Bushnell ImageView 8x30 2.1MP LCD Digital Camera Binocular

by Bushnell

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 2.9 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001B1QMY
• Item model number: 11-0832
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,474 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Taking in the details. Getting a closer look. Exploring nature beyond what is readily available to the naked eye. All excellent reasons for owning a pair of Bushnell binoculars. But imagine being able to save those images to share with friends and family. Is that possible? Yes. Introducing the ImageView Digital Binoculars from Bushnell. A remarkable marriage of a powerful, long-range binocular and a compact, 2.1 megapixel digital camera. The applications are endless. This is the perfect choice for sports fans, outdoor enthusiasts and adventure travelers who want to simultaneously view and record the action. Compact enough to slip into a pocket, yet packed with powerful performance features like 8x magnification and internal memory holds 80 pictures at high resolution and 300 pictures at low resolution. The new ImageView is affordably priced - making it the perfect gift for friends or family.

Special features:

• Fully Coated Optics
• Fold Down Eyecups
• 2.1 Megapixel still photos
• Video Image
• Rapid Repeat Three Shots For Stills
• 16 MB of Internal Memory
• SD Card Slot
• 1.5" LCD
• USB Cable and Software
• Uses 2 AAA Batteries

Product Description

Bushnell ImageView 8x30 2.1 Digital Camera Binocular is a combination of a digital camera and compact roof-prism binoculars, so you can observe and record the action close-up at the same time and minimize the gear you carry into the woods. Binoculars sport fully coated optics, premium BaK-7 (Instant Replay has BaK-4) prisms, convenient center focus and fold-down eyecups for easy viewing with or without eyeglasses. The digital camera takes crystal-clear still photos and stores them in memory. By using the Rapid Repeat function, you can snap three photos one second apart. Single mode buttons for easy operation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun, Great Pix, some limitations, April 27, 2005

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bushnell ImageView 8x30 1.3MP Digital Camera Binocular (Electronics)

I was SURE I "invented" Bushnell ImageView in my mind (but didn't have the foresight to go patent the idea, alas!) Every time I'd look in my birding binox, I would think, DARN! Why can't I snap that picture RIGHT NOW? Well, Bushnell, who is the maker of my birding binoculars, certainly was channeling my thoughts, and they came out with the ImageView, which is a pair of 8X30 binoculars with a built-in digital camera. So, how does it work and will this hybrid binox-camera combo work for you? Let's discuss...

1. Specs and Features
Bushnell 8x30 binoculars
Built-in 1.3MP digital camera
8MB internal memory
Hi-res (default mode) stores about 45 pix, low-res maybe 55-85 pix
AVI movie mode
Photo Suite 5 software
USB cable
neck strap and case strap
soft case with zipper and pocket inside


Requires 2 AAA batteries
Computer with USB port that can support USB devices like camera; XP is recommended but you can use other Windows that support USB. You may require internet access to download different drivers to download your pictures to your computer if you don't have XP.

2. Using the ImageView

The out-of-box experience with the ImageView is excellent; all the user has to do (assuming he or she has an XP operating system on their PC) is to do the following:
a. Open box
b. pop open the battery port
c. Install the 2 triple-A batteries.
d. Hold down the MODE button (one of two on the top of the center-mounted camera module)
e. Snap a shot
f. plug in the USB cable
g. Put the cable on the computer and download the pictures.
DONE....easy as pie.

3. Quality, Usability and Pros & Cons

The binoculars are clear and free of most distortion. But..here's the rub; if your eyes are very close-set (mine are) you will NOT, repeat NOT be able to use the CaptureView. I have extremely deepset and close-set eyes and normally, on binoculars, I move the eyepieces in to the most narrow setting possible. On the ImageView, due to the camera taking up space in the middle of the two scope sections, the narrowest setting is not narrow enough to suit my eyes. Boo. In fact, Boo HOO! I was quite dismayed. The man of the house tried them. He too has close-set eyes but a far bigger head (hahah!) than mine and he put the ImageView down to the narrowest setting. He can see fine out of the binox. Lucky guy, he just got a pair of binox AND a digicam. I can barely see out of them if I hold it JUST so. So if you are a small woman or a narrow-headed kind of person like me, you must try these before buying or plan to possibly have to return them. And if you intended this for your child or grandchild, it probably won't work. So beware. This is a serious issue with the ImageView--I am sure there were arguments about the average distance between pupils on people's eyes, and they hit the sweet spot of the happy average, but I was NOT happy to find out I'm not able to use them. *IMPORTANT* TRY BEFORE YOU BUY or check out the return policy.

