topic Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body in General Discussion

Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

lindaagee — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 21:09:44 GMT

Camera body is disgusting. These binoculars are not cheap and work well except for this problem which makes them unusable. This is a manufacturer's defect and in my opinion, Canon should compensate the customer.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

shadowsports — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 00:42:44 GMT

This eventually happens to all rubber/plasticized devices after years of handling.

The only way to fix is to have them recoated or dipped.... which is obviously not practical.

Those must be old or were not stored properly. This is what they look like when new.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

lindaagee — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 02:29:35 GMT

These binoculars are about 10 years old, very lightly used and always stored in the case. I've had lots of binoculars and cameras over the years and never had this problem. Will probably go with Nikon this time.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

Tintype_18 — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 13:55:50 GMT

Age will deteriorate things...me included. I have two bite alarms for fishing. Same problem as the rubber coating is sticky after nine years. I learned to live with it.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

Jeffbrew — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 18:58:34 GMT

Bad as these look, this is not a hopeless case.

I had the same problem and fixed them quickly and with very little expense and effort. You can see the details in another post I wrote. The fix is to spray-coat them with several coats of lacquer (from a can - Rustoleum for example). Place them on a board - objective lenses down to protect them - and protect the eyepiece lenses with bottle-caps. Don’t worry. The spray lacquer won’t harm anything else.
Give the binoculars about 4 coats of lacquer (do it outside!) about 30 minutes apart. A final coat or two after about a week is a good idea.
I did mine about a year ago and they are still fixed. I think they look kind of cool too, but maybe that’s just me.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

lindaagee — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 20:38:25 GMT

I did that and I can hold them without getting black sticky stuff all over my hands but they're pretty ugly.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

Jeffbrew — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 02:32:50 GMT

I hear you. I guess that's a price to pay for valuing function over form. Mine are kinda funky too, but having them back in good working shape is satisfying enough to make it all positive for me.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

jkzt1000 — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:18:09 GMT

I used rubbing alcohol and a lot of paper towels to remove the sticky layer on my dad's binoculars. Even touching them would leave black residue all over my hand. He had been using duct tape to try to hold them. Here's a picture after the cleaning:

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

creaser — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 15:56:25 GMT

I have exact same issue, it is nasty and makes them unusable. I would never have bought them if I would have known they are totally worthless after 10 years (shelf life). That is unacceptable.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

Stephen — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 16:03:25 GMT

These can usually be re-coated by our Factory Service Center. You just need to register the binocs on our site and send them in. If they're under warranty, it's covered. If they're out of warranty, there is a fee - the site will let you know what the cost is if it's out of warranty. Get started at canon.us/account

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

Tintype_18 — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 17:55:15 GMT

My binoculars are old but have been stored indoors, heat and A/C. Deterioration is an act of life. Same with my fishing alarms. Clean it off, spend $$$ to have it recoated, live with it.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

grtman — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 12:34:40 GMT

I've found another easy solution> UV light removes the stickyness. Put the binoculars under a UV lamp for 24 hours and the sides exposed directly to the light will be'dry' and not sticky,

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

stakeout — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:45:36 GMT

have had the 10x30is binocs for 15 or more years.. Canon will NOT make good on them.. the 'fee' you mentioned --what Canon wanted to charge me after sending them in-- was MORE than the binocs cost.. shame on Canon

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

carlman3 — Wed, 01 May 2024 19:56:30 GMT

Yep I learned the fee is over $200 so be prepared. If you had dropped them or had battery corrosion, or some other issue, I'd say it's worth it since a new pair is $500. According to the rep I spoke with, they pretty much refurbish to new condition by replacing a bunch of stuff. They don't just replace the exterior panels. I didn't get all the details but I was OK with refurbishing these to last another 20 years. I've had mine since 2004.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

carlman3 — Thu, 02 May 2024 15:25:10 GMT

I spoke too soon.... I got a new quote saying "new prisms" and not much explanation. The original agreed price was refunded and a new quote was given for $330. Now we are getting close to buying a new pair. Canon certainly has some arrogance. I asked to send them back, sticky but working like they used to... I have doubts about getting them back in good shape and Canon in general.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

Stephen — Thu, 02 May 2024 15:46:52 GMT

Hi there!
The first estimate was based on an initial examination. The cost was based on a "Standard" repair. Once a technician evaluated your binoculars, it was determined additional time and parts were required, thereby making this a "Major Repair," so a re-estimate was generated.
Your estimate reflects the change:

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

carlman3 — Thu, 02 May 2024 15:57:42 GMT

I would understand if the binoculars weren't in your possession for the first and second quotes. I'm now really worried about what I get back. They don't 'need' new prisms or really anything other than a non-sticky exterior. They are great binoculars and were working when I shipped them. If the repair is the same cost as a new pair, why not just offer a credit towards a new pair? It was this thread and your comment that there was a 'fee' that made me think this might work out. Instead, it's a situation where for the cost of a new pair, you'll make your perfectly working binoculars non-sticky. And btw, how long will the rubber exterior last on the repair? 90 days, maybe a year? Then buy a new pair? Just trying to make sense of this situation while being quite frustrated.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

luftweg — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 18:13:41 GMT

So, my question is: Has this issue been addressed for NEW issues of this model? I am strongly interested in purchasing these, but would like to know if there were revisions that will prevent the stickiness from forming in the first place.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

carlman3 — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 20:08:35 GMT

Yes, you're making the point I made pretty well here.. no explanation. The binoculars functioned perfectly, just had sticky panels. "prisms will need to be replaced" doesn't mean much to me. When they were returned to me, they worked fine. So not sure what the prism problem really was.

However, I was able to negotiate with Canon to get a replacement pair. It wasn't clear that's what they were doing and there were some emails and a few communication gaps. But in the end, I feel Canon did me right. The 'new' pair feels a little less 'solid' than the first pair but they work perfectly and aren't sticky. I still paid for the replacement, close to the original price quoted so I felt like it was a fair deal and I'm completely satisfied.

The trend here is there is a lack of transparency in communication. That seems to be a common theme with Canon. However, I like the products and the support works out in the end, so I'm pleased. This worked out a couple months ago... Just thought I'd reply here and finish this story.

Re: Canon 10x30 IS Sticky Body

AndyRuina — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 07:56:19 GMT

I had Canon IS II 12 x 36. They were black and gummy. I took a clean rag and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. I put the rag around my finger, squirted on some alcohol and rubbed. When finger was black I did it again on a clean portion. After about 50 times of moving my finger over, taking about half an hour, I got non-sticky binocs that look like those above. I folded rag to get into small spots. Maybe a tooth pick or Q-tip would have helped. But it went fine.