Larry--thanks for this info. I just spent a little time comparing different makes of IS binocs, and Fujis seem to get rave reviews. I love the idea of these, tho' I'm wondering if we would use them after we get over the new-toy fun factor. They seem to be awfully big and heavy. (In a perfect world, we could rent/borrow some for a week to try out.)

I'm curious about the lag ......does that annoy a lot of people? I saw several references in reviews to using them for birding, but I would think the lag would be problematic for that purpose. And if you just grab them to take a quick look at something without hitting the IS button, do they function like regular binocs? Or do you keep a traditional 7x50 next to the Fujis and grab whichever is appropriate to the task?

I'm also wondering if anyone knows where this technology is heading.....in other words, is this a case where procrastination pays off in the form of smaller, lighter, cheaper versions in another five years?