Review: Smart Binoculars - The AX Visio by Swarovski Optik
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- Опубликовано: 16 июл 2024
- Built-in camera and integrated bird identification are the most attractive features of this new device - especially for beginners and traveling birders.
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The only thing I really want from a smart binoculars is IMAGE STABILISATION.
good point - something I'm also missing from the big 3 of binoculars :)
...as long as the binos would stay slim and lightweight.
@@leanderkhil I have several lenses for my camera which have inbuilt image stabilisation and these are no heavier than older lenses without the function. Image stabilisation would probably be a lot less weight than the rather poor quality camera attached to these binos
@@petemulhearn7787 on camera lenses yes, but I see binos with stabilization (there are quite some out there), but they are always bulky (maybe not heavy necessarily) and the prime brands haven't done any so far
@@petemulhearn7787those have been around for 20 years already. That's on you for being an out of touch NPC.
I can see these things being used for a workshop setting or in a bird safari setting. As part of the safari company kit have 3 of these on board.
This is really cool!
Interesting binoculars, as a photographer I’m interested in this!!!
Those are so awesome l! I love your video bro lol
thanks for tuning in!
Cool tech, imagine would be amazing for small guided tours of nature reserves and such.
yes, for sure. Several phones can join the livestream for example - for group use this must be great when a guide shows and explains tings and people can follow and don't have to look through the scope after the guide. but I hope that people will still enjoy wildlife with their own eyes for most of the time and not from a phone screen.
Great review! For now this device doesn't fit in my birding needs (or budget 😅), but i could see how it can be used as a powerful educational tool for a beginner! Purchasing a single device that can record and ID your observation live may be more accessible to a beginner than having to buy scopes and camera separately.
educational purposes are certainly a very good use - making wildlife/biodiversity more accessible to people, especially to such who otherwise wouldn't pay too much attention (or open a field guide)! I think there's a lot of room for improvement and development of this series, but it's a good step.
Its a good start for AI binocular. However it will take time for the AI to improve with collective data and mature.
For the price they go, you can get a decent camera with a zoom lens of 150-600mm and still have left over money to buy more gear such as tripods, gimbal heads and you get the benefit of processing your photos before identifying them which can result in clearer pictures.
And yr option only weighs 10kg
valid thoughts, of course this solution packed in binoculars (as an ID aid) can be hardly compared to a full on camera equipment though. but I see your point.
When I took up birding for a couple of years (stopped 2 years ago but may start again) the frustrating thing was having separate binoculars, camera and smartphone with the Merlin app. This product may solve it, but it is way out of my range. The frustrations went away as I got more practice, mostly through "virtual birding" flashcards of images and sounds. Still it would be nice to have a binocular/camera combination that can communicate with the Merlin app on the smartphone in my pocket. The advantage is cost and as the user upgrades the phone, more processing power. Is there such a product?
Good idea though it does take away from those of us who have spent decades identifying birds correctly with no help. That's part of the fun for me anyway. I'd try this out though.
sure, that's an valid emotion to have with these new developments. but good field guides came around at one point and weren't available before. so no help is maybe not entirely true :) just the kind of help evolves.
nice stuff, but what about zooming in camera? how clear the magnification in still images?
the magnification is the same as on 10x binoculars, similar to a 500mm camera lens of full frame sensor.
Swarski should make smart sunglasses like the RayBan Meta, but with a better camera
Good they made a rechargeable battery BUT will this impact its water resistance? I’ve seen fujinon image stabilised binocs that have special battery compartment that isolates moisture. Also, the power button looks like it could be hit accidentally?
I can imagine a manufacturer making a camera with Bluetooth tethering to a smartphone that can preform the AI identifying process sometime in the future.
to my knowledge, it's waterproof as the other Swarovski Optik devices - but I can't find that in the specifications now - so a little unsure for the moment. will figure this out. the power button needs to be pressed several seconds to show an effect, I think that works fine. that's kind of what it is, or the predecessor (the dG) was, AI identifying birds for you and the phone connects through bluetooth. but the AX Visio has all the phone hardware built-in, so the bird identifcation now happens in the device and you only need the phone to download photos and videos.
