Sony's DEV-3: 3D Full HD Binoculars #DigInfo

Sony has developed digital recording binoculars that can shoot Full HD video in 3D.

"One feature of these binoculars is variable zoom. These are ten-power binoculars and they have autofocus, which was hard to achieve with optical binoculars, as well as optical shake compensation. The autofocus and shake compensation work automatically while you're zooming. So you can capture a whole series of movements in Full HD, which hasn't been possible with binoculars before."

These Sony binoculars have twin back-illuminated CMOS sensors and BIONZ image processing engines, so they can record video for the left and right eyes in Full HD. As well as vertical and horizontal shaking, rotational blurring can also be compensated through image processing. So these binoculars enable observation and recording even at high levels of magnification, where shaking made it difficult with optical binoculars.

These binoculars have been designed so they can be easily operated while you are looking through the finder. They have two separate record buttons on the left and right hand sides as well as a manual focus dial. As the only part that lights up is on the back of the binoculars, you can easily blend into the field while bird or animal watching, so you don't attract unnecessary attention. They have a simple clean design with a focus on usability.

"Compared with a Handycam, binoculars let you record while you're watching. When you record with a Handycam, you're looking at a screen, so you can't enjoy looking at the subject itself. We think these binoculars are good for watching sports, children's presentations, birds, and animals, as you can capture the action while you watch."

They will be released on November 1, 2011 for 210,000 yen or around US$2,700.