Canon 8x20 IS specs and field of view

The Canon 8x20 IS has a 345 ft (at 1,000 yd) field, or 6.6 degrees, in a 14.8 oz body. Close focus is 6.6 ft.

Field of view: 345 ftat 1,000 yd
Eye relief: 13.5 mm
Close focus: 6.6 ft
Weight: 14.8 oz
Exit pupil: 2.5 mmcalculated

Why pick it

Focuses as close as 6.6 ft
Image stabilized

8x20 IS: width of view at 1,000 yd.

Who the 8x20 IS suits

The 8x power and wide view make it easy to find moving subjects, and the 14.8 oz weight suits a pocket. Exit pupil works out to 2.5 mm.

A 20 mm objective and a 12.6 twilight factor limit it in low light, and its 13.5 mm of eye relief is short.

8x20 IS is one choice among many, and the top binoculars compared covers the most popular ones.

8x20 IS specifications

8x20 IS figures as Canon prints them; rows marked * are calculated from the 8x20 size.

8x20 IS specifications
Magnification	8x
Objective lens	20 mm
Prism type	Porro
Field of view	345 ft at 1,000 yd (115 m at 1,000 m)
Angular field of view	6.6°
Apparent field of view	49.5°
Eye relief	13.5 mm
Close focus	6.6 ft (2 m)
Weight	14.8 oz (420 g)
Length	5.6 in (142 mm)
Width	4.6 in (118 mm)
Image stabilization	Yes
Exit pupil	2.5 mm *
Twilight factor	12.6 *
Relative brightness	6.3 *

* Calculated from the size, not printed by the maker.

8x20 IS against other 8x20 binoculars

8x20 IS shows 345 ft at 1,000 yd, at or above the 345 ft median of the 3 8x20 models in the chart. At 14.8 oz it is heavier than the 9.5 oz median for the size.

Nikon 8x20HG L DCF357 ft
Canon 8x20 IS345 ft
Leica Trinovid 8x20 BCA340 ft

8x20 binoculars by field of view at 1,000 yd, widest first, from the makers' figures.

8x20 IS and its nearest rivals

8x20 IS next to the 8x20 models closest to it in maker list price, with the best figure in each column in bold.

Model	Field of view	Eye relief	Close focus	Weight	Exit pupil
Canon 8x20 IS	345 ft	13.5 mm	6.6 ft	14.8 oz	2.5 mm
Leica Trinovid 8x20 BCA	340 ft	14 mm	9.8 ft	8.3 oz	2.5 mm
Nikon 8x20HG L DCF	357 ft	15 mm	7.9 ft	9.5 oz	2.5 mm

Other sizes of the Canon IS

Canon makes the Canon IS in 10 sizes; a larger front lens adds brightness and weight, and more magnification narrows the view.

Model	Size	Field of view	Eye relief	Close focus	Weight	Exit pupil
Canon 8x20 IS	8x20	345 ft	13.5 mm	6.6 ft	14.8 oz	2.5 mm
Canon 10x20 IS	10x20	279 ft	13.5 mm	6.6 ft	15.2 oz	2 mm
Canon 10x30 IS II	10x30	315 ft	14.5 mm	13.8 ft	21.2 oz	3 mm
Canon 10x32 IS	10x32	315 ft	14.5 mm	6.6 ft	27.5 oz	3.2 mm
Canon 12x32 IS	12x32	261 ft	14.5 mm	6.6 ft	27.5 oz	2.7 mm
Canon 14x32 IS	14x32	225 ft	14.5 mm	6.6 ft	27.3 oz	2.3 mm
Canon 12x36 IS III	12x36	287 ft	14.5 mm	19.7 ft	23.3 oz	3 mm
Canon 10x42 L IS WP	10x42	342 ft	16 mm	8.2 ft	39.2 oz	4.2 mm
Canon 15x50 IS All Weather	15x50	237 ft	15 mm	19.7 ft	41.6 oz	3.3 mm
Canon 18x50 IS All Weather	18x50	195 ft	15 mm	19.7 ft	41.6 oz	2.8 mm

8x20 IS questions

8x20 IS: does it work with glasses?

8x20 IS has 13.5 mm of eye relief, well short of the 16 mm the RSPB advises for people who wear glasses.

8x20 IS: what does 8x20 mean?

8x20 IS magnifies 8 times through 20 mm front lenses, which works out to an exit pupil of 2.5 mm, the width of the beam of light that reaches each eye.