New AX Visio 10x32 binocular (2 Viewers)

[John A Roberts]

Swarovski has just announced a new binocular with integrated electronics
(thanks to Ome Arie who first noticed this, and Wasabrot for linking to the details,
see posts #76 and 87 at: New Swarovski product announcement in January 2024...? )

It incorporates various electronic technologies, including those used in the dG 8x25 monocular.
The AX designation indicates Augmented Experience.
See more on the Swarovski site at: AX Visio




The electronic capabilities and the optical specifications are included in the attached Fact Sheet below.


John


p.s. Today’s announcement coincides with the start of the annual CES in Las Vegas (the world's largest consumer electronics event),
and the AX Visio will be available from 1st February 2024, see the press release at: SWAROVSKI OPTIK launches world‘s first smart binoculars

 

[Ted Y.]

Intriguing.

 

[John A Roberts]

Some details from the Fact Sheet:



Along with the basic tech data:

The main page on the Swarovski site states that the AX uses Swarovision technology including field flattening lenses.


And a rear view showing the control dial:

( . . . how many other binoculars have a squirrel on them )

 

[John A Roberts]

Some details of the controls from the multi language Instruction Manual:



Both it and the Technical Data sheet can be found by choosing the Products button on the the top right of the Swarovski site page,
then > Binoculars > AX Visio > Buy
and then going to the bottom of the page

 

[Pinewood]

Hello John,

I am digitally challenged and I have disagreements with my smart 'phone. I am also parsimonious, and I have a 'phone plan with a limited data allowance. However, it may very well be that leaving the optics in the binocular and putting the digital activity in a 'smart 'phone may be the way forward for a "digital" binocular system.
Additionally, I would not be comfortable with a 10x32 for general bird watching.

Stay safe,
Arthur

 

[grackle314]

Thanks for sharing. Looks like Swarovski Optik has made the AX Visio as an upgraded combination of the EL Range and dG. I look forward to some further field review details. Commonly on walks I use an NL Pure 10x42 with a Samsung S22 Ultra for Merlin and photos.

 

[etudiant]

Imho a binocular that actually takes decent pictures would be very attractive, even ignoring the auto ID features.
However, the inconsistency in the camera documentation needs fixing.
The claim is a 4K (3840x2160) image is generated using a 13 megapixel sensor, yet is also says the image produced is only HD (1920x1080), not 4K.
Typo or some data compression by the system?
Separately, do note the warranty is 3 years for the optics and 1 year for the battery, very different from current offerings.

 

[etudiant]

Some details of the controls from the multi language Instruction Manual:

View attachment 1552942

Both it and the Technical Data sheet can be found by choosing the Products button on the the top right of the Swarovski site page,
then > Binoculars > AX Visio > Buy
and then going to the bottom of the page

Thank you for posting this!
Swaro is leading birding into a new, digitally assisted birding era.

 

[Richard D]

Intriguing - if the optics are as good as the EL 10x32 and the camera produces decent images it might do well. The id side doesn't interest me, but others might be tempted there.

 

[Richard D]

Imho a binocular that actually takes decent pictures would be very attractive, even ignoring the auto ID features.
However, the inconsistency in the camera documentation needs fixing.
The claim is a 4K (3840x2160) image is generated using a 13 megapixel sensor, yet is also says the image produced is only HD (1920x1080), not 4K.
Typo or some data compression by the system?
Separately, do note the warranty is 3 years for the optics and 1 year for the battery, very different from current offerings.

Presumably it's 4K for stills but reduced to HD for video.

 

[Owlbarred]

If it works as intended and is durable, it's a big leap forward, an engineering tour de force with tremendous potential.
Only time and field use will reveal its practicality and worth.
At $5,332, it should shine your shoes and brush your teeth!
At 34 oz. with only 32 mm objectives, it's a heavyweight!

 

[etudiant]

Presumably it's 4K for stills but reduced to HD for video.

Thank you for the explanation.
Your thought makes sense, sending 4K video is pretty demanding.,

 

[tenex]

And when the armor starts to peel off a $5k instrument...

