Canon 15x50 IS Binoculars for Astronomy
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- Care free observing while imaging. The Canon 15x50 IS binoculars are a perfect compliment for the astrophotographer. After months of using these binoculars, they continue to be my favorite observing instrument. Amazing!
Canon 15 x 50 IS Binoculars amzn.to/3r7zZRe
Support Jeff Ball Photography through Patreon.
/ jeffballphotography
Totally agree with your review of the Canon 15x50 image stabilising binoculars. I was very lucky to pick up a pair secondhand in perfect condition for about £400, took me months and months of waiting and hunting but they really are something else, my go to optics over my other binoculars and even my various scopes.
Thanks for watching. Congrats on the binos. Hoping to use mine this weekend. Take care.
The universe is on my side! My younger brother got this for free from a client who was moving and his brother had bought a bunch of new stuff he never used. These binoculars were one of the many free things he got. He and my mom gifted it to me yesterday for my birthday. I am so grateful and happy I have always loved star gazing, and now I get to be closer to them 💫💫
Wow. Happy birthday!
@@jeffballphoto thank you!! 😊
Wow that a score!
I know right!! I really got Lucky @@TobyCostaRica
Congratulations Jeff on completing the entire Binocular Observing Challenge list using these binos during the 2021 Night Owl Star Party! One heck of an accomplishment!
Thank you for putting the list together. It was so much fun! Hope to see you at Spruce again under clear skies soon. And these binoculars were perfect for the event.
Image stabilizers sounds very good. I've abandoned visual exactly because of vibrations. Thanks for the tip Jeff and enjoy your trip!
Thank you AstroForum! I hesitate to recommend anything with this premium, but for me, they are the perfect visual companion under a dark sky while imaging. Take care and clear skies.
Got lucky picking up a pair for £265 as one of rubber folded eyecups was split. I use them folded down so doesn’t matter to me.
They’re great to use, handy maybe even for hunters to avoid a tripod with spotting scopes. Two eyes at 15x is almost like 25x with a scope.
On optics , they’re decent with regard to edge sharpness and brightness impressed me considering magnification. I noticed decent 3D effect and depth of field.
However they do suffer a fair bit with chromatic aberration and when I compared to my Kowa highlander lite (664 big eye) there was no comparison.
They’re also heavy and I found bracing yourself with elbows resting on my belly and using fingertips to prop the binos helped with stamina.
I’ve got the 15 x 50 and 10 x 30 Canon IS binoculars. Best binoculars ever. Once you’ve tried them you will wonder why you bothered with conventional ones. The 15s are a bit heavy for everyday use but great for star gazing. The 10s are great all rounders and much lighter so tend to get used more often.
Thanks for watching and the note. Need to look through the 10x30 someday. Live the 15x50 for Astro.
I use the 10x30 when I go fishing in my boat. I am thinking of getting the 15x50. Would I see big difference in the magnification for far objects?
@@e4ezzat Yes, but they are quite heavy.
ُNo problem with the weight if it is worth the magnifications. I have been searching online but could not get confirmation on that. Thank you so much for your advice @@mickyday2008
Going wide with binocs first. Interesting inexpensive constellation oriented Orion 2 X 54. Deeper as time progresses. I like Canon’s IS, that works great for general photography. Why not same for binoculars? Great innovation to combat the “wobbles” with in-hand use. Thanks for your take!
Thanks for watching.
Great video! ive been looking at upgrading my binoculars for quite some time now and was really struggling with what to go for, I have been chatting with the team over on the Canon Live Chat and they recommended the 15x50s and thats how I found your video!
Thanks so much for watching. I have really enjoyed these binoculars! Great for daytime and night. Hope you get them under a dark sky soon. Enjoy.
I've lusted after these binoculars for so many years. The only thing that scared me out of a purchase was (a) canon's supposedly horrific customer service and warranty for these (so many horror stories) and (b) there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that the rubber coating on these "melts" for lack of a better term, getting extremely sticky. However, some samples are just fine. Glad to see you enjoying yours! I'm here cause I once again sit here on the fence about getting a pair. I feel like someday I may just cave in and get a set, haha.
They have been a great observing tool for me.
Jeffrey don’t FREEZE 🥶
No worries ECP. Thanks for watching
Got Fuji Polaris 7x50s, Got Leica Trinovids 10X42, but in my wish list a Canon IS is a must,
You will love the canon IS binoculars. But you already have some very nice instruments to use right now. Enjoy them and thanks for the comments and clear skies.
