Trust's 580Z Binocular DigiC@m converges two types of popular consumer peripherals - binoculars and a digital camera. Specifications are relatively poor and performance is marginally better, but you shouldn't be too critical considering the 580Z Binocular DigiC@m costs just £49.99. For your money you get a pair of 8x22 binoculars (8X times closer), a 1.3-Megapixel digital camera that allows you to capture JPEG images at resolutions up to 1280x1024 pixels, a Web camera (320x240 pixels at 15fps) and a basic video camera (640x480 pixels at 9fps). Prospective customers should consider the 580Z Binocular DigiC@m as a pair of binoculars with extra bits bolted on, otherwise you'll soon be disappointed with its camera capabilities. Nevertheless, it's a neat gadget.

Pros: 4-in-1 product; excellent build quality; good value
Cons: Limited settings; poor camera performance; no microphone


The first thing that strikes you about the 580Z Binocular DigiC@m is that it looks and feels as though it should cost at lot more than just £49.99. Its build quality is robust and the plastic USB port and media card flap is firmly attached to the rear of the device. The two menu/setting buttons give the game away though, due to their low-cost plastic look and feel, as well as the way they make a relatively loud click when depressed.

Trust includes a very useful paper-based manual, a quick installation guide, a soft protective case, neck strap, cleaning cloth, rubber lens cover to protect the lens, a USB cable, two AAA batteries, a CD-ROM containing drivers and software and a matching silver tripod. While the tripod is a nice addition, especially considering the relatively low-cost of the package, attaching the binoculars is a clumsy process and its awkward shape and weight makes it difficult to angle correctly on the support. Nevertheless, the tripod is a welcome addition if you intend to use the 580Z Binocular DigiC@m's Web camera function.

The 580Z Binocular DigiC@m can be used as binoculars, a digital camera, a video camera (only with external memory), or as a Web camera (Windows users only). This level of functionality comes at the cost of performance however, with the 580Z Binocular DigiC@m being only a moderate performer at all duties. Nevertheless, it's a great gadget for taking quick pictures and also serves well as a pair of binoculars.

The camera has a 1/3in. 1.3-Megapixel CMOS sensor and uses the device's 16MB of internal SDRAM (12MB for storing photographic images). The pre-installed memory is enough to store around 135 photographs at a resolution of 640x480 pixels, although for testing we used a 32MB MultiMediaCard (MMC). Unfortunately, MMC and SD cards are the only removable storage media supported, but at least there's the option to add more storage when required.

The device uses a F4.5/f=39mm lens and allows you to capture JPEG images at resolutions up to 1280x1024 pixels. There's no TFT preview screen, unlike most digital cameras, but the camera's limited features can be navigated relatively easily using the monochrome 22x16mm display. Options include setting the camera's resolution (1280x1024 or 640x480 pixels), changing the frequency (50- or 60Hz), activating automatic exposure, setting the video function (only works if a memory card is inserted), deleting the last recording (or all recordings), and formatting the memory card. You'll likely have to revert to the manual until you're familiar with the camera because it's not really clear whether you need to press the Mode or Set button when moving though menus and selecting options.

There's no typical digital camera functions available, such as scene modes, shutter speed, exposure compensation, or white balance settings. As a result, performance is pretty poor (see test images), with images tending to suffer from over exposure and lack of detail. And because the focal length of the 7.1X optical zoom lens is relatively long, it's more sensitive to small movements than a digital camera, which quite often results in blurry images - especially at the highest resolution. The camera also has a long exposure time, so it's not really suitable for taking pictures of moving objects. In addition, the lack of a flash means you'll have to make sure there's plenty of ambient light. There is however, a 10-second timer with acoustic notification.

Performance of the 8x22 binoculars was more impressive, with a focus range of 3m to infinity and a 7-degree angular field of view. The binoculars bring distant objects up to 8X closer and the integrated digital camera can then be used to take photographs up to a further 7X closer using the fixed-focus lens. You can forget about digital zoom capability however, and there's no image stabiliser technology either. Finally, the 580Z Binocular DigiC@m can be used as a Web camera at a maximum resolution of 320x240 pixels (15fps), and as a video camera for making short AVI video clips (640x480 pixels at a speed of just 9fps). Unfortunately, there's no built-in microphone, so videos will be silent and you won't be able to converse with others over the Internet.

Links:
580Z Binocular DigiC@m test sample 1
580Z Binocular DigiC@m test sample 2
580Z Binocular DigiC@m test sample 3
580Z Binocular DigiC@m test sample 4

BIOS, Apr 29, 04 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Miscellaneous