As an experienced brider (bird watcher to some) I've owned some of the world's greastest optics, the type of European "alpha-glass" that top tour leaders wear with pride.

I bought the Canon 12x36 almost 2 years ago based mostly on my respect for the Canon L lenses with internal stabilization that I use on a regular basis for bird photography. All I can say is... Wow!. These light-weight, high powered lenses have become my favorites in the field for wildlife observation, especially when viewing wild birds.

At first they took a little time to get used to. They really don't have the feel of a top-of-the-line pair of binos (they are somewhat darker than most and setting the eye-peices for your own interocular distance is a little strange compared to the roof prism glasses that many of us have become accustomed to), but they are what they are. These are not your daddy's binoculars. However, if you are looking for state-of-the-art high tech optics, look no further.

When a subject is focused you see the type of image shake that one would expect at 12x magnification. Then I depress that wonderful little button that activates the image stabilization feature. All of a sudden I feel as though I am now looking at the bird face to face, like I'm just THREE FEET AWAY! It's as if I was studying the bird in a book. I can see details and field marks that others only wish that they could. It has helped me to make some really tough indentifications for my life-list that I might not have recorded otherwise.

After being so pleased with the 12x I decided to buy the 18x50's. I've owned them both now for a while and I find that I take the 12x36's out much more often that the larger, heavier 18x. I highly recommend the Canon 12x36 for serious nature (and or sports) observation.

5 stars

I purchased the Canon 12x36 IS II's a year ago and they still work with the original batteries. At 23 oz they are not as heavy as my Canon 10x42L IS WP's and can hang from my neck much longer without feeling heavy. They have a sharp 60° AFOV and are the only 12x binoculars I would want to take for birding or any other outdoor use. They are not waterproof so when I want a waterproof IS binocular I just grab my 10x42L IS WP's. 5 stars

Though a little larger than is sometimes convenient, the quality of the image makes these binoculars worth carrying.

The stabilazation makes all the difference in the world - wouldn't be without it. 5 stars

I like to view the mountains from 4 to 30 miles from my house and these are perfect for this. The IS works great, without it, I would need a tripod to see what I'm seeing. Also great for moon viewing. 5 stars

I was thinking of geting the 10X version. It made more sense to have image stabilization with the 12X version and I could not afford the Nikon 14X.

I was happy to find out that the Canon 12X36 IS II takes AA batteries rather than the expensive 3 Volt Lithium batteries used in the older model. Everyone that had a look throught the Canon 12X36 IS II binoculars was impresed with the image stabilization. No regrets. 5 stars