The ultra-high tech ATN BinoX-HD Binoculars look like many other popular models, but they offer a wealth of super-features, listed in this article.

Although there is a product description of the ATN BinoX-HD Binoculars in the Gear & Products section of this issue of The Birding Wire, we were so intrigued by these seemingly super-hero smart binoculars that we wanted to address their many options a little closer. These “binoculars” are computerized with so many options beyond magnifying subjects that you might say the ATN BinoXs (pronounced binocs) are to binoculars what a cellphone is to telephones. They look like binoculars, but beyond that the term Smart Binocular gets ultra-high tech.

Let’s break down each of the many features that stand out above and beyond most other binoculars. This is not a review, but herein we provide an account of what this product is said to feature. They appear to be beyond anything we have even dreamed about before - a futuristic birding product to be sure.

1) Electronic Zoom – we’ve already mentioned this, but what other binoculars have a push-button E-zoom that you can zoom in and out of a field of view with the press of a button.

2) Magnification – a zoom option that can be kept at an 8x or 10x level, but can also be zoomed to 4x for a much wider field of view, or zoomed in to 16x for much greater magnification of a given bird – or any magnification between 4x and 16x – sounds pretty exciting. That must be a big plus in the field, although we expect the quality at 16x may be limited, certainly by normal body and hand shake. However, as described below, the binoculars have Image Stabilization, which takes body movements and hand shaking out of the picture.

3) Image Stabilization – IS takes the movement of our hands and body out of the equation when viewing at magnifications above the standard 8x, so using these binoculars at 12x and 16x may be better than expected. Image stabilization is always a plus for binocular views, photos, and videos – so it is especially helpful when you’re viewing and recording with the ATN BinoX.

4) Night Vision – with an Infrared Illuminator that ranges to 300 yards (3 football fields), the night vision option certainly adds another dimension to birding, including behavioral observations that have too often gone unseen by most birders. You can watch roost sites or potential roost sites for flocks of birds (cranes or geese coming to roost for instance); and watch owls, nighthawks, whip-poor-wills, and other birds active at night – or see how species that are usually active by day behave at night (some raptors are known to hunt at night).

5) HD Video Recording – high definition 1080p resolution color videos with your binoculars? Now that’s exceptional, but the quality may be suspect – must try, must see. Nonetheless, the video output is 1080p at 30 frames per second (fps) or 720p at 60 fps, and the potential for documenting a rare species, an unusual color morph, or an interesting behavior is exceptional, especially using the E-zoom magnification.

6) Still Photos – press a different button from the video recorder, and you can take still photos of the image you see through the binoculars. Again, the opportunity for photo documentation alone is worth a lot, but the quality is the big question, even in tandem with the image stabilization and E-zoom features.

7) Micro-SD Card – the BinoX provide a simple SD card slot to easily install and remove a micro-SD card that will record and transfer your digital still and video files.

8) WiFi and Bluetooth – so you can live-stream your BinoX view, or share photos or videos online. Using the wireless WiFi connection, you can use your cellphone, iPad, or laptop as a viewfinder; and if you choose to position your BinoX in a nearby location, it may provide an option for remote viewing.

9) Internal Computer – powered by a 1GHz Obsidian Core, a dedicated internal computer is designed to control a suite of sensors and process large still photo and video files in nearly real time. Its powerful processor and 1080p high-resolution sensor with night vision capability allow the Obsidian Core to produce sharp color images, as well as power the rest of the computer-based features.

10) Battery – like any other computer-based product, a power mode is required, in this case a battery (3x CR123), which has a normal charge life of 6 to 8 hours. But with the optional battery Extended Life Pack the charge life is increased to more than 22 hours – more than ample for a day of birding.

11) Obsidian User Interface – the customizable user interface allows you to arrange which readouts are displayed in your binocular view, and where they appear within your view.

12) GPS Geotagging – use the internal GPS to record your route and follow it on an interactive map.

13) E-Compass – tracks the direction in which you are looking, which is displayed on the top of your viewfinder when you look through the binoculars.

14) Altimeter – the built-in altimeter provides a readout of your altitude during birding trips.

15) Velocity Tracker – keeps you apprised of the speed you are walking, running, or moving by another means.

16) Basic Binocular Optics – 42mm objective lenses, 30-ounce weight, close focus to 10 feet, field of view is 6 degrees, with a resolution of 960x540x2 pixels.

17) Limited Lifetime Warranty – ATN offers a limited lifetime warranty on all products for manufacturer defects in materials or workmanship from the factory.

So these smart BinoX might offer super-hero features, but the proof is in the pudding as they say. You, and we, will need to give them a try to see just how impressive the ATN BinoX-HD Binoculars are in the field and when being used on our computers or iPads. But the idea of combining the qualities of binoculars with those of a camera and a wealth of other digital and computerized features is truly exiting and worth a closer look!

For more information, check in at https://www.optics4birding.com/atn-binox-hd-4x-16x-smart-binocular.html and check out the YouTube video and tutorial describing these advanced BinoX-plus at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGNcYlcJEug and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFP1FXty0_g