Digital Camera Binoculars Reviews

Updated August 2007

Best Digital Camera Binoculars Reviews: (out of 13)
The New York Times, Consumers Digest, FlightSim.com

Best Digital Camera Binoculars: (out of 17)
Bushnell 8x32 Instant Replay 18-0833, Bushnell Compact 8x30 Instant Replay 11-8325, Bushnell 10x25 ImageView VGA 11-1025

Fast Answers - Best Digital Camera Binoculars

Top Rated	What the Research Says
• Bushnell 8x32 Instant Replay 18-0833 *Est. $380 >> Where to buy	Best digital camera binoculars Reviews say the Bushnell Instant Replay 8x32 digital-camera binoculars outclass the competing products in this category, with better optics and camera features. While other digital-camera binoculars just add a fixed-focus digital camera between the two binocular barrels, Bushnell builds the 3.2-megapixel camera into the binoculars, so they focus together (down to 11 feet), which eliminates parallax distortion -- a major complaint about other digital binoculars. The camera takes stills and 30-second 320x240 video clips, and an "instant replay" feature lets you record the 30 seconds before you hit the 'record' button. Note that products in the digital camera binoculars category can't compete with regular binoculars or regular digital cameras quality-wise, so you do give up something to get the combination.
• Bushnell Compact 8x30 Instant Replay 11-8325 *Est. $170 >> Where to buy	Best value The camera on the Bushnell Compact 8x30 Instant Replay digital binoculars can only focus as close as 30 feet, compared with 11 feet on the more expensive 8x32 Instant Replay. However, the cheaper Instant Replay camera binoculars weigh less (14.9 ounces compared to 25 ounces) and can record video at a faster frame rate of 30 frames per second (resulting in smoother video). The 5-megapixel camera also takes still photos, which one reviewer says are slightly better than the more expensive Bushnell. Both Bushnell digital binoculars have a two-year warranty.
• Bushnell 10x25 ImageView VGA 11-1025 *Est. $50 >> Where to buy	Budget camera binoculars Reviews say you shouldn't expect much from the Bushnell ImageView camera binoculars when it comes to image quality. Most reviews say the grainy 640x480-pixel photos aren't good enough for much except posting on the web or e-mailing. The ImageView digital binoculars do take short video clips, but there's no instant-replay feature. Even so, these compact camera binoculars don't cost much, and many reviewers say they are fun gadgets. (compare prices)

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What the experts say, our analysis, and more...

Updated August 2007

Introduction to Digital Camera Binoculars

Digital-camera binoculars let you take digital photos (and usually short videos) of what you see enlarged in the binoculars at 7X, 8X or even 10X magnification -- much larger than the 4X optical zoom most digital cameras offer.

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Consensus Report

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of Picks	Model (with retailer links)	Details from Amazon.com
4	Bushnell 8x32 Instant Replay 18-0833	-
2	MagPix 10x25 SX3 (*est. $150)	Details
2	Meade 8x30 CaptureView CV-6 (*est. $190)	details
1	Bushnell Compact 8x30 Instant Replay (*est. $170)	Details

The Bushnell 8x32 Instant Replay digital camera binoculars are easily the best camera binoculars quality-wise, but they are also the most expensive. The less costly MagPix SX3 binoculars are lighter, but the optics aren't as good as those on the Instant Replay models. The Bushnell Compact 8x30 Instant Replay is a good value, but these camera binoculars don't perform as well as the more expensive Bushnell models. The Meade CV-6 is the only 3-megapixel waterproof model, also recommended for low-light photos, but we found complaints that battery life is terrible.

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