Image stabilization has been used in binoculars and long-telephoto camera lenses for decades.  Skim through Feather Edge Optics and you'll find the Nikon Stabilized 10x25 and 12x25 Stabilized Binoculars.  Lightweight and compact, they are a good option for anyone with an essential tremor, birding from a canoe, and so forth.  Even with stabilization, binoculars are limited to lower, fixed magnifications of 10x to 18x (the maximum is a 20x60, which must be tripod-mounted anyway).   

Observers love the better than field-guide views scopes can provide, but birders don't love lugging extra gear.  It's understandable; when out in the field, lugging LESS is just easier.  And except for mini scopes like the Celestron Hummingbird, a scope has always meant carrying a tripod.

Swarovski is proud to introduce their first spotting scopes with image stabilization!  The ST Balance 14-35x50 is the smaller, straight version.  The AT Balance 18-45x65 is the larger, angled version.  Utilizing the same Swarovision technologies found in the ATS/STS, ATX/STX, and ATC/STC spotting scopes, unsurprisingly, the image quality is excellent, even just tripod mounted without the stabilization on.   

With the AT Balance you can hand hold a scope all the way up to 45x. I can't use binoculars from a moving vehicle, but while riding in the back of an SUV traveling 40 mph, I was able to scan the landscape almost as if we were parked.  Birders rarely use a scope for woodland birding since viewing distances can be limited by vegetation.  But we've all strained to identify a warbler atop a 90-foot-tall tree.  I had the chance to test both the ST and AT Balance scopes in a variety of habitats, both open and wooded.  Zooming from 14x to 35x with the ST Balance, I was so entranced by the crisp views of a Mountain Chickadee 20 yards away that I forgot I was wearing binoculars. 

The ST Balance was designed to be compact, easy to aim, and lighter weight; the AT Balance is the option for those who prefer an angled view, and it offers a larger objective and higher zoom range.  The ST is just under three pounds while the AT is just over three pounds.  In our experience, the closer the pair of binoculars gets to two pounds, the fewer birders will walk out the door with them.  Hence, few birders will want to hand-hold a three-pound scope all day long.  So, both scopes come with a shoulder strap.  

I do a one mile marsh walk on a local Christmas Bird Count, and for years have carried an 85 mm scope and full-sized tripod.  This year, I left the full-sized kit in the car and slung an ST Balance over my shoulder.  It made for a relaxing stroll, and I had no trouble sifting through flocks of waterfowl!  You can also find after-market belt hooks.  They are also supplied with an Arca-Swiss compatible plate, rechargeable battery, battery charger and UPC cable.

Users of some existing image-stabilized optics note a lag or drift effect in the stabilization.  Swarovski has upped the refresh rate to over 1,000 measurements per second.  This yields a very natural view with rarely any perceptible lag, even if you are actively looking for it.

A fully charged battery is good for 12 hours in the field under average temperatures.  If the power supply is interrupted or the accelerometer detects a fall, the moving lens instantly locks to prevent damage.   

At any magnification, image stabilization offers visible improvement in digiscoping, even when using support.  If using a car window mount, it cleans up the engine vibration.  A tripod is still useful, but you can use a much smaller and lighter travel tripod.  I've thrown in the towel on some days that were so windy that a clear view was impossible, even with a heavy-duty, six-pound tripod.  The image stabilization in the ST / AT Balance can put you back in the game.  

We invite you to check out the AT or ST Balance at NJ Audubon's Sherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary (visit njaudubon.org for hours and contact information), or, while CMBO's Northwood Center undergoes renovations this winter, at the Nature Center of Cape May by appointment only (609.400.3868). 

More information at SWAROVSKI OPTIK AT / ST Balance Spotting Scopes - NJ Audubon Feather Edge Optics

or SWAROVSKI OPTIK AT ST Balance Stabilized Spotting Scopes with Clay Taylor in Grand Teton.