focus. Pay attention to movies when you watch them and you will notice how they shift focus to "highlight" their subject. If you have wondered why you can't do that with a home video recorder, now you know. If you shoot with a F4 lens on a 4/3 system you will need a .8 aperture on a 1/4 system to get the same DOF (by the way there is no such home video recorder). The second major reason to use the GH1 is the ability to change lenses. Right now there are not many micro 4/3 lenses. However, the micro 4/3 format is so flexible that, with an adaptor you can use just about any camera lens you want (Nikon, Canon, Leica, etc). The trade off is that you lose autofocus and metering with most non-4/3 lenses. The ability to change lenses grants two major benefits. First, you can put all sorts of exotic lenses on. For example if you put on a 7mm lens, you would give your video a perspective not often seen in home footage. On a 1/4 sensor of a video recorder you would need a 1.4mm lens to get the same perspective as the 7mm on the 4/3 system. (Most camcorders are not going to go wider than 4mm which is roughly equivalent to a 20mm lens on a 4/3 system.) Secondly, you can put exceedingly "fast" (a fast lens is one with a low aperture number. A lower aperture number means more light hitting the sensor so you can run your shutter speed faster. Hence fast lens) lenses on to get shallow DOF. You could easily put a f1.4 lens on this camera. You would need a f0.3 lens to get the equivalent DOF on a 1/4 sensor.
Anyway, it is relatively easy to make beautiful videos with this camera;...Read more›

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The Panasonic DMC-GH1 is called a Creative HD Hybrid because it records not only high-quality photos but also high definition 1080/24p or smooth 720/60p HD (High Definition) movies in AVCHD format. Continuous AF can be used while recording movies, to further boost operating ease. Taking advantage of its system camera design, the DMC-GH1 features the potential for unlimited photo expression by allowing the use of different lenses for specific shooting situations and subjects. High-quality sound recording with Dolby Digital Stereo Creator and a host of other creative options, including manual settings, giving the DMC-GH1 even greater versatility.Supporting the DMC-GH1's powerful full-HD movie recording function is a 12.1-megapixel high-speed Live MOS sensor and the Venus Engine HD image processor, which features two CPUs for outstanding processing capability. The LUMIX G VARIO HD 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S., which is a versatile 10x zoom interchangeable lens, was designed for movie recording by including a silent and continuous auto focusing function and seamless aperture adjustment.FEATURES:
Intelligent Exposure (iA) Mode - Panasonic's Intelligent Exposure (iA) Mode simplifies face detection autofocus, AF tracking for moving subjects, optical image stabilization, scene mode selection, and ISO to make great pictures as simple as point-and-shoot. Concentrate on the subject in front of you--let the camera do the rest. The GH1 lets you enjoy making great photographs with ease!
Super Zoom 14-140mm Lens - Coupled with the GH1, the newly-developed 14-140mm (10x) zoom lens provides excellent wide angle to telephoto coverage. From landscapes to dramatic close-ups, this optic ensures first-class image quality in an amazing 35mm focal equivalent of 28-280mm! The integrated optical image stabilizer keeps your photos sharp and shake-free whi

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Canon 15x50 Image Stabilization All Weather Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries Review

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(More customer reviews)These binoculars are spectacular. Point them at Jupiter and you see a bright dot wandering around in the field of view. Press the image stabilization switch and the planet and its moons instantly become visible. While they can't subtract all movement they do get rid of the little shakes that make hand held viewing so difficult. 15x is enough magnification that Saturn is obviously not round.
A complaint about earier versions of the Canon IS line was that your finger went to sleep holding the IS switch down. Now you can press it briefly to turn on the IS circuitry which will automatically shut off in 5 minutes. If you press and hold the switch it shuts off as soon as you release it.
I haven't had my pair long enough to comment on battery life but do see a problem changing them when they are mounted on a tripod. Unlike most binoculars where the tripod mounting is at the objective end where the two barrels rotate on the Canons it is at the bottom of the binocular near the center of the tubes which don't rotate. And the battery compartment is just in front of it so you can't get to it if the binoculars are on a tripod of have a quick release plate attached.
Since the lens barrels don't rotate intra-ocular distance is adjusted by actually moving the oculars. They are kind of stiff but that is good because they stay in place once you get them set.
The tripod mount is lower than the highest part of the lens barrels so if you have a big quick release plate like that of the Manfrotto (Bogen) 410 geared head (highly recommended) it presses against the bottom of the barrels and not the flat between them.
For some reason Canon doesn't seem to fell that the objective lenses need any protection as they don't ship lens covers for them. They do provide lens covers for the oculars but they pop off a lot because the eye cups are so soft. It looks like you need something like 69mm lens caps. They don't tell you in the manual but Canon sales says they are threaded to accept 58mm filters so you can buy solar filters for them.
I can use the binoculars with my glasses on due to the 15 mm eye relief but it is really easier to use them without the glasses.
They are heavy, ~2,5#, but if you support them on the heels of your hands very stable.

