Pete Hallock wrote:
> Canon 10x30 IS have just about a perfect exit pupil. Three millimeters is very
close to our daylight pupil size. Since we bird in daylight. So, with fleeting
peeks at a flitting LBB ( Birder talk for "Little Brown Bird"..there are
hundreds of different ones..), IS is desirable. However, for astronomy, at our
age, ( think..80 ) 10x50 are absolutely the best of all worlds when used for
astronomy. Our night time pupil size is 5mm maximum.
> A negative for the Canon 10x30 is close focus is not too "Close".Your point is
very valid, with 8x40 ( 5mm Exit pupil) just about a perfect candidate. Sure, it
is not all that simple as Barry and Edz point out, it is not just the exit pupil
we should consider. We see Celestron 11x80 for sale on AstroMart, and just
cringe. Wow, that, for our eyes, is an 8x55....<G>.
> CS,
> Pete

As someone who both owns the Canon 10X30's and other IS systems, is a
serious daylight user and an advanced observer of the night sky, the
Canon IS 10X30's offer a perfect platform of near perfect optics,
optimized pupil for both day and night for best image quality and
compatibility for most eyes, lightness, effective stabilization, battery
life, and durability for many uses around the clock.

There is no perfect optic system that will work best for all uses and
all people, the person who invents that will indeed be rich.

Regards,

Joe