Product Overview
Image stabilization isn't new; there have been image-stabilized binoculars for decades, and it is also used in long telephoto camera lenses. But even with stabilization, binoculars are limited to lower, fixed magnifications of 16x or 18x (the maximum is a 20x60). And while wanting to get the perfect shot is understandable, few people count a DSLR with a long telephoto as their primary instrument for birding.
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 superb, even just tripod mounted without the stabilization on.
Users of some 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.
With the ST Balance you can hand hold a scope all the way up to 35x. I cannot 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. We rarely use a scope for woodland birding, as viewing distances are limited. But many songbirds are tiny; we've all strained to identify a warbler atop a 90-foot-tall tree. 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. At any magnification, it greatly improves digiscoping, even when using a support. If using a car window mount, it cleans up the engine vibration. On a really windy day when even a heavy-duty tripod makes a clear view impossible, image stabilization can put you back in the game. A tripod is still useful, but you can get by with a much smaller and lighter one.
As a dedicated spotting scope user for decades, I LOVE the better-than-a-field-guide view they can provide. I have an 85 mm scope on a full-sized tripod and I'm not giving it up any time soon. I was long surprised that not EVERY birder carried one. But I do understand that when out in the field, lugging LESS is just easier. And a scope has always meant carrying a tripod. For years, part of a Christmas Bird Count area I cover includes walking a mile-long dike through a marsh, and I've always carried my 85 mm scope and tripod to sort through waterfowl flocks. This week I left that in the car and just slung an ST Balance over my shoulder. It was such an easy stroll, but I don't think I missed a bird!
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).