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With its wide 50mm objective lenses and high magnification,these rugged, all-weather Canon Image Stabilizer binoculars are destined to set a new and higher benchmark for image brightness, clarity and ergonomic design.
Leave your tripod at home when you use the new Canon 15x50 binoculars. Canon has once again made its world-renowned optical image stabilizer more convenient to use on this all-weather binocular. With a push of a button, bumpy images are stabilized instantly for maximum viewing. Multicoated ultralow dispersion (UD) objective elements add contrast, clarity, and color fidelity. Housed in a rugged, water-resistant, and slip-free rubber body, these binoculars can be used in rain or shine, whether in a football stadium or on the high seas. Stargazing is also possible with these versatile binoculars. The 15x50 is greatly improved over the previous model, with a larger 50mm objective lens, more convenient operation of the optical image stabilizer, and optional antifog eyepieces. Two AA batteries power the device. Also included in the package are a case, neck strap, and eyepiece covers.
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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Canon 10x30 Image Stabilization Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want to get a quick idea why image stabilization (IS) is the next revolution in binoculars, that's easy: take any binoculars that you can get and look through them at some object (a printed page of paper with several font sizes is ideal). Then look again at the same object from the same distance, but this time with the binoculars moudnted on a steady support (don't touch em!). You will notice that the actual resolution increases by a factor of at least 2 or 3 when mounted. That is, you can discern details that are at least two or three times smaller, because mounting eliminates the smear caused by the shaking of your hands. IS is like having this support available any time and anywhere you need it by a push of a button! In most conditions, the practical resolutions I can get with my Canon IS cannot be matched by any hand-held, unstabilized binoculars in the market, including those fancy Nikons, Swarovskis, Leicas and Zeiss that cost three or four times as much. No matter how good (and how expensive) is the optics of these top-of-the-line binoculars, their limiting factor in the field is the shaking of your hands. You may have heard that IS is important because it eliminates eyestrain and headaches, or because you can use the binoculars from a boat or a moving car. While these are good reasons to buy the Canon, the best reason is that they let you see much more detail in any given distance. And this is the reason why you buy binoculars in the first place.
If you are a birder like me, and you are looking for a top of the line binoculars, do not buy anything before you try this one. In my opinion IS is going to revolutionize the whole field, so a costly pair of Swarovski or Zeiss, that normally could be considered as a good investment for life, will not be top of the line anymore in two or three years. In addition to the IS, the Canon has quite good optics, good field of view and is much smaller and lighter then most models you probably considered. This makes the Canon very close to the ideal birding binoculars: Highest resolution, less weight, and less money. I did not have the opportunity to test the larger Canon IS models, but I don't think I'd buy them even if I had the money, because they are twice as heavy and (very important for birding) has smaller field of view.
Note one general disadvantage of the Canon, however: They are not as tough as the top roof prism binoculars. They are water resistant but not water proof, and the IS requires batteries (a pair of NiMH for several hours of birding. This is the digital camera procedure: get a charger and at least one replacement set). While the binoculars feel sturdy, dropping them is not good for the IS mechanism, and this is probably why Canon gives only one year warranty. So the Canon are not the best pair to take for an expedition in Alaska, but for a Sunday birder like me, these are easily the best in their price range, and probably the best in any price.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon 10x30 Image Stabilization Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries

Lightweight and powerful,the 10x30 IS delivers the benefits of Canon's refined and active Image Stabilization. Comes with a handy Case, Neck Strap and a set or batteries.

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Sigma 18-125mm f/3.8-5.6 AF DC OS HSM Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)(See my update at the bottom of this review.) After buying my Canon xSi I quickly concluded that I was not going to be satisfied unless I had a zoom of some kind to go with it. For a walk around lens, the modest 18-125mm range that this zoom offered, which is moderate wide angle to moderate telephoto, sounded very appealing. I am not all that keen on sports or wildlife photos, so I eschewed the available super zoom lenses, not just for cost but for weight, size, and image quality issues.
I've done pretty extensive tests on this lens, taking many tripod shots out my window in Chicago, trying different apertures and focal lengths, and comparing them to my two Canon lenses, and found it compared favorably. I found the Sigma's photos to be good looking and always in focus.
The OS works pretty well, and I was able to take two perfectly clear hand held shots at full 125 mm telephoto at only 1/15 of a second, though I had to use my best technique, as I suspect at full tele it's not hard to overwhelm the OS. Two more identical shots taken without OS were both blurry.

