wog, FWIW, Canon makes a 15x50:
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/c...-binoculars/15-x-50-is-all-weather-binoculars
They do not seem to list the weight or any other specs except eye relief..... they call them "All Weather"..... but don't say "waterproof" ......
... and they want a hefty pile of cash for them: $1699. Add $349 for a "service plan" that provides insurance for "unforseen accidents" and "excessive downtime" ......
Nope, they'll have to be rugged enough that I don't have to insure them against a ground level fall .....and have equal optical clarity to a non-IS binocular of similar make (which according to some of the reviews I have read, they do not), AND the cost has to come down...... which it will, no doubt: Anybody remember what the first clunky PC's cost? The first brick phones? Now there are phones that have many times more memory, computing power, a better screen AND a camera ..... (with no wires) ....than the first desktops .... and they cost very little in comparison.
I think someday, Binocular tech will be like that: the Binos of the future will combine IS, rangefinding, navigation and probably a camera ..... but even then, I'll have the skills to be able to hold them steady in field positions, because "It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."