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Hi, I'm trying to find Binoculars with built-in camera (1 Viewer)

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I'm going to move your thread to the Binocular sub-forum and you will be notified if someone posts a suggestion.
 
Amazon and the like have many such devices and they are all frankly terrible and should be avoided. Poor quality binoculars attached to a poor quality camera.

There have been a couple of attempts to make a better quality product none of which have been particularly successful, the only one on the currently on the market is the Swarovski dG, a monocular and camera hybrid.

There is a thread discussing it here https://www.birdforum.net/threads/swarovski-dg.386706/

Canon make a camera that can be used like a monocular the Powershot Zoom

There is a thread discussing it here https://www.birdforum.net/threads/canon-powershot-zoom-monocular.395775/
 
Hi,

yeah, a superzoom camera is is probably a better buy. Take one with a decent electronic viewfinder if you want that "looking through the instrument" feeling

The main selling point (at least for some) of the Swaro dG is integrated Merlin Bird ID app, so you can look through it, snap a picture and the device gives you an ID. Otoh the Merlin App is also available for smartphones and if you have an app to connect to your camera on there too, you can also quickly snap an image and feed it to Merlin picture ID on the smartphone if needed...

The Canon one seems to be similar image quality wise, just without the Merlin app (and w/o the Swaro size pricetag).

Joachim
 
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I, too, agree with the superzoom route. I'm beginning to use my Nikon P900 more and more instead of my bins, particularly when I'm walking (hobbling) around.

I've managed to identify no end of distant birds that I was struggling with through my binoculars.
 
your best bet is to get a small lightweight DSLR with a lightweight lens. My current kit is a Nikon D5300 with 300/4 PF, and before that a Canon SL2 with 55-250
 
Hi good people!

Sorry if I am a little late to the party! I hope someone with a little experience can help me out with a little advice here.

I really like the concept of these devices mentioned above:

Swarovski DG
Canon Powershot Zoom

(I would like the Swarovski AX best, but right now that seems a little above my budget.)

I assume that the concept hasn`t been overly succesful, as both the DG and the Powershot Zoom seem to be taken off the websites of their producers, but I really like the concept and consider buying one.
I find both on ebay or other sites (new or demo versions from photo stores and the like).
The DG is 3-4 times more expensive.

Here is my question: If the DG is more expensive, where is the difference? Will I miss something when I buy the cheaper one?

Why I like them? I want to carry them with me on hikes and quickly identify the birds and other animals I encounter.
I don`t at the moment have high aspirations as an ornithologist or as a fotograph - for me it is just something that can make hiking more fun as an aside.
Maybe I will get hooked and want to do more serious birding once I get the taste? I don`t know, but right now these instruments seem like really clever entry level devices for me.
They seem very expensive for that purpose, but I might still do it - I don`t really understand the difference, though, and I can`t find a direct comparison.

(I understand why the Swarovsvki AX is more expensive, with two oculars and more integrated software, but with these two, they seem similar to me).

Best regards and thanks in advance for positive replies!
 

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