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New AX Visio 10x32 binocular (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter John A Roberts
- Start date
#2 granddaughter had two Bengals, one got old & died.
I never met them, but I gather they can be a challenge.
Grandson-in-law built them a nice outdoor “cat house” with an enclosed walkway into the house. They live in Virginia, so the climate is milder.
Close to 1100 grams? You must be joking
With neckstrap and eyecaps (I don‘t use the objective cover), it‘s more like 1300 grams (adding the objective cover, you end up at 1340 grams), so a lot more than with your usual 10x32 bino.
For me not an issue (I often carry larger binos anyway), the ergonomics are satisfactory and handling is easy. Plus the elastic neckstrap is more comfortable than the one on some other Swaro binos. Once in the field, you forget about the weight anyway and focus on getting some proper images of birds.
But I am sure many here will find the weight an issue (I think I refrain from repeating my remarks in an earlier post about people’s lack of fitness which made some forum members angry
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As Canip writes, it weighs in a good 1300+ grammes with all the trimmings, more than a "normal" bino, less than camera with tele, and not something that bothers me.
Getting familiar with it, the weight has not been an issue (my opinion), it is a nice piece of kit.
Hi from north east England ,
These new binoculars from Swarovski with integrated electronics seem very interesting however I can’t seem to justify the price considering what’s inside GPS compass 13 megapixel camera ,I was wondering how good they will be, how close you have to be to get an ID,sharpness focus ect ,I am new to birding and was thinking of buying a pair of Swarovski NL binoculars or Zeiss maybe ,what would anyone recommend? Are there other ways to ID birds with phone or digiscoping ?
It is basically a camera and bino combined with a computer, gps and communication (not voice), so the potential is there. And it is repairable, which means most electronic bits can be physically upgraded with time, as well as the AI. And it has open "slots" for third-party script.
I'm optimistic. But, as I have mentioned, the learning curve is steep but long😁
dalat
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Get a good binocular (doesn't need to be the most expensive one like Swaro or Zeiss, but why not) and a book (Svensson). That's the minimum equipment you need.
You can also get yourself a camera (for starters a bridge like Panasonic FZ300 or Nikon P900 is ok) and then try identification of birds in the pics by looking up your field guide, asking questions on birdforum and using the Merlin ID app on your phone. Digiscoping with a binocular is not very practical. It works fine on a scope though...
Thanks for reply ,great advice ,I used to be into photography sold all my equipment years ago now I’m thinking of getting back into it and I have a new subject Birds ,😁, so I was thinking a decent scope and good pair of binoculars and attach phone to scope or better still a camera to it or would I be better with camera and lens with x1.4 converter maybe ,these new Swarovski AX bins are very expensive and it’s just the price putting me off ,for same price you could get a decent scope or Nikon Z8 or something.
Jason Bugay Reyes
Well-known member
Z8 + decent scope + tripod + tripod head + digiscoping adapter for your Z8 + memory card + short lens etc might be the same price with single AX Visio
Sounds like a nice set up ,So say the Zeiss Harpia 95 ,you could actually attach a camera or phone to this optic and get decent images /video ?
Jason Bugay Reyes
Well-known member
Yes and same goes to Swarovski, Kowa and Nikon scopes
That picture is pretty clear ,would like to see what this AX can do , not many people have a pair yet with being such a new product
dalat
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Yes, digiscoping (phone on scope) works fine for record shots of stationary far away birds (waders, ducks on a lake, perched raptor, etc.).
Digiscoping is useless for moving birds, like passerines moving through vegetation or flying birds. For that you need a camera with fast autofocus and a long lens (cheapest usable option is a bridge camera). Or perhaps the Swaro Visio
Digiscoping is also not ideal if photography (getting beautiful fotos) is the focus. It's possible to get the occasional nice shot, but cameras are much better now for that, even at long distances.
So you need to make up your mind on what type of birding you want to do and what type of pictures you want to get. Either way, start out with a decent binocular.
Splendid advice.Yes, digiscoping (phone on scope) works fine for record shots of stationary far away birds (waders, ducks on a lake, perched raptor, etc.).
Digiscoping is useless for moving birds, like passerines moving through vegetation or flying birds. For that you need a camera with fast autofocus and a long lens (cheapest usable option is a bridge camera). Or perhaps the Swaro Visio
Digiscoping is also not ideal if photography (getting beautiful fotos) is the focus. It's possible to get the occasional nice shot, but cameras are much better now for that, even at long distances.
So you need to make up your mind on what type of birding you want to do and what type of pictures you want to get. Either way, start out with a decent binocular.
seawatcher
Well-known member
Good question. My money is on OM Systems being first out.
Mate you don't need an AX to go birding, no more than you need the latest whizbang gigapixel Canon or Nikon to do photography. OK, if you want to photograph birds in flight, you'll need a decent setup. But bird photography is a bit different to actual birding, ie finding and observing birds. For that, all you need is a pair of binoculars. Once you are familiar with all the common species, you'll often notice when a bird is different/less common - if you remember distinctive things about their plumage (what the birders call "field marks") or behaviour, you can check them up in a field guide or on the internet. It's a bit old fashioned, but works, and £3000++ in savings lets you do a lot of trips to build your experience.
The AX does some clever stuff, but essential it ain't.
Or less: i got a (not very) used Panasonic Lumix G9 with 100-400mm telezoom (micro 4/3 so equiv to 200-800mm in 35 mm) and a 14-140mm quite reasonably. An MM3 or MM4 scope at 60mm (or 50) with a zoom eyepiece is in my opinion a good starter, but there are lots of "views" on that matter in various threads. A good binocular is a must.
Cheers
Per
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