If you want to take quality 620x480 VGA movie clips, the best camera binoculars are the Bushnell Compact Instant Replay 8x30 (*est. $170). The reviews ranks this model at the top, saying it offers the best balance of image quality, features and price. Tests show that its photo quality and color LCD screen are actually better than those of the more expensive Bushnell Instant Replay . The 14.9-ounce Instant Replay 8x30 binoculars focus as close as 14 feet, but the camera can only focus as close as about 30 feet.
The Bushnell Compact Instant Replay 8x30 camera binoculars can take smaller 320x240 video clips as well as the 620x480 size, and you can set the frames-per-second (fps) to either 15 or 30 for either size. This is the only camera binocular model we found that offers this much flexibility in video -- shooting in 30 fps results in much smoother video. However, the length of the instant-replay clips is limited by the four video settings -- from only 5 seconds for 620x480 at 30fps, to 60 seconds at 320x240 at 15fps. You always have the option of shooting continuous video, limited only by the size of the SD memory card you use.
We were concerned about battery life limiting the video clips, since the Bushnell camera binoculars use two AA alkaline batteries. In our phone discussion with Jim Wilson, the product manager at Bushnell, he told us that it's the LCD screen that uses the battery most. With the LCD screen on all the time, a set of batteries will last about an hour. But since the Compact Instant Replay camera uses a fixed focus, from 30 feet to infinity, there's no need to use the LCD screen once the camera settings are adjusted to your liking.
While the Bushnell Instant Replay 8x30 digital binoculars look more like regular binoculars, the Instant Replay 8x32 look more like a big chunky block, and they are quite a bit heavier (25 ounces compared with 14.9 ounces). However, The New York Times' review says the pricier 8x32 Instant Replay binoculars function better: "In the binocular department, it blows away its competition: the binocular image is the biggest and the brightest, focusing is easy and precise, and the controls are cleanly designed." The Bushnell 8x32 binocular optics are superior to those of the smaller Bushnell 8x30, using Bak-4 prism glass instead of Bak-7, as well as fully multicoated lenses. The larger objective lens (32mm instead of 30mm) also makes for a brighter binocular image.
It should be noted that all reviews of the Bushnell Compact Instant Replay 8x30 are of the older model number, 11-8323. Bushnell has updated this model as the Instant Replay 8x30 11-8325, adding a larger 5-megapixel image sensor. That means you can print larger images or have more latitude to crop and enlarge images. Otherwise, the two models are almost identical.
The more expensive Bushnell 8x32 camera binoculars focus a bit closer than the Compact Instant Replay 8x30 -- 11 feet rather than 14 feet -- but the big difference is that the camera can also focus this close. This is because the more expensive Bushnell camera binoculars work in an entirely different way. Instead of mounting a separate digital camera between the two binocular barrels, the Bushnell 8x32 Instant Replay builds the camera lens into the left binocular barrel. This enables the camera to focus along with the binoculars (instead of separately). It also eliminates the parallax distortion (the difference between what you see in the binoculars and what the camera actually records) that many users have been complaining about in reviewing earlier-generation camera binoculars.
The Bushnell 8x32's camera has twice as much internal memory (32MB) as the Compact 8x30 Instant Replay. Oddly, the video capabilities on the more expensive Bushnell are more limited. You can record 30-second video clips at 320x240 resolution at 15 fps (not as smooth as the 30 fps available on the Bushnell Compact Instant Replay). While the New York Times review doesn't praise the photo quality, a review at Consumer's Digest calls the Bushnell 8x32 Instant Replay's photos "wow-factor pictures."
If you are looking for a lightweight camera binocular, reviews recommend the MagPix 10x25 SX3 camera binoculars (*est. $150).The MagPix weigh 9.6 ounces, which is lighter than both Bushnell models. Furthermore, magnification is 10X compared to 8X for the Bushnell Instant Replay camera binoculars. This compact camera binocular isn't included in the New York Times review, but it's the 2005 Editor's Choice at American Photo magazine. The MagPix SX3 also gets good reviews at MacHome, Laptop Magazine and Popular Science, as well as from users at Amazon.com.
The MagPix SX3 only takes 320x240 video clips of up to 30 seconds. The MagPix's camera lens is able to focus as close as 40 feet compared with 30 feet on the Bushnell 8x30 Instant Replay, though much further away than the 11 feet on the pricier 8x32 Instant Replay. You can expand the 16MB memory with multi-media memory cards (MMC), as well as with SD cards.
Reviews recommend the 3.2 megapixel MagPix SX3 especially for action shots in daylight; MagPix worked with birding-binocular experts to develop a camera binocular that could catch birds in flight. The maximum shutter speed of 1/8000 second is faster than the 1/1000 second maximum on both Bushnell Instant Replay camera binoculars. The Laptop magazine review says the MagPix SX3 took good pictures in low-light situations, but not indoors -- its strength is in bright daylight.
For low light or wet conditions, reviews recommend the waterproof Meade CaptureView 8x30 CV-6 camera binoculars, which have a 3.2-megapixel sensor designed to enhance photos in low-light situations. (Meade owns Simmons Optics, which offers the same digital camera binoculars, labeled as Simmons.) The CaptureView models are the only waterproof camera binoculars.
The Meade camera has two focus settings, so it can focus as close as 30 feet, which is 10 feet closer than the MagPix SX3, and you can set the instant replay to any of four settings, from 5 to 20 seconds. These binoculars use Bak-4 prism glass, like the much more expensive Bushnell 8x32 Instant Replay. However, they only offer fully coated lenses (as opposed to fully multi-coated lenses) -- so the optics aren't nearly as good. We also found some complaints that battery life is terrible.
Though none of these four camera binoculars is perfect, they are currently the best options on the market, and each has a particular advantage. The Bushnell 8x30 Compact Instant Replay is a well-balanced, mid-priced camera binocular with the best video capabilities. The Bushnell 8x32 Instant Replay offers much better binoculars, the best close-camera focus and better eye relief, but they are costly. The MagPix SX3 is a bargain for action shots outdoors, while the Meade CV-6 is weatherproof.