Way cool. I’m on the fence I had the 10x. Not enough power. The 18 X may be too dark or jittery. I think the 15x is the ticket. Thanks for the great review
Thank you so much for watching, Carter. Enjoy the 15x.
Jeff - really enjoyed meeting you at BWF last weekend. Your talk was great and seeing your setup was amazing. As a third string astronomer with little patience for the time and effort the activity consumes, I really appreciate the recommendation on these binoculars. I'm going to see if Santa Claus will bring these to me this year.
Really great to meet and talk with you as well. Believe it or not, I am always looking to simplify and downsize lol. I will put in a good word with Santa. Clear skies and thanks again.
Hello,
I will receive the canon 15x50 IS next week and your video fill me with excitment. I don't know anything about space except our satellite and the others planets but i think i will enjoy really much the expérience.
If you have any beginner tips or a video for beginner thanks to share it !
Good video anyway wishing you a really good day.
PS : Hi from France
Wow. How exciting. I use mine all the time. And they are great for birding as well. I recommend Phil Harrington’s book “Touring the Universe Through Binoculars”. Get to a dark sky if you can. Enjoy the binos and thanks for watching and the kind words. Au revoir!
I like your content
Thank you so much, Tarkan!
I have a pair over 20 years I bough up in astronomy Ireland.
No trouble ever and battery life ok.. I spent over 2000 pounds back then on them..
Good to hear about the longevity. I use mine every night I am at a dark sky. And they are great for birding, too!
@@jeffballphoto use mine up a tower crane to look around at mountains nearby, have larger aperture binoculars for dark nights. But the is cannon is so handy I Eve using that a lot..it has aged well, and still looks new.. optics are amazing but soft ..
Are the eyecups at a fixed distance or is it adjustable? On good binoculars, you can twist the eye cups and they "screw" in and out to adjust the distance from the lens to the end of the eye cup. Usually, if you use glasses, you screw them in, else you screw them out to hold directly against your eyes.
Jason I am sorry I am just now seeing this question. It was in my "hold for review" bin at TH-cam. My apologies. Yes, the eyecups can be widened or narrowed to accommodate inter-pupil distance variances. The adjustment has been adequate for me and family members. I observe with and without glasses. The only uncomfortable thing about them is they are a tad heavy, but no heavier than my Fuji 7x50s. I love these binos. Hope that helps and have a great evening.
Thanks for the info on your 15x cannon. I bought the 10x50 cannon image stabilized, and they were not enough power. I have them I just end up giving them to a friend who’s always on the ocean so I’m looking for a stronger pair and I think he just sold me on the 15 power great video. Thank you.
Thank you for watching. I hope you enjoy the 15x. I know I have loved them. I just used them to view the eclipse. I really love the extra power.
I now have the 10x42, the 15x50 and the 18x50 sitting in front on me and one cloudy night after another. during the day the 10x42 outperforms the other two by a lot in regard of image quality / crispness - but I do prefer the PLUS in magnification of the other two. But I don't even know if the 10x vs. the 18x really makes a difference for night sky objects? Could u help me on that? @@jeffballphoto
@@thenozon one of the reasons I went with higher mag was for lunar observing. For night sky objects, I wanted more definition in globular clusters. Good luck.
Nice! I enjoyed the 10x42 a lot recently. Can you say something about the difference between the two? Thanks!
I have only done some birding with a friend’s 10x42. I would have to have them under dark skies to compare. Thanks for watching.
I currently have a decent pair of 8x56 Hawke endurance binoculars (around €350) and the Celestron skymaster pro 15x70s. I like the skymasters but it would be amazing to have something with better glass and not have to be used with a tripod. However, I do also really enjoy widefield stargazing. I also enjoy bino astronomy while imaging or when on holiday. Would you recommend the 10x42L ones or the 15x50 for my case? Thanks!
I think you would enjoy either, but the 15x50 would likely be a quick replacement for the Skymasters. The 8x56 would still be a nice supplement with wider field. I still use my Fuji 7x50, but not often. I always reach for the 15x50 IS. Again, I value a tripod-free experience highly. Best wishes and take care.
@@jeffballphoto thanks for your response! I think that’s what I will do then. I wish they made a 15x50L
Use them with a deck chair and you can hold them single handed and swap them from hand to hand.
How to you find these wearing glasses? I’m trying to decide between these and the 10X42 L
Hello Geo. I wear glasses 90% of the time. Just fold down the eye cups and the view is very enjoyable with no limitations. If you have a distracting light in the periphery, then you will want to view without glasses and eye cups up.
