Customer Reviews
Canon Delivers 
2008-05-08
Canon's 12x36 IS II Binoculars are well worth the investment. After lugging around an old 12x50 non-IS for 20 years, the Canon is lighter, brighter, better balanced and better contoured. The IS is impressive to say the least, and so easy a caveman could do it! Lots of Pros for this one. The only Con are the lens dust caps, or more accurately the eyepiece dust caps. We managed to lose one of them in the first half hour on the trail. They don't grip real well. Now when we use the binocs we carry them in their soft case at all times, leaving the caps behind in the truck so they don't get lost. Best binocs I've ever had, and I've had quite a few over the years. Can't go wrong with this one.
stabilized binoculars 2008-04-05
I love these binoculars. They are lightweight and have good magnification, a nice compromise. The optics are excellent and the stablization is rock hard. Very impressive. They arrived with a three year warranty, covers for the eye lenses, soft case and strap.
canon 12x36 is II binoculars 2008-01-15
These binoculars are by far the most superior I have ever looked thru. My brother the hunter purchased sawarski's some years back 10 power, they have very good optics (like mine) but they don't have the magic button!!! It's with this that the magic starts! Everything comes into prespective, as if you are standing there five feet away. The clarity of these canon's are the best for the money I paid, nobody could beat amazon's price! I have 7x25 wide angle, 10x50's, which I don't always use because of the shake at high power. Yes I know you have to take very good care of them and they use batteries, but I do the same with my other binoculars, as with my digtal camera. I strongly recommend these 12x36 for their weight, power, but most of all Image Stabilization. I took them to the 2008 sony open and was looking at the scorecard carrier's walking on other fairway's and relaying the info to my wife and friend (who's name, what their score was) following the ball was alot easier! It is great to look at stars at night, or the landscape during the day. I can hardly wait to get with my brother and compare!!!!
Fantastic binoculars 2008-01-07
I've researched IS binoculars for some time and finally took the plunge on these as a gift for my wife for Christmas. The IS features is great for bird watching. They're compact, reasonably light weight and the optics are really good. Definitely worth the money.
One Month Review 2007-12-22
I have enjoyed looking through some of the finer binos out there and was really taken back by the quality of the Canon 12x36 IS II binos. They feel solid and well made. The controls are well placed and the cups feel good. The IS button is well placed and comfortable to use. I wish it had a lock-on feature so I could move my hands around. Battery life seems reasonable to me. The case lacks padding, but this is a minor issue.
The size of the binos is a compromise between capability and size. They feel a little bulky, but this is expected with the IS feature. It is very easy to adapt to the feel of these binos and they balance well.
They provide a sharp and crisp image and the IS feature is amazing. It does not compensate for the larger hand movements, but does stabilize all the minor shakes that come from hand holding a 12x bino. I was even able to use them when moving in a car. It took some practice, but after some practice reducing the larger bumps I could easily read license plates hundreds of yards down the road. This feature is well worth having. I find that 12x makes viewing nature all the more enjoyable. After all, the purpose of a bino is to magnify detail and a 12x bino does it better than a 8x bino. When you see a steady 12x image and compare this to a slightly sharper brighter image of a top of the line 'alpha' bino, you might agree that the Canon IS with 12x makes more of a difference to your overall bino experience than the superior image of the higher end bino. To me it was not close.
Some have complained about them being dark and while I agree that they do not match up with binos costing $1500 and more. It is really not an issue for me. The fact that you have a 12x magnification is going to make them a little darker and they are not 42mm glass but 36mm which again means a slightly darker image. The coating are not on pare with the 'alpha' class binos, but for the vast majority of users this will not be an issue. Do not be misled these are bright binos for what they are and I find they work well in low light. They have a nice flat field and the details are sharp across the field.
Would I buy them again? Yes I would not hesitate to do so. This is a high quality bino with some trade offs, but overall for ~$500 it is a great, if not exceptional, bino value. The ability to have a steady 12x is amazing and takes the bino experience to a new level. I wish Canon would have included integrated front caps and I would have liked to have this pair waterproofed, but then the cost would increase.
Based on overall value I feel this bino deserves 5 stars.
Exceptional binoculars!!! 2008-07-08
This is our second pair--exactly the same, but this pair were a better price. If one uses binoculars and has never tried the image stabilizing product, you're really missing out. These are fantastic!!
Great product! 2008-06-23
I purchased these binoculars for my husband about a month ago, as a gift. He is thrilled with them. The distance, clarity and stability is outstanding.
You'll never go back... 2008-06-14
These things are simply amazing. Things are bright and sharp without stabilization, but turn it on and over about a second or two it settles in and... wow!. You can read small type on a distant sign that you just would not have been able to make out otherwise. It would have been sharp, but too shaky to read. Details on wildlife are totally distinct, it's almost like the binocs are on a tripod. It really is astounding, everyone that tries them is knocked out.
A couple other points: The brightness is completely fine in my book - I have had absolutely no issues in that regard, even at night. The eye relief is sufficient for wearing glasses, but I've never found binocs that really work for me with glasses on - I think I just prefer having my eyes right in the eyepiece. Also, the rubber eyecups need to be flipped/forced back to really work with glasses which isn't very convenient, and I feel they would eventually suffer from the wear. The eyecups on the Nikon, for example, twist into different depths which is a better way of adjusting. The overall size is pretty good, definitely not as small as a good standard pair, but not giant or cumbersome at all either.
I think this model is a great middle ground. Lots of power at 12x, good brightness, medium sized, and that amazing stabilization. I'd definitely buy them again.
Oh one thing I would add, these only focus down to about 19', so consider if that is an issue for you...
Cannon 12x36 Image Stabilization II Binoculars 2008-06-04
These are quite something. I gave them to my bird watching wife and she is very pleased. The Image Stabilization is almost like magic. She hasn't had them long but so far they have performed well.
Gift 
2008-05-11
I bought this item for my brother. I have not used it but he said it worked fine for him
