The 15x magnification is high powered for a monocular and would be suitable aviation and observation. I currently have a pair of the 10x40 Swarovski poro prism binoculars and many others of various sizes.

If binoculars with inferior image quality are used for an extended period of time, the user will tire easily and may even become sick. This "crime" is on par with Kowa's stubbornness in sticking with very poor/uncomfortable eyecups on their premium Kowa Highlander Prominar BT despite having much more comfortable replacement eyecups. Of course they are the brightest with their 60mm objective lenses and arguably also the sharpest of the three. I tried a few dimmer NGC clusters, but the light pollution in my backyard was a limiting factor, so I stuck with the brighter Messier clusters for the most part.They provide unique and unachievable by other means observing experience, combining steadiness of mount-stabilized binoculars with complete freedom of hand-hold experience. The steadiness, sharpness and contrast I am accustomed seeing in APO refractors, but not in binoculars, until now. This is Canons exclusive optical design with two field-flattener lenses, lenses which are normally reserved for high-grade binoculars. This IS offers faster reaction times, which I am sure sport spectators and bird watchers would appreciate, but for astronomy I would rather go with group two for cost, weight, and size savings, or with group one for aperture, power, and UD glass. While it certainly wasn't a game-breaker for me, it was easier to see in the 18x when I went looking for it.

No, the IS is not rock steady in a standing position (but certainly an improvement still), but when I sit down or recline in a chair and brace my elbows, it is steady enough to see details that otherwise would be lost in the shakes.

High quality, all weather 15x binoculars with Canon precision optics and optical Image Stabilizer for superbly sharp, steady, comfortable view in harsh conditions or marine environments. I was a bit warried because reports on the larger Canon IS models are mixed but IS works like a charm.