What is your opinion on the Canon IS 15x50s vs 18x50s? (for astronomy and perhaps for some terrestrial observation)
In a variation of the question, if one has the Canon IS 10x42s would the 15x50s or 18x50s be a better second/supplement pair?
Thanks so much for the questions. Technically, for astronomy, the 7x50 gives the best exit pupil that takes advantage of a fully dilated pupil at around 7mm. If you haven’t read about exit pupil, I encourage you to check It out. Exit pupil gets smaller as we age, too. So the 7mm number isn’t always hard and true. Having said that, the 18x is a smaller exit pupil. I can’t do the math or give you an idea as to whether that is significant at a dark sky in seeing dimmer objects or not vs the 15x for your age. But if your objective is to see the dimmest objects possible, then you need to consider matching a binocular to your age adjusted exit pupil. Now for me, I can see all of Astro objects I desire with the 15x giving a 3.3 mm exit pupil. I use them every time I am under the stars. And they are great for birding as well. I don’t think the 18x would be a significant difference other than an obvious slightly larger magnification, which may be perfect for brighter objects like the moon/planets or birding. I think Either would be a good supplement to the 10x. Maybe lean toward the 18x if it is for long range birding or more lunar/planetary viewing. Good luck and certainly enjoy your 10x42. I looked through some of those at a recent bird outing and they were a nice light weight option. You want to consider the weight of the 18x vs 15x although it may be insignificant.
@@jeffballphoto Thank you for such a detailed response.
18x50s probably has 2.8 mm exit pupils.
In a recent comparison where I had a chance to try out the 15x50s, I was able to pick out and track a hawk nicely; but of course wondered if an additional 3x magnification with the 18x50s would have offered appreciable more detail.
I have read the reviews suggesting that the image stabilization may be at its limits with the 18x50s if one is in a standing position.
Reading more reviews on 15x50 vs 18x50, and the reasoning why one prefers one over the other becomes more nuanced (despite some people noting that the 18x50s do show more details (moon) and fainter stars).
But again, thank you for your detailed feedback, I'll certainly be asking around some more.
Got lucky and found a pair of 15x50 is at a local hole in the wall pawn shop and they lost the info on them an sold them to me fo $50
Congrats! Enjoy!
Which one do you recommended? canon 15x50 or 18x50? Thank you
If you wanted to do more lunar observing vs deep Sky, the 18x will give a bit more resolution at the expense of a smaller exit pupil. If you want to do more deep space, I think the exit pupil with the 15x is a better choice. I went with the 15x as a compromise for deep sky as well as lunar. Good luck and clear skies.
Can you record a video of what the full moon and the Pleiades look like through these binoculars?
Recording video through binos is very challenging and not very informative.
Hi, andre from holland. The only thing I am scared of is if it really will give an perfect "round" image of a big bright star!!?? ( and not a double image or star with a strange shape) By the way, there is also a much cheeper 10x30 version maybe I will check that one.....or a normal telescope. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for watching. I find them to be a perfect supplement to my night of imaging. Actually going for a binocular observing certificate this weekend at a star party. Clear skies.
Hi Jeff, have you found solar filters for these binoculars?
Hello. I used these Baader bino filters for the annular eclipse. I have had these since the 2017 total where I used them with 10x50 Fuji binos. I would just build my own one piece for the IS if I didn’t have the Baader. They work, but it’s not a perfect fit.
www.astro-physics.com/asbf-60
How is it possible to see the Andromeda disk with a pair of binoculars? These must be really sharp and stable!
You can see Andromeda with just your eyes from a dark site.
@@jeffballphotothanks, I can only see a couple of stars, not a galaxy of them. But I'm sure if these binoculars were sharp, they might collect enough light to make more stars visible.
@@kavorka8855 treat yourself by going to a dark sky soon.
ok, you said what they cab do. all that equipment and no demo?
It is difficult to demo binoculars via video.
Hey Jeff, I have been looking to buy good pair of binoculars for astronomy observation, I have been going back and forth bw 25X100 orion giantview and monster parallelogram mount or these compact ones with great stabilization. Could you please advise please?
Hello and thanks for the note. For me, I setup 2 Astrophotography setups and don’t want to mess with a binocular mount. That is why I went with image stabilized. If Bino viewing is your primary viewing, I would get a larger aperture and bino mount. It’s all about how much gear you want to setup. Best wishes on your decision.
Canon price
$1249
Very expensive, you can buy a telescope for this price lol
Each has its own purpose.