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Dirt inside 10x30 IS (1 Viewer)

birdazzLED

Well-known member
Hello, does anyone know how to remove the covers from this bin? I want to clean the dirt that is inside. There is one screw on each side but there must be more hidden somewhere or a certain way to remove the cover. Thanks.1000009684.jpg1000009683.jpg
 
Beyond my skills for sure, but Henri Link published a very detailed cutaway of the Canon 10x42 here on BF some years back.
I've never seen anything similar for the 10x30, but it might give you some insights about how Canon builds these.
That aside, these things apparently are a bear to fix, it took Canon service several tries to solve a problem with my 10x42.
So be prepared for an arduous task. Hopefully the results will be worth the effort.
 
Unless it's really a lot of dirt, I'd refrain from trying to open a 10x30 (or, for that matter, any other stabilized binocular). Chances are it won't work as designed afterwards. Some dirt doesn't really influence the image that much, if at all.

Hermann
 
Vogel has a YouTube video taking apart a Canon 12x36 IS.

But he seems quite skilled, although does not have a collimator.

Unless there is a film of moisture on the inside lenses I would not attempt a repair.

If the dirt is out of focus or not seen I would leave well alone.

I bought a used 10x30, probably quite old and it works, but has bad moisture films inside.
I don't use it.
I would not buy a used IS binocular unless really cheap and really good.

My original 10x30 about 1999 still works O.K. but the 10x30 Mk2 IS has a superb stabilser, at least my sample, and is better.

It is not worth sending an old 10x30 IS to Canon, although an independent repairer may be cheaper.

If you have the skill needed then have a go, but it may end up worse than it is now.

Regards,
B.
 
Thanks for your replies guys. I don't know if it's dirt, battery acid, or something else. I can't see it when looking through it but the fact that it's there bugs me.

There are large chunks that move around. I tried using suction at the battery compartment but that did not work. These bins are in collimation and the IS seems to work very well. Both sides have this dirt.

They were "dirt" cheap.
 

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@birdazzLED If it's of any consolation, I've been using my 12x36 ISIII intensively as field binoculars for the last 3 years, many travels, many different habitats, loads of paths, nature reserves and what not, I really like them and enjoy using them, they give me so much detail, it's just great. But for over a year now they show a worrying amount of dust inside.

Canon1236Dust.jpeg

Mind you, even though it may not look like it, the lenses have just been cleaned and when looking at them at an angle, look like brand new in terms of lack of scratches or damage... (same lens, different angle).

Canon1236Dust2.jpeg

This is one of the reasons my next IS will be sealed, most likely a Kite 12x30 :)
 
I had my dirty fingers all over the lens. It looks much better than pictured but there are those chunks that I can't see looking through normally.
 

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