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Mini-Review
Binocular - Digital Camera Combo Devices
Introduction Earlier this year, several discount retail chains, cameras store chains, and catalog companies began selling a small set of binoculars that also have a built-in digital camera. The concept sounded very good; a 5- 8X zoom pocket sized binocular with the ability to take photos as well. Though they are being sold under at least three different brand names, they look surprisingly similar to the eye, as well as their specs (most likely being manufactured for several companies by one maker). The price? From holiday sale prices of as low as $60.00 to around $140.00, in some catalogs. So is this a good holiday stocking stuffer, or a Christmas goose egg? Let's see...
Features This particular pair is branded as "Magpix", and offers a small focusing binocular with a total magnification of 5X. It's a little confusing, as the binocular portion of the device claims a magnification of 8X, yet the camera is only 5X. Hmm. It's very small, at approximately 3 1/2 by 4 inches, and can fit into a jacket pocket or purse easily. A neck strap, small storage pouch, pair of 2 AAA sized batteries to power the camera, software for photo downloading, and mini USB cable complete the kit.The "digital camera" which makes up the center of the combo device, is really a CMOS web cam style of camera, which yields lower quality images at a maximum of 640 x 480 pixels in size. Memory is internal, and allows you to store around 52 photos at the higher quality setting (a lower quality setting of 320 x 240 pixels is also available). The lens is a basic glass lens which can be seen between the two eye pieces on front. It is a fixed-focus camera, and it's "focus" is from 40 feet to infinity, so this is not something you'll use as an everyday digital camera - it's meant for sporting events, wildlife, or anything that requires a photo of an object at a distance.So far, the concept sounds good, right? Well, as many of us have learned, concepts are great until the actual product is built, and you then have to wonder where the minds were of the people who designed them. For example, you cannot bring your eyes all the way up to the binocular to view properly through it, because the battery compartment is too close to the front, hitting your nose before you can press your eyes against the view piece. You must "hover" your eye about 1/4 inch or so back in order to see. Had the two viewing "tubes" been designed for people who actually have noses, about 1/2 to 1 inch longer, this would not be an issue. You look through the device as best you can, and via a small shutter button hear the focusing ring, take your photo. A small black LCD tells you how many shots you have left to take. You can delete the last shot taken, or all shots stored in memory. Once you've installed the software, you simply plug in your "binocucam" (my term for these things) into your USB port, and can then download your photos into the included Ulead Photo Express software. For those a little more computer savvy, a "Twain" driver is included so you can directly download the photos from software you may already have which allows importing such as Paint Shop Pro.
Image Quality Then comes the all-important image quality. Is it worth the nose-in-the-way issue? Unfortunately not. A maximum pixel size of 640 x 480 will only allow for web photos and little more, as you really need at least a one megapixel image to produce a decent 4 x 6 inch print. Still, even with this smaller pixel sized photo, a decent lens and imaging system, should produce acceptable web photos. In this case, the "camera" fails. Objects in partial to full shade have a severe blue cast to them; the maker chalks this up to possible "compatibility issues" with Windows XP, however, those of us in the know realize this is simply a byproduct of a cheaper quality lens. There is a good bit of loss of detail on items such as grass, leaves, and hair. Bright sunlight hitting objects create complete "hot spots" on the subject, washing out details altogether.In other words, with some major adjustments and tweaking in an image editor, you might salvage some images for web uses. Out-of-camera however, I found them all to be pretty bad.
Final Words and Image Samples I've had the opportunity to use three of these combo devices, and the only different I've been able to find has been the brand name imprinted on them. Other than that, the imaging devices seem to be exactly the same. I should note that "Pentax" is said to be making one variation of this device which is much higher in price, and offers a color flip-up LCD screen and a slightly higher resolution than these devices, at over $250.00. That device should not be confused with these which are again, being sold in discount stores, camera shops, and catalogs, for an average of $100.00.My biggest issue with companies that produce items like this? Look at the box. Most entry-level consumers are not going to realize that the images on the box were not taken by the device in the box. Even those that were (in this case) have been reduced in size to the point that they look acceptable on the package ( 1 x 1.5 inches ). The text indicates you can "Take 5X High Quality Pictures". I'm sure the designers have different views of what "high quality" are, but regardless, they do know it's misleading to the "average" consumer. Market the thing for what it is, a toy, and I have more respect for you as a company. To be fair, we must not lose touch with the fact this is a sub-$100 device, and though slightly better CMOS sensors ARE available to put in these cheapy gizmos today, a hit-and-miss buy is expected at this price point even today. Five years ago a device such as this would have been called "high end", today it's so-so, and tomorrow? Junk. Take it for what it is today.Should you buy one? Well as you can tell, personally I'm not impressed. If there's a competely geeky gizmo lover in your life who literally has everything else in the world, perhaps they'll find one of these devices fun to play with. As a gift for a child to young teen, they'd probably have fun with it as well. For any type of serious (or most casual) photography by adult users however, I find the images too poor in quality to use. Below are some sample images. You may click any of the thumbnails to bring up a full sized image... some of which may have been cropped slightly but no alterations have been made. Pay attention to the lack of details in grass, blown out highlights where direct sunlight hits objects, and a general lack of details. For you? You be the judge. My grade (below) is based on the camera when compared to others of it's megapixel category and price range. ( Note as an example of the exposure issue - the first sample image on the left is simply sunlight hitting the ground, not snow as some have asked via email ). Examples, and my grade:
My "Grade" for this camera on a scale of 1 - 10? 5
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