Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars

Comments about Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars:

I have hesitated for months to acquire these because of the entry price. I was also concerned about these being rev 1, which means that I (and others who purchase the DEV-5’s) pays the refinement charge and have to purchase another unit when they get the bugs out of this release. That aside, I love the DEV-5. I own a DSLR (a9), and a great video unit (AX2000) however nothing in the 3D realm. I purchased these to experience the 3D and to use at sporting events. I took these out for a family outing to our local pool which overlooks the ocean. The 2D was very impressive, and the 3D seemed to be fine. Since I don’t own a 3D TV the jury is out on the final display, however the 2D video, and the photos are very nice. Lots of color in the bright sun however that all fades when you are shooting in the early morning or late evening. The specifications say great low light however @ 11 LUX, it’s not that great. I was able to go from pool shots of the family to videos of the dolphins in the water with ease. The zoom was acceptable and did a great job up till the digital zoom took overâ€"then the noise picked up to where you could barely distinguish between the dolphins and the shimmering water. My only con is that switching between the video modes and the still capabilities is very (very) cumbersome. Maybe once I have shot with these for a while all of that will pass, but until then you have to pick your mode and shot. The best part of the DEV-5 is that I do not need to bring my video & still cameras to an event. I can take a single device like the DEV-5 and collect 2D/3D videos and acceptable photos.

Comments about Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars:

I got these because I am an optics enthusiast and into 3D, but I find that they are excellent for watching and taking records of wildlife. They start up quickly and are easy to use. My main complaint would be that they can't really be used in low light conditions (have not tried with an IR floodlight yet, though). If the development team happen to read this, a rough distance indicator in the viewfinder would be extremely useful (in future firmware?).

Comments about Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars:

This is an interesting idea, but I thought possible purchasers should be aware of this:

When I first saw this product, I thought they designed a binocular, which lens has much greater magnification than those of camcorder (and maybe still cameras), and added video and photo recording to it.

On detailed specs I saw elsewhere, it gave the "35mm equivalent" of the focal length. I asked Sony about this and, much to my disappointment, was told that this is basically a 3D camera shaped like binoculars, not binoculars per se which are designed to take photos and videos.

I'm sure this item will be useful for some people, especially those who want 3D. But my interest is videotaping migrating birds, and I have no interest in 3D. The 10x-20x zoom/focal length doesn't come close to the zoom of some standard definition camcorders.

(Please ignore the rating.)

Comments about Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars:

Some Cons : i think, Product Specification is wrong here because i searched this binocular on Sony authorised website and read the specification that its 1080i(60i) not 1080p(60p). so here specs is 1080p(60p) i think its wrong.

Comments about Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars:

I have hesitated for months to acquire these because of the entry price. I was also concerned about these being rev 1, which means that I (and others who purchase the DEV-5’s) pays the refinement charge and have to purchase another unit when they get the bugs out of this release. That aside, I love the DEV-5. I own a DSLR (a9), and a great video unit (AX2000) however nothing in the 3D realm. I purchased these to experience the 3D and to use at sporting events. I took these out for a family outing to our local pool which overlooks the ocean. The 2D was very impressive, and the 3D seemed to be fine. Since I don’t own a 3D TV the jury is out on the final display, however the 2D video, and the photos are very nice. Lots of color in the bright sun however that all fades when you are shooting in the early morning or late evening. The specifications say great low light however @ 11 LUX, it’s not that great. I was able to go from pool shots of the family to videos of the dolphins in the water with ease. The zoom was acceptable and did a great job up till the digital zoom took overâ€"then the noise picked up to where you could barely distinguish between the dolphins and the shimmering water. My only con is that switching between the video modes and the still capabilities is very (very) cumbersome. Maybe once I have shot with these for a while all of that will pass, but until then you have to pick your mode and shot. The best part of the DEV-5 is that I do not need to bring my video & still cameras to an event. I can take a single device like the DEV-5 and collect 2D/3D videos and acceptable photos.

Comments about Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars:

I got these because I am an optics enthusiast and into 3D, but I find that they are excellent for watching and taking records of wildlife. They start up quickly and are easy to use. My main complaint would be that they can't really be used in low light conditions (have not tried with an IR floodlight yet, though). If the development team happen to read this, a rough distance indicator in the viewfinder would be extremely useful (in future firmware?).

Comments about Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars:

This is an interesting idea, but I thought possible purchasers should be aware of this:

When I first saw this product, I thought they designed a binocular, which lens has much greater magnification than those of camcorder (and maybe still cameras), and added video and photo recording to it.

On detailed specs I saw elsewhere, it gave the "35mm equivalent" of the focal length. I asked Sony about this and, much to my disappointment, was told that this is basically a 3D camera shaped like binoculars, not binoculars per se which are designed to take photos and videos.

I'm sure this item will be useful for some people, especially those who want 3D. But my interest is videotaping migrating birds, and I have no interest in 3D. The 10x-20x zoom/focal length doesn't come close to the zoom of some standard definition camcorders.

(Please ignore the rating.)

Comments about Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars:

Some Cons : i think, Product Specification is wrong here because i searched this binocular on Sony authorised website and read the specification that its 1080i(60i) not 1080p(60p). so here specs is 1080p(60p) i think its wrong.