I won't want one, but admit this is genuinely interesting, where the DG was not. The real question is how the price aligns with the demographic that would want one, and how long the AX can persist in production (I'm dubious). It's hard to see how it would ever become more affordable, at least not from Swarovski, so if this is the future it will end up being made in China by someone else.

How did they ever keep this secret, with all the partners working on it for so long?

 

[Richard D]

And when the armor starts to peel off a $5k instrument...

I won't want one, but admit this is genuinely interesting, where the DG was not. The real question is how the price aligns with the demographic that would want one, and how long the AX can persist in production (I'm dubious). It's hard to see how it would ever become more affordable, at least not from Swarovski, so if this is the future it will end up being made in China by someone else.

How did they ever keep this secret, with all the partners working on it for so long?

I think if the electronics prove successful then there will be other firms reverse engineering it and putting similar features in cheaper binoculars. There must be a large market for something with optics on a par with the current mid-range binoculars from China with a camera feature, at a much cheaper price.

 

[wllmspd]

“20 programming languages were used to teach the AX Visio how to provide the best possible support for wildlife observation”.
Not sure if this is a good thing or not? Will be interesting to see where and how the ID is done.

Peter

 

[Canip]

Swarovski has just announced a new binocular with integrated electronics
(thanks to Ome Arie who first noticed this, and Wasabrot for linking to the details,
see posts #76 and 87 at: New Swarovski product announcement in January 2024...? )

It incorporates various electronic technologies, including those used in the dG 8x25 monocular.
The AX designation indicates Augmented Experience.
See more on the Swarovski site at: AX Visio

View attachment 1552933
View attachment 1552934

The electronic capabilities and the optical specifications are included in the attached Fact Sheet below.


John


p.s. Today’s announcement coincides with the start of the annual CES in Las Vegas (the world's largest consumer electronics event),
and the AX Visio will be available from 1st February 2024, see the press release at: SWAROVSKI OPTIK launches world‘s first smart binoculars

This looks interesting, but I remain sceptical for the moment. Seems like Swarovski acknowledges the fact the its dG was not successful (according to a leading Swiss optics trader, the dG was Swarovski‘s worst flop in years), and they now bring a device with binocular instead of monocular design and better camera etc, but I don‘t know any local birding groups that will want to use the digital connection capability for their group outings and can afford such a thing.

I could be wrong, of course, and I do wish Swarovski full success with this innovation. They seem more innovative than the other alphas, at least.

 

[Birdister]

I struggle to see who this is for. There is no appeal for hunters (who are a huge market for Swarovski) and so the target market is restricted to nature enthusiasts. 99% will either not need the additional functionality, or will be put off by the weight (more than 1kg), or the cost (almost £4,000). This leaves a small group of people who will simply buy something because it is really expensive, but how many of them are there?

As has been said above, this seems to be a rebooted version of the dG monocular, which was not a particular success. I have never seen one being used in real life, and used monoculars in excellent condition are selling for half the RRP (Used Swarovski dG 8x25 | 5* | 1017111| London Camera Exchange -Guildford).

I think this was a real missed opportunity to bring image stabilisation to alpha-level binoculars. If you produced a binocular with the optical properties of an EL, or even an NL, with image stabilisation, you would suddenly render all other alpha-level binoculars obsolete. And there would be people, assuming the warranty was sufficient to give reassurance, who would willingly pay £3,000 to £4,000 for a product like that.

 

[exup]

Cue the IS debate regarding batteries, electronics, weight, ergonomics, etc.
......and this device does not seem to have any image stabilisation, all for a bargain price

.

Swarovski dealers must have big windows!

 

[Richard D]

I think the key to success will be how good the camera is, not the id functionality.

 

[wllmspd]

If the field of view is the same as the binocular then the optical speed of the camera will be quite low, so motion blur might be an issue. We’ll see how it does soon, particularly on confusion species. Given how subtle the differences can be between species…. Eg gulls and waders, looking forward to experiences by experts.

Peter