3D RECORDING BINOCULARS
The bulk of today’s manufacturers are all about making the smallest, slimmest, and most pretentious products, but Sony has provided us with an actual breakthrough – the world’s first binoculars with HD video recording.
Released towards the end of last year, the Sony DEV-3 and DEV-5 were touted by the company to be the world’s first binoculars to capture full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution video in 2D or 3D. Both models sport a pair of dual zoom lenses each, with up to 10x and 20x zoom capabilities for the DEV-3 and DEV-5 respectively. As an added feature, they are also able to capture stunning 7.1mp stills.
Released towards the end of last year, the Sony DEV-3 and DEV-5 were touted by the company to be the world’s first binoculars to capture full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution video in 2D or 3D. Both models sport a pair of dual zoom lenses each, with up to 10x and 20x zoom capabilities for the DEV-3 and DEV-5 respectively. As an added feature, they are also able to capture stunning 7.1mp stills.
Adding to its list of ‘world’s firsts’, Sony also proudly states in its website that these binoculars are the only ones to offer continual autofocus while zooming, allowing you to zero in without losing track of faraway subjects. So whether you just want to observe through the dual digital viewfinders or record videos, you can do it with the added comfort of dramatically enhanced smoothness.
The secret behind the Sony’s digital recording binoculars are professional quality G lenses that boast an aperture of F: 1.8 – 3.4 across the board and an impressive 60mm to 660mm optical focal length in 2D movie mode for the DEV-5. Don’t expect 3D recording to stretch as far though, as the focal length for 3D recording is naturally best captured within the wide angle range, and in this case it focuses between 34.4mm – 344mm (10x).
By working with a powerful ¼” back illuminated “Exmor R” CMOS Sensor, the device is able to deliver crisp HD videos from remarkable distances.
At 2.6 pounds, the device looks like WALL-E’s head from the Pixar movie, especially because of the way the dual G lenses ‘stares’ out from its somewhat flattened form. No matter how much of a pro you are, anyone who has ever shot a video in full zoom without a tripod will understand just shaking can be a real pain in the rear. This is where Sony’s Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with Active Mode kicks in to compensate for camera shake. And it does a damn good job of it.
Other features worth mentioning are its inbuilt GPS which allows you to save the exact location from which the data was recorded, which makes a pretty valuable feature especially when shooting for scientific purposes. Sound is recorded via a built in microphone in 2 Channel Stereo Dolby Digital.
If the built-in microphone or viewfinders do not satisfy your needs, a general-purpose shoe allows you to attach your choice of either a directional microphone or an LCD display on it. These add-ons can communicate with the device when connected to it via a selection of a HDMI port and a mini jack at the side of the device.
Ultimately, despite all the goodness that we have salivated over throughout this article, the fact remains that the Sony DEV-3 and DEV-5 do not replace the conventional video camera when it comes to shooting movies or even documentaries. But these babies are easily some of the best highly-portable devices to capture events with from great distances.
We don’t need to know what you would do with such amazing technology as Sony’s latest digital recording binoculars in your hands, but we’re cool with it just as long as you don’t use it on us or our women. The word ‘stalking’ in this article’s tagline refers to the act of observing birds and wildlife from a safe distance, of course. Now then, run along and get a pair for “birdwatching”, “sporting events”, or “wildlife filming”.
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