I've taken a few hundred shots with this lens so far and have no focus problems. Focus is fast and quiet. I took a number of shots of seagulls in flight at 125mm, a pretty challenging focus situation, and every one was in focus.
At 18mm this lens is a tiny bit less sharp than Canon's well-regarded 18-55mm IS kit lens that came with the camera, but as you zoom in the Sigma gets better, particularly at 50mm. (see update below about this)
The telescoping part of the lens is very tightly constructed, with no looseness or feeling of imprecision at all, unlike the Canon kit lens. It has a zoom lock, but this doesn't seem to be necessary as there is no lens creep. I found this lens to be very well built and solid.

This is not a light lens. At about a pound it is twice as heavy as the Canon 18-55mm IS kit lens. Still, some of the superzoom digital lenses by Sigma and Tamron such as the 18-250mm weigh quite a bit more.
Overall I would say this is a very nice lens and I would buy it again. If you want the option to have one lens you can leave on the camera while traveling around, and if you're hooked on wide angle as I am, and if you also like telephoto but don't need a 200 or 250 mm superzoom and all the image quality compromises that can entail, this is the best and only choice for Canon APS-C digital cameras that I know of at this time, and I would recommend it.
UPDATE: After owning this lens for a year I finally figured out that the reason it tended to be soft at the wide (18mm) end was because it was mis-focusing. I am embarrassed that it took me that long to figure it out, but there it was: Point at a distant object and it was focusing at 2m.(The problem quickly disappears above 18mm) I went to the Sigma site, registered my lens's serial number and it said that I was eligible for the additional two years of warranty coverage (as was originally promised in the Amazon product listing), and that I had 22 months left. So far so good. When the came back the paperwork said "Lens not under warranty" but it also said "Adjusted A.F. data courtesy N/C", which meant they fixed it, no charge. I was probably one of the first people to buy this lens, in June 2008, and it sounds like they may have since updated the firmware that controls the autofocus function. In fact the lens now works better, perhaps much better, at 18mm. I can now take shots at F/4.0 and they are often quite sharp, at least in the center. I can now say that the optics in this lens are in fact capable of taking very sharp photos even wide open, but if yours has the same problem mine had you will have to focus manually to achieve this unless you get this "AF data" update. Hopefully the lenses being sold now don't have this problem. More recent reviews than mine seem to indicate that this issue has been resolved.
I would also suggest that Sigma put more resources into their customer service. Being told on the phone and in writing that the lens wasn't under warranty when their website and their printed warranty clearly said that it should be was a bit troubling.

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The lens is equipped with Sigma's own unique OS (Optical Stabilizer) function. This function uses two sensors inside the lens to detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera and works by moving an optical image stabilizing lens group to effectively compensate for camera shake. This system offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower. It also automatically detects movement of the camera and compensate for camera shake when shooting moving subjects such as motor sports. Its compact construction has an overall length of 88.5mm (3.5"), maximum diameter of 74mm (2.9") and weight of just 450g/15.9oz (Sigma mount). This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 35cm (13.8") at all focal lengths, and has maximum magnification of 1:3.8, making it ideal for close-up photography. SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass, a molded glass aspherical lens and two hybrid aspherical lenses provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range.

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Nikon StabilEyes 14x40 Image Stabilization Waterproof Binoculars with Case, Neck Strap & Batteries Review

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(More customer reviews)I had done some research but wanted to physically compare the Nikon to the Canon IS. I lucked into a Ritz Camera store that happened to have both. My wife and I independently judged the Nikon to have superior Image Stabilization.
We have had them for over a ear and are very happy. They fell out of an SUV (in the case) and the image stabilization was inoperative. I sent them back to Nikon and they repaired them no charge.
I run them on rechargeable AA batteries with no problems. It has two levels of stabilization (land and sea), it seems the only difference is the amount of compensation they apply. I have used them from moving cars, samll airplanes, and boats with excellent success. I also have a friend who has a genetic hand tremor and they work for him as well.
I am a big fan of these binoculars and it is not because I am a Nikon bigot. All my professional camera equipment is Canon. I just tested the IS side by side and Nikon won. Try them yourself before buying the Canon.


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Features Exclusive dual mode - ONBOARD/LAND Eliminates movement from waves and vibration from hand shake, etc. Exclusive Pan and Tilt Feature Waterproof/Fogproof

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