1185 g clean w/battery (56g), 1698 g (it always sounds more precise the more digits other than zeroes you have) w/ bag, charger and the lot (straps and covers). About 200 g more than my 100-400 mm (M4/3) telezoom. Add another 660 (actually 658) g for the camera house. Binos (Curio) and spotting scope would be along anyoldhow.
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New AX Visio 10x32 binocular (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter John A Roberts
- Start date
tenex
reality-based
Even in terms of identifying field marks on a perched bird, Merlin/Visio is merely trying to do the job for its user rather than teaching them how to do it themselves. Isn't that what all these complaints come down to -- assuming they will then have no incentive to get around to learning that?
Thus map skills are dying off..... If I give my wife a map, she has the skills to use it and read it and navigate. If I give one of my sons a map, they don't know what to do with it since they have relied solely upon GPS in their adult life. So the skills die off.
Same here with this binocular. I have the skills to ID the bird and the knowledge of 'how to do this' without that binocular telling me. But future generations will lose the knowledge I bet. They will take advantage of the binocular for ID purposes and lose the cognitive skill we possess now.
What exactly will the birding hobby be at that point? We go on a walk, hold up our binoculars and let the app tell us what we saw, and we move on. ( I know....a bit overstated but you get the broad point I am sure)
Exactly the same as Wikipedia, Google, bing, etc: you don't need to know anything, it's all there (but not necessarily correct, and absolutely prone to corruption). Which is why you need the basic reading, writing, logic, general knowledge, mathematics physics, arts etc knowledge and skills before you use your crutch: the PC and www. All electronics are aids, not replacements of knowledge. I still happily remember the readout on my Decca navigator (early 90-ies, we'd just been introduced to using GPS in the Gulf): I was sailing my 28 foot 1977-model Smiling at a speed of 43 knots at 325° south. Not quite right, that, but you still have "navigators" who set a course by gps and stick to it. As does the "navigator" sailing in the opposite direction...
An electronic AID to navigation is just that, as is an electronic aid to birding (and all the other stuff you can do with a pair of binos with an acceptable camera and wonderful optics (and a GPS). Go read a book (sorry, I quite forgot, a book/field guide is a printed guide to... And as such replaces ...)
Per
Optics are said to be NL Pure-based (Acc to Swarovski at presentation).
Nobody (or very very few rich people) are buying a Swarovski binocular to do that. They cost more than a second hand car.
Nobody is dropping that to constantly be told ‘that’s a Robin’ on their walk.
It’ll be good for record shots. It’ll be good for ids of fleeting birds in totally new to you locations. Those are not casual birder things.
I kind of get your point about map reading skills but also skills do get made redundant. My dad was a lot better with a slide rule than me. Doesn’t mean he got more important calculations right
I have no intention of getting this. When I got my swaros the price meant I’d be keeping them for a long time. But most of the responses to them are just ‘kids today,,,’.
dalat
...
I somewhat agree on what you say on maps. But then, GPS and digital maps have brought such incredible progress and undeniable benefits, our kids being less great in reading paper maps seems to be a very acceptable price to pay for that (that said: my 10 year old daughter enjoys looking at maps and drawing up her own maps, so not all hope is lost).
But the Swaro Visio is just a toy and birding is just a hobby. So indeed, some people will actually do as you describe. But so what? A few dudes walking around and trusting their expensive Swaro telling them what they saw will not affect how you do your birding. Its you who define what the hobby is to you and which toys you are using for it.
Näh, sorry, I would ridicule myself dancing before a camera. And dancing insn‘t what helps here
Try the following: grab the Visio and hold it firmly in one hand. Now swing that hand in front of your body, drawing a horizontal „8“. Repeat twice. Then do the same vertically.
This method is recommended for many devices with a built-in electronic compass, including your smartphone. It generally works quite well.
Doing this gets me a much better result with the Visio compass. It‘s still not high precision, but I get direction within a few degrees, say 3-5, instead of the 20+ degrees aberration that I get immediately after turning on the Visio.
jan van daalen
Well-known member
Per and Kimmo,
This time a query from my side:
The bird ID program of the Visio takes a photo each time you press the button to identify a bird (whether or not the Visio can actually identify the bird in question), so you can later use that photo for all purposes.
Is there a difference between the photos taken with the photo program and the photos taken with the ID functionality?
As far as I can see, both „types“ of photos are of same size and similar shutter speed etc.
Do you therefore use both functionalities or just the ID program?
Canip
This time a query from my side:
The bird ID program of the Visio takes a photo each time you press the button to identify a bird (whether or not the Visio can actually identify the bird in question), so you can later use that photo for all purposes.
Is there a difference between the photos taken with the photo program and the photos taken with the ID functionality?
As far as I can see, both „types“ of photos are of same size and similar shutter speed etc.
Do you therefore use both functionalities or just the ID program?
Canip
Same as my impression. Seems to be the same in terms of exposure, cropping etc. Only difference is I don't have to wait for the AI to finish thinking.
So a highly probable "yes" to both, and when looking for birds I have so far used the bird ID setting, but sometimes just "snapped" a photo (without waiting for the AI) for later diagnostics: I still use mind and field guides! Still early days, it takes getting used to (and better temperatures than we have now, this week has been in the -20ies).
My experience es well.
Just another tip, for whatever it‘s worth (I may post collected tips at a later time):
When you get the Visio, ir displays bird names in English. I was trying to change that in the Swaro Outdoor app, without success.
But you can go into to Merlin app when connected to the Visio; in there, you can change the display language.
In the image info on the smart phone for each photo taken with the Visio (size, shutter speed, EV etc), the language remains English.
When you get the Visio, ir displays bird names in English. I was trying to change that in the Swaro Outdoor app, without success.
But you can go into to Merlin app when connected to the Visio; in there, you can change the display language.
In the image info on the smart phone for each photo taken with the Visio (size, shutter speed, EV etc), the language remains English.
I was told there would be another update on its way that would solve this.
You may well be right. It has many similarities with the EL Range 10x32
Swarovski in fact told it‘s distributors that the optics are from the EL SV.
Another thought/question to Per and Canip,
It seemed that the information about the probability of the accuracy of the ID is lost on the stored pictures. At least I did not find it in the photos once they were in Outdoor or Merlin. I thought it would be very useful in learning to use the Visio in the most productive ways if one could see whether ID had been 1-24, 25-49, 50-74 or 75-100% confident when analysing photos afterwards. Now it only says no ID or gives the species.
If this is indeed lacking, maybe it could be brought in by software update.
It seemed that the information about the probability of the accuracy of the ID is lost on the stored pictures. At least I did not find it in the photos once they were in Outdoor or Merlin. I thought it would be very useful in learning to use the Visio in the most productive ways if one could see whether ID had been 1-24, 25-49, 50-74 or 75-100% confident when analysing photos afterwards. Now it only says no ID or gives the species.
If this is indeed lacking, maybe it could be brought in by software update.
dalat
...
Is the probability shown in the binocular?