Interesting. For clarity I meant a third party camera device you can attach to any binoculars, it’s possible just unlikely to make it to market. @@leanderkhil
How does focusing work on the camera side? does it 100% match the focus of bino? Like if the bird is hiding among the leaves and branches, is it able to focus camera just as easy as optics by rotating the focusing ring?
the camera focus (autofocus) works independently from the binocular focus (manual). I'm not sure how exactly the camera AF operates and which priorities it has (like closest object or similar). the camera AF takes the pre-focusing of the binoculars into account, so it will focus faster if the binos are focused. but you don't see what the camera AF is doing (if it focused correctly), because you're watching through the binos.
@@leanderkhil thank you, that's actually super-important information and it's worth being added to the review.
You basically buy a device for 4,5k USD and yet you have no idea if the photo you're making is actually focused on the bird 🤔
@@leanderkhil not goodif the camera operates independent from the binocular focus.
Major reason is if you see a bird in some bushes, and then the camera will not be able to focus on its own.
Do you have full resolution image samples?
i do of course but have no good way to use them here on youtube
@@leanderkhil upload them somewhere else, like imgur or something
How it's compared to NL Pure 10x42 (optics wise, not the AI)?
Great question. The NL Pure is my first choice but are smart binoculars preferable? I'm on the fence.
the optics are the same as EL10x32 - so very good, but not with the slight changes made in the NL series @@davidhunternyc1
Valuable information
thank you, glad you like it
I wish I could have but so expensive 😕
Does the camera support RAW format or only JPEG?
only JPG
While it is a cool product, I don't understand wich way Swarovski wants to go with this. The product is to expensive for beginner birders. For the birders that are well underway and wants to level up their game this is also a strange choice to make.
For example: for the amount of money that this machine costs (4600 euro) you can buy a VPA 2 phone adapter, a Cl companion 10x30, a ATC 17-40x56 or ATS 65 AND you still have some spare money left for a third party tripod.
the phone mount in combination with Merlin bird ID is used for determination of the birds without the beginner bugs AND I have 2 optical pieces to choose from to look at the birds.
Why should I buy this instead of all the products mentioned above?
Yes, while I understand that world class optics and innovation come at a price, I'm also not sure how large the group of people is globally who can/want afford this - but I'm sure Swaro did their thinking about this. Mostly I hope that this is another step to making such devices better and more affordable for more people in the future.
@@leanderkhilthat is the only option I can think about. new tech is expensive and becomes cheaper over time. so maybe with a couple of years, swaro releases a bino that costs around 1000,- with this tech inside. otherwise I think this product(line) gets a short lifespan.
It wont be 1000 ever@@kasperk679
I'm having a lot of trouble with my pictures.. most (90%) are worthless. They are mostly blurry, out of focus, any suggestions ?
i got better result after I understood to not press the shutter button completeley, but to first focus by pressing half way and then press all the way down to take a photo - the AF needs a bit of time.
Dont care about identification, the best part is the camera.
Cant even count of how many animals and birds i have missed a photo of just beccause it takes a few seconds to get the binocular down and the camera up.
The price is as usual extreme.
this isn't the right choice if your primary goal is photography. the built-in camera is there to enable automated ID suggestions.
I can't tell. Is this a game changer or are dumb binoculars still the best? We are so connected all the time. It gets tiring.
If you want to learn bird names the easy way because you're a beginner or traveling to a new place, without much looking into a field guide, and if you can spend the amount - it's a nice new, digitally enhanced way to look at birds. if you've been into birdwatching for a while, then smaller, more lightweight, less expensive binoculars, a camera and good books might be preferable.
It is only commercial thing,not vorthy any cent
Not for me .wrong magnification too much electronics to go wrong and outdated before it hits the shops .Swarovski please just stick to making great Optics. like the nl pure binoculars and the modular scopes .The weight of that thing is no good for hours in the field..just too much of a gimmick.
dumb.... we don't want more apps.
Post image samples otherwise just another worthless shill.
be nice or mind your own shill