roy_amatore

I just got a pair of Canon 10x30 image stabalized binoculars. Do not buy a pair of binoculars without trying these! In short, they remove the little jiggles that destroy the ability to concentrate on details in the image. There is simply no degree of optical superiority that can make up for the steadainess this tecnology offers. I realy hate to say it, but every once in a while a product comes on the market that renders the competition obsolete. Canon's IS binoculars is such a product.

I just got my 10x30 IS binoculars and I love them. What these binoculars do is remove all of the little jiggles in the picture--the I-can't-concentrate-on-this-detail-any-longer-or-I'll-go-mad jiggles. Larger movements will still show up in the image, but its the small tremors that destroy detail and give you a headache. I have found that good (standard) technique is no cure for the little shakeys. Without the IS, even when I lean against my picture window with the binoculars pressed up against the glass, there are still frenetic little jiggles and tremors that prevent prolonged (or even momentary) concentration on details at a distance. Press the IS button, and about a second later the image is steady. With the IS on, I feel like I'm watching a movie playing inside the binoculars, with it off I'm watching a movie that's been projected on a mound of quivering Jello. As for price and weight, I paid $390 at B&H (they can be found cheaper elsewhere, and they weigh 22 oz. (not incl. 2 AA batteries). I'm afraid that this IS technology renders standard binoculars over 8x power obsolete. There is simply no degree of optical superiority that can make up for the image steadiness this technology offers.

I am considering buying a 20E for my 80-200 f/2.8 AFS, and I already own the Tokina 400 f/5.6. My thinking is that the AFS plus 20e will result in far sharper images than the Tokina alone. Photodo rated the Tokina at a 2.8 MTF and the 80-200 AFS at 4.1. I have heard that that the loss of image quality with the 20E on the 80-200 is not that great, so it would seem the nikon combo would be superior in image quality and offer the versitality of a 160-400mm zoom with the focusing speed of AFS (which really shows its merits when in continuous servo mode).

 

My own experience with the Tokina 400mm is that its image quality is good but not overly impressive (although my technique is probably suspect), and that it autofocuses very well on F5, but not as good as the 80-200.

 

One thing you can do with the Tokina that you can't do with the Nikon combo is add an inexpensive Kenko 1.4x converter (or the more expensive pro series) to get to a pretty decent 600mm. Then again, maybe stacking a 1.4x on the Nikon combo will yield a better image at 600mm too.

The November or December Outdoor Photographer features a camouflage fanny pack from Fieldline. I just received this pack and have found it unsuitable for carrying heavy loads, as the pack droops backward and ends up being an "under-the-fanny" pack. I'm starting to think that a fanny pack, and other belt-attached packs, are best used in conjunction with some kind of suspension unit, like the Lowepro street and field system has, to keep a heavy pack from falling backward. Infantryman in the army carry alot of equipment very efficiently on their "web gear," which is a belt and shouilder harness unit very similar to the Lowepro street and field system. An infantryman has alot in common with a nature photographer.

I agree with the negative comments made above. I replaced the pistol grip ball head with an Arca-Swiss monoball (B1) and the difference in sharpness was very noticeable and the difference in handing a major improvement. When spot metering on the moon with a long telephoto, I could not get the camera to stay aimed when I released the pistol grip--very aggravating! Finally, Brian Geyer of the Really Right Stuff says you can't get sharp pictures with this ball head due to the distance between camera and ball head.

I've yet to print any of my slides, but one factor that weighs strongly in favor of slides is the power of the slideshow! Passing 4 x 6 prints around the room is one thing, everybody reacting at the same time to a large projection is quite another. The communical experience of viewing the pictures at the same time cannot compare with passing pictures around small group.