The Best Options for Camera Binoculars

Binoculars with embedded digital cameras are ideal for a number of situations. Birdwatching and sporting events are just two of the most obvious applications, but they're great for any user who wants to take high-quality photos at long distance. Because the binoculars use optical zoom, the picture quality doesn't suffer as it would with a digital camera that uses a digital or software zoom function. Websites, such as Amazon.com and ConsumerSearch, both offer consumer ratings for their digital camera binoculars, but the end user must decide which features are important for them. Some digital cameras offer megapixel ratings of up to 10, but those are uncommon. A megapixel is a measure of resolution, and is 1 million pixels. The pixels in an image determine how sharp the image quality is. Barska Point n' View

The Point n' View, by Barska, offers 5 megapixel quality while offering full 8 times magnification. These binoculars offer excellent picture quality, comparable to a mid-range digital camera, but with much greater zoom functionality than a standard digital camera can offer. This offering from Barska includes a small LCD screen that shows images in full color, as well as the ability to save or delete pictures on the fly, so space isn't taken up by unwanted or low-quality photographs. The Barska does offer an addition 4 times digital zoom function, but picture quality suffers as the software zooms further. However, having a total of 32 times zoom function is very nice if picture quality is of less concern than getting up close and personal with the subject in the viewfinder. Bushnell Instant Replay

The Instant Replay by Bushnell allows users to record short video clips of up to 30 seconds, as well as providing up to 5 megapixel imaging. While this is much less than a high quality digital camera, the Bushnell offers a fast cycle time on photographs, so users can take pictures one right after another. This means that all the action is captured as it was meant to be, and taking action shots results in less blurring and fading than on some standard digital cameras. The lightweight binoculars weigh less than 1 lb. and can focus on images as close as 14 feet away from the user. The on-board camera can take short videos at up to 30 frames-per-second, allowing for smooth video recording. The camera accepts an SD card, a memory module, to increase the on-board memory, and allows for much longer video clips to be recorded. Meade CaptureView

The Meade CaptureView offers 8x30 zoom capability, and has a 3.2 megapixel camera on-board. The binoculars can record video clips as long as 90 seconds, and feature a precision-engineered lens system for precise image translation and capture. The camera is suitable for low-light usage and even moderate rain won't damage or hinder the binoculars at all. For exterior use in hunting or wildlife photography, the CaptureView is rugged by digital camera binocular standards, and the low-light capability allows users to take photos in conditions where other binocular sets fail.