compact

I struggled with buying this piece of electronic equipment because I really could not find any reviews on it nor was there anything negative out there. However, I found a good price and decided to take the plunge. First thing you should know is that these are binoculars with the camera feature added. You cannot zoom in or out. You can only control focus. Weight wise it is not too bad and though not light and a bit bulky, it is managable with one hand. As for comfort, the unit does not fold so you need to get used to a fixed position (which is not too hard but not comfortable). The unit does have interpupillary adjustment which is accomplished by pulling the unit horizontally by up to 1 inch. The side strap where you grasp the camera is too large for my hands and not adjustable making it just about useless for me.

The binoculars are decent but not worth $500. In fact they are more inline with $100-200 binocular lenses. What you are paying for is the camera features. The binocs hold fairly steady and are actually easy to view with one eye once you get the hang of not being able to bend the body.

Now for the disappointment. The camera is only able to focus accurately using the LCD monitor. This is almost totally useless in the sun and even in good light is grainy. You can take pics without it but you risk them being out focus. While you can adjust both eyepieces (the left requires a screwdriver) this only adjusts for your vision, not the focus of the camera. The shots that you take with the camera are more inline with a one pixel camera than a two and almost always slightly blurred. For all its hype, its really no better than a $49 pencam with the exception that instead of being locked into a 35-50mm distance, you are locked into a 300mm or so distance.

This unit also shoots low-res video but once again it underperforms. There is a tripod mounnt which may help with getting clearer pics but that can be said for any camera.

The manual is minimal but it does cover the basics so it suffices. I have not loaded the software yet so I cannot comment on it.

Overall I would say you would be better served by a compact zoom binocular and a small 10x digital camera like the Minolta z2 if your primary reason to buy this is for vacation. The combination will weigh about as much as this unit and take up just slightly more space in a camerabag. I see this as a gimmick device to be used only in places where cameras or camcorders are typically not allowed (museums) or practical to use for extended periods (sporting events) or where the need to take a picture is more of a spontaneous event then a planned one (someone streaking across the infield in the middle of a game). With that said I will be looking to unload this pair soon so keep your eyes pealed for me on EBAY!