It's big. It's heavy. But it does an awesome job. I have to carry this lens around for a whole day at a time, and by the end of the day it's tiring. But, it's the only lens that does what I need. Low light hand held, quality images. The f2.8 combined with IS mean I can handhold for just about all my shots. No blur even down to 1/60 second at full 200mm.The included lens hood adds a lot to the length, but it works very well. It's held in place with a simple "push and turn" lock, so it won't fall off, even if you knock the lens against something. It will also keep the rain off the front lens (unless it's being blown straight at you, but then nothing works, does it?)The autofocus has 2 settings. One for only when you are shooting at distance, and the other for closer work. I only use the longer setting. This is meant to speed up autofocussing if you know you will not be coming in close. Also, once you have locked in with autofocus, you can just turn the focus ring to over-ride autofocus. No fiddling with buttons on the camera, or having to always use manual focus (although that is an option). I frequently use auto to get close, then quickly adjust manually to get the final exact result I want.One negative is the minimum focus distance. From memory, it's about 1.4m (or about 4 to 5 feet). It's not a problem for me, but check this limit if you need to come in close.The tripod support bracket is easily removeable if you only do handheld. Saves a little on the weight, and also makes for a much easier lens to hold and operate.So, if you need a fast lens with good image quality, just get this lens. If size/weight/$$$ are issues, then look to the non-IS or f4.Happy shooting :)

The views are very clear and bright. I dont believe you will find a better set anywhere near this price. Im very pleased with the performance.They are huge binoculars though and heavier than I had imagined. I almost want to say that a tripod is a must because its nearly impossible to hold them steady enough to tell what youre seeing at night. The problem with the tripod though is that while an adapter is included and is fairly bulky/sturdy looking, it is not sturdy and allows the binoculars to wobble back and forth like a spring . I will be looking for some sort of metal tripod mount which should resolve the issue. I really wish the tripod adapter would have been made out of a material that didnt allow them to spring back and forth.As Ive said - the optics are great and especially at this price, you wont find a better pair for twice the money or more than twice. Just understand they are heavier than they look which makes viewing overhead in longer sessions uncomfortable without a tripod. Also keep in mind the tripod adapter included is not sturdy and you must use force to hold them onto the tripod to try to stabilize them some whereas other pairs Ive used did not have this problem and while the others would shift around while adjusting focus, etc - they didnt bounce around like these. The mount helps but its not much help.The focus knob is easy to adjust and is easily accessible. I can see where some reviews said its easy to move the focus on accident but for me, I move across the sky and frequently adjust it anyway. I didnt notice this as a problem. You can adjust these to fit your eyes and you can adjust the focus of each eye independently so that when adjusting the main focus, both eyes can see clearly if one eye isnt exactly the same as the other.

I just got it and so far so good. It doesn't focus very close, you need to be about two feet away from the subject. The color is a bit muted but it looks much better once you add some saturation and contrast. The video quality it excellent so far. I'm excited to see what it can do!

Works good up close. Any further than about 5 feet from the camera it can't focus.

I love that it gives great depth in close ups. You’re limited on how close up you can get because you can’t focus like a lens can. It’s more like a jewelers glass, you just have to find that sweet spot where it’s clear and snap.

Great camera struggles to focus on close up items if you are trying to show something to someone but otherwise an overall good purchase

This projector is one of the best purchase I have ever made in recent times. Being able to focus it when it’s either close or far away from where you’re projecting it is amazing.They should add in the description that in order to connect an iPhone to it you will need a lightning to HDMI cable.

I purchased a Canon FD to Leica M adapter in order to get some more use out of my 17mm Canon lens. I’m pretty impressed with it so far. It seems considerably better quality than the cheap imported adapters, and not as expensive as a Novoflex. The lens hooks up solid and it feels solid on the camera body. I will most likely try some of their other adapters as necessary.