The camera is 1.3MP. This is NOT a high res, but it keeps the price down to something reasonable and not outrageously expensive per pair. This is because 1.3MP cameras are not state of the art any more and are being used for toys, phones and other "and it has a camera, too!" electronics. In other words, if you expect high-quality pictures you can enlarge greatly, this isn't for you. BUT...the opticals are good enough to get a reasonably nice picture from the camera, one that is bright and clear enough for most amateur work. For blowing up a picture of a rare warbler hiding in a pine tree? No. For sporting events? Yes. As to the low resolution setting (which Bushnell wisely decided NOT to make default), you can use it to get many more shots, but you won't be happy with the quality. I found I needed to stick with the high resolution to get a good picture I could use.

The focus for the camera is MANUAL. It's a knob on the top of the camera mount and easy to use but in this day of autofocus, it will fox a few point-and-shoot folks. Just focus as you home in on your subject in the binox and all is well.

AND there is NO flash. But these aren't night binox and you won't need one anyway. But be aware, low light is not the time to be using the ImageView.

The movie feature allows you to take a short movie clip. I love this! Soccer moms, take note; you can get a short (30-70 second) clip of your home-grown athlete when you are sitting cheering in the stands. But the 8MB memory onboard means that you will max out the storage and will have to download that AVI to a waiting laptop or computer. I have done digital photography in Asia back in the days of low memory storage by keeping a laptop near me for downloading shots and then clearing the storage on the camera. With the arrival of larger memory cards for newer digicams, I don't have to do this anymore, but if taking small shots and many of them is your thing, and you like the CaptureView, you will want to think about taking a laptop with you to do this.

The case is well-thought-out and good quality. Easy to access the binoculars, and sturdy enough to keep it clean. It's soft-sided, though. Not a hardshell. The straps are flimsy--this is not surprising, so if you don't like the strap, buy one of your own. I found it adequate, however. And it fits into the case when on the binoculars.

Summary
The ImageView is a reasonably priced pair of binoculars with the added kick of a great little camera. It's something you can keep in your briefcase or handbag for snagging fun shots of sports events or nature scenes. Or just for fun around town. The quality is what you'd expect from a 1.3MP camera, and there are some limitations, like limited picture storage (8MB) and the width of the oculars is liable to be TOO NARROW for kids and some smaller women and men. So try before you buy.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Buy This, December 10, 2004

By 

K. Hatthorn (Houston, Tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bushnell ImageView 8x30 2.1MP LCD Digital Camera Binocular (Electronics)

I bought this as a gift for a friend. It worked great the first time he used it. The second time it started malfunctioning a little. The third time he couldn't even get it to turn on (and yes, he made sure it wasn't a battery issue).
I think it's a great concept but it needs a lot of work.
I'm going to send it back to Bushnell and see if they will let me exchange it for a good pair of regular binoculars.
I don't suggest buying it until they have an opportunity to take care of all the problems.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cash for Trash, May 25, 2005

By 

Confederate (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bushnell ImageView 8x30 2.1MP LCD Digital Camera Binocular (Electronics)

The optics used in these binoculars are semi-sharp in the middle and blurry around the edges, the quality of the images lack contrast and the life of the camera can be measured in weeks. Avoid Bushnell products in general. The optical quality has been horrible in every pair of binocs I've ever purchased (though I did like one of their easy focusing systems). On one pair, the images didn't even line up and it's not worth the postage to have them returned.