The Binocular Site
Capturing The Moment With Digital Camera Binoculars
Since the advent of digital cameras, having a single optic that combines the features of a digital camera and a binocular has been the dream of many. Being able to view a bird, animal, sporting event, or what have you, and simultaneously record with the touch of a button an image of what you are seeing would be a great convenience, as well as add to the enjoyment of a host of binocular-related activities. But while digital camera binoculars have been available in the marketplace for years, many have never really been more than gadgets, and have not kept pace with the technological developments of either stand-alone binoculars or digital cameras. That said, it is still possible to obtain a respectable digital camera binoculars that will provide both convenience and fun.
In modern digital cameras, there are two ways of framing a subject to record it as a digital image: viewfinders and digital single lens reflex (DSLR) systems. Viewfinders are the simplest design. Commonly found in small point-and-shoot cameras, viewfinders are small windows through the camera body, generally located above the lens, through which the user looks in order to frame the image of what will become the resulting picture. The image seen through the viewfinder does not change in response to focusing the camera or zooming in using the camera’s other controls. It is simply a portal through which to look in order to establish a boundary to the image. For this reason, most who use point-and-shoot digital cameras choose to disregard the viewfinder altogether in favor of the digital screen on the back of the camera which does show the image as seen through the lens as it is focused and zoomed.
DSLR provide the user far more control of the image recorded by the camera. Using a mirror to reflect the image seen through the lens directly to the eye of the photographer looking through the camera’s eyepiece, adjustments made to the camera, and the effects those adjustments will have on the resulting image can all be seen in real time. For this reason, professional photographers and most serious amateurs rely upon DSLR cameras for the vast majority of their photographic activities.
Ideally, the merging of a binocular and a digital camera would use a design similar to that found in DSLR cameras—allowing the image as seen through one eyepiece of the binocular to be the same as that which will be recorded by the camera. Due primarily to the complexity, and cost considerations in the development and production of such a product, such a digital camera binocular has never been released to the marketplace. Thus, digital camera binoculars employ a point-and-shoot camera aligned to the optical center of the image as seen by the binocular itself in order to record the image.
While this construction does have its limitations, it is effective in achieving the primary goal of the digital camera binocular itself—recording the subject being viewed through the binocular as a digital image. Note that this did not say “recording the image seen through the binocular.” The distinction is an important one as not all digital camera binoculars on the market employ a camera that provides either the same level or magnification or the same field of view as the binocular itself. For example, while the binocular component of a digital camera binocular might offer 10x magnification, the camera might only offer 8x magnification, resulting in the image recorded being very different from what the user originally saw.
Another point to consider in the choice of a digital camera binocular is that of pixel density. While point-and-shoot cameras have skyrocketed upwards of 10 megapixels, some digital camera binoculars have a combination of a small sensor and a low pixel density that renders them little better than the cameras commonly found in mobile telephones. Pixel densities lower than one megapixel are not out of the question in some digital camera binoculars, a level that does not lend itself to the production of images suitable for anything more than low resolution images to be used on websites.
Of course, like any digital recording product, memory is always a consideration. While most point-and-shoot digital cameras presently on the market employ some type of interchangeable memory card, usually an SD type, it is only recently that other types of digital cameras have done the same. Mobile telephone cameras have recently begun employing Micro SD cards to allow users to expand the recording memory of those devices, as have digital camera binoculars. Fortunately, the trend in digital camera binoculars is now leaning heavily in the direction of incorporating SD card slots into their designs to allow users to record far more images than the product’s own internal memory systems would commonly allow. But even in products that indicate an SD card slot is included, potential buyers should inquire as to whether there is a limitation on the size of SD card that can be used. While point-and-shoot digital cameras can commonly accommodate 8-gigabyte memory cards or higher, many digital camera binoculars with SD card slots are limited to using cards no larger than 1 gigabyte.
In terms of binocular manufacturers offering digital camera binoculars, there are three major brands from which to choose: Barska, Bushnell, and Celestron. Barska offers their 8x32mm Point N View 5.0 Mega Pixel Digital Camera Binoculars that features a flip-up viewing screen to review the images that have been recorded, and an SD card slot to expand the memory of the camera beyond its internal memory. They also offer a smaller 8x22mm Point N View model, as well as a 10x25mm VGA Binocam model, both of which lack either the flip-up screen or the SD card slot.
Bushnell includes five digital camera binocular models in their product line-up, making them the company with the largest selection of these products. Their Imageview line consists of four models: an 8x 30mm 2.1 megapixel model, an 8x30mm 3.0 megapixel model with a flip-up LCD screen, a 10x25mm model, and a10x 25mm model with an inset LCD screen. All Imageview models offer video as well as still image recording, and an SD card expansion slot. All Imageview models also incorporate an 8x magnification digital camera, including the 10x binocular models. In their Instant Replay line, Bushnell offers a single model—the Instant Replay 8x30mm. With a 5.0 megapixel resolution, SD card expansion slot, and Bushnell’s trademark SyncFocus™ system, this digital camera binocular is not only at the top of Bushnell’s product offerings in the category, it may very well be at the top of the category of digital camera binoculars across the market.
Celestron offers three models of digital camera binoculars: the VistaPix 8x22mm model, VistaPix 8x32mm 2.0 megapixel model, and the VistaPix 8x32mm 3.0 megapixel model. While the 8x22mm model is fairly basic, both 8x32mm models offer video, still image recording capability, and SD card expansion slots. The 3.0 megapixel model also offers a flip-up LCD viewing screen to enable users to review images and videos recorded by the camera. All offer an 8x magnification camera to match the 8x magnification of the binoculars.
As point-and-shoot digital cameras are now commonly found below the $200.00 price point, and as their manufacturers are continually increasing their pixel density, their magnification level capabilities, and their LCD screen size and resolution, it will be very interesting to see how effectively the manufacturers of digital camera binoculars incorporate some of these developments into the cameras used in their own products. Some have declared the digital camera binocular a dead-end product category that will soon be driven out of the market entirely by the point-and-shoot camera itself. This remains to be seen. For those who like the convenience of having both a binocular and digital camera incorporated into a single unit, and who are interested in the fun of simply recording something they saw and sharing it with others more than printing images suitable to hang on the wall, digital camera binoculars are still very viable and enjoyable products.
This article was written for The Binocular Site by John E. Riutta. To learn more about John please see his full biography.
