Celestron VistaPix 8x30SD Digital Camera Binoculars with Memory Capability

Rating:
Summary: **NOT** a birding binocular or a birding camera
Review: As a birder who has owned quality optics (i.e., Bausch & Lomb Elite, Swarovski, Kowa, and Leica), in my opinion the Celestron VistaPix pales in comparison. It feels and performs more like a toy than a quality binocular - which is not too surprising given the approx. $150 price tag.

First, the eyecups are not sufficiently deep so that I cannot rest the binoculars against my eyes to resolve the two circles of light into a single view; it is already difficult enough to hold them steady without having the benefit of steadying them against myself. Second, the focus wheel is unnecessarily small and the wheel does not rotate evenly, so that the binoculars jerk side to side while focusing. Third, the strap is nothing more than a cheap string reminiscent of a camera strap on a free give-a-way camera. Moreover, the strap is clumsily attached near the center-top of the binoculars which gets in the way of focusing the binoculars and navigating the camera controls. The strap length and placement also cause the binoculars to hang awkwardly, protruding forward and bouncing with every stride - it should have been apparent to the designers that the strap should be attached to the binocular's outer edges (as it is in ALL binoculars). To add insult to injury, the strap is permanently attached so that you cannot replace it with a quality neckstrap. The bottom line is that, in light of Celestron's better quality line of binoculars, Celestron clearly can do better.

Most limiting on the camera side for birding purposes, the VistaPix has a fixed focus so that only objects farther than 50 feet will be in focus. This minimum focus, at 8x, is practically useless for photographing birds other than pterodactyls (or ostriches, rheas, emus, cranes, storks, albatrosses, etc). Photographing sparrows or warblers yielded photos of unidentifiable blips. Also limiting is the fixed shutter speed with resulting blurry images when trying to photograph birds (which are typically moving). Given that even some disposable cameras have an optional setting to capture fast action, the VistaPix should give the photographer some flexibility. In addition, it is difficult to hold the camera steady enough to obtain sharp images - I cannot imagine how the 10x version can ever be hand-held for photography. The technological solution is probably image stabilization - even a rudimentary form of image stabilization would be immensely helpful. With image stabilization, 10x magnification would be preferable especially if the minimum focus remains no better than 50 feet.

Last, but not least, is there any excuse for a digital image of less than 3 megapixels in this day and age? In sum, I would prefer a product that is twice or thrice the price, and is commensurate in quality so that the end-result is truly useful for birding and photographing birds.

Rating:
Summary: Nice binoculars with the added bonus of a camera
Review: First off, these are a quality pair of binoculars. They fold up nice and small and fit into the included nylon pouch along with the USB cable and neck strap. They swing open to adjust for interpupilary distance, and then are focused using the barrel adjustment on the top of the unit. There is a diopter adjustment that would come in handy if your vision is different in each eye. Looking through the lenses shows nice full circles of light, belying the quality prisms within. The digital camera features seem to be a bit of an afterthought; 1.3 mega pix is a bit wimpy for a main camera by today's standards, but that said photos can come out pretty nice with some practice and understanding of the limitations. It is difficult to hold the binoculars steady enough to take a sharp photo over long distances, so you will have to brace yourself or lean on something. There is a screw adaptor on the base of the unit to accept any common camera tripod. The controls are very simple, and after a few minutes it is easy to learn to operate them without looking so you shouldn't have to fiddle with the camera while trying to focus on your subject. The camera will not pick up enough light to take good photos at night; that is to say that the resulting photo will not look as good as what you saw with your dark-adjusted eye. These should be perfect for daytime terrestrial photography however. The SD card and camera are mass-storage compliant, and came up without a hitch on Mac OS X, Win XP, and Redhat 9.
The camera includes a timer feature and a video capture feature, and a simple editor that will allow you to delete the last photo taken or format the memory card. There is no facility for previewing photos through the binocular unit itself.
There are a few annoying things about this unit. There is a 90 second timeout, after which it will beep and shut off power in order to save batteries (2-AAA's). These do seem to chew up batteries more than you would expect them to. Also they will beep for confirmation every time you turn them on, take a photo, or switch menus. It would be nice if it was possible to disable the beeping or at least turn down the volume. The camera does not seem to photograph at the same magnification as the main objective. There is a slightly larger field of view on the camera image, it seems more like 8x25 than 8x30. Overall a nice set of binoculars for nature or daytime terrestrial viewing, with the added gimmick of a rudimentary digital camera for impressing your geek friends and photographing birds / celebrities / neighbors for future recall. Hours of fun and entertainment. :)