Swarovski Optik AX Visio AI-supported binoculars

It appears the wheels of innovation never stop turning at Swarovski Optik. Following the development and manufacture of its unique dG Digital Guide in 2019 (Birdwatch 335: 56-57), the optics giant has now produced the world's first 'smart' binoculars.

Step forward the AX Visio, the first of its kind in the emerging world of 'idoptics' – a seamless combination of bird ID software with optical equipment. The AX Visio was launched in January at the CES Expo in Las Vegas, said to be the most powerful tech event in the world, where it was apparently well received and sparked much interest.

After its release onto the market in February, I managed to get my hands on one to put through its paces in the field and I must admit to being impressed. That's not to say there are no drawbacks, but more on those later as we delve deeper into the workings of this unique piece of equipment.

Optically, this device is equivalent to the 10x32 EL, which effectively forms the basis of the viewing platform. Initial impressions are of a quite hefty binocular with, in cross-section, egg-shaped barrels and what at first glance appears to be an extended hinge. The latter is in fact a camera and the shape of the barrels is designed to accommodate the electronics and software that the device needs in order to operate. The green body armour is consistent with the manufacturer's current range of binoculars and the battery compartment is located in the left barrel, while the circular protrusion below the right barrel houses the illumination component of the built-in electronic display.

 

 

AI binoculars

The whole device is waterproof to IP67 standard, which means it can be fully immersed in water at a depth of 1 m for up to 30 minutes. 

The smoothly turning, finely milled wheel within the bridge requires two clockwise rotations to move the focused image from 3 m to infinity, although less than half a turn will move the latter from 10 m to 'long distance'. Twist-out, lenient-locking eyecups extend five positions above the base setting. The dioptre mechanism is located in the left eyepiece and adjusted by rotating the milled rubber ring below the eyecup. 

The image is consistent with the established high level of quality associated with the brand's EL binoculars, exhibiting edge-to-edge sharpness and brightness, high contrast, high colour fidelity and low chromatic aberration.

Two characteristics identify the AX Visio as something more than a conventional binocular. Both are control features. The right side of the bridge houses three buttons, comprising an on/off switch, a 'release' button and an arrow button. More obvious is the mode-selection wheel, allowing immediate switching between the individual functions. Turning the wheel to click to a selection in line with the pointer on the top of the bridge gives the user a choice between the following options, which are represented by appropriate symbols: Bird Identification (Merlin Bird ID), Camera, Mammal Identification, Compass, Third Party App Connection, Favourite 1, Favourite 2 and Share Discoveries.

Individual displays for each of these are shown in the right eyepiece, overlaying the image the user is viewing through the binocular. The display components are minimal and they appear to sit in the centre of the image. It's important to adjust their focus by twisting the milled dioptre on the right ocular until the display is sharp. This is a one-time setting and if it is not performed then the device will not operate effectively.  

This image taken with the AX Visio has barely been cropped in order to illustrate how the subject can look small in the image, given the camera has a slightly lower magnification than the optics themselves. The built-in Bird Identification software correctly concluded that the bird shown is a Raven.

 

Bird identification software

The device needs to be paired, via Bluetooth through a mobile phone, to the Swarovski Optik Outdoor app. This allows updated versions of the AX Visio's firmware to be downloaded and installed and also for the user to control and adjust the settings in the device, including electronic display appearance, sleep time, camera settings for both stills and videos and information on the storage capacity of the device.

The most-used functions will be the bird identification guide and the camera, both of which I concentrated on, having run through the others to discover what they delivered.

The bird identification software is essentially the now well-established Merlin Bird ID and is used in the device to cover more than 8,000 species worldwide. This means that the AX Visio can be used virtually anywhere in the world to offer identification suggestions. However, I discovered that it has limitations which may lead to mistaken identification in a number of circumstances, or if used incorrectly. 

To identify a bird, select the bird symbol on the mode-selection wheel and a bright red circle, broken into four quarters, appears in the image. Using the arrow button on the bridge, I toggled between a small and a large circle to ensure each bird I was looking to identify fell within it. Slowly depressing the bridge's release button causes a solid red dot to appear to the left of the circle, to indicate the bird is in focus, and the circle's quarters become bold before fully depressing the release button to take the photo and to activate Merlin to identify the bird. The species name is then displayed below the circle.

A neat design detail sees the release button as convex and therefore slightly raised, while the on/off and arrow buttons are concave in order for users to be able to identify them solely by touch, allowing continued concentration on the bird in focus. Because the buttons are located on the right side of the device it makes it necessary to use the left hand to operate the focusing wheel.

 

GPS birding

The device has a built-in GPS sensor that detects current location. One of the most important icons in the bird ID electronic display is the map pin symbol, situated immediately beneath the red circle referred to above. I discovered that after turning on the device it takes a minute or two to register the GPS position. Until this happens, the map pin is displayed with a line through it, indicating that the position has not yet been identified. In the meantime, it is still possible to continue with the ID functionality but until this position is known and the map pin becomes line-free, the bird ID algorithms cannot filter the database to offer a narrower choice of species for identification.

As an example of this, I had just booted up the device and immediately homed in on a Great Tit, paying no attention to the crossed-out map pin. The software returned an identification of Japanese Tit, as these two species are very similar in appearance. The bird was moving around in scrub and the views weren't the best. When the location was finally registered by the device, a second attempt came up with the correct identification.

When the bird's name is displayed, a small, solid red circle, split into four equal segments, sits immediately above it. This is designed to deliver a measure of certainty regarding the identification. A fully illuminated circle suggests a 100% correct identification, while only one illuminated segment indicates that the likelihood of the identification being correct is 25%.

The majority – I would estimate 85% – of the birds I viewed were correctly identified and I was impressed with the results for birds in flight. Fly-by Raven, Great Cormorant, Red Kite and Black-headed Gull were all accurately identified, for example, but users must be aware of the limitations that come with the AX Visio. 

First, target birds should always be in focus and not be too distant. If they are, then the system flags up the message 'Bird not identified – bird too distant' as well as other possible reasons, such as 'Bird too small'. With distant birds in silhouette there is also the possibility of misidentification, such as a far-off Red Kite being identified as a Common Swift. Second, if the bird under observation is partly obscured by vegetation, then the identification process cannot be completed and the system will simply display a message stating 'Bird not seen'. Third, if the bird is out of focus or the device is not being held steady, the system will not operate and a message will be displayed accordingly.

 

Gull misidentification

One notable misidentification on two occasions concerned adult winter-plumaged Common Gulls being identified as Ring-billed Gull, probably as a result of the dark, smudgy subterminal band on the bill. Nearby Lesser Black-backed and European Herring Gulls were, however, correctly identified.

All birds put through the ID process are also saved as images and will ultimately be stored and saved in the Merlin Bird ID app, from which they can be downloaded.

To simply capture images without the need for identification, the mode-selection wheel can be rotated to line up the camera symbol and the 13-mp camera can be activated in the same way as it is for bird ID. Using the arrow button, it is easy to toggle between producing still images and videos, as indicated in the internal display.

The Bird Identification feature correctly identified the top bird as a Coal Tit in Mike's garden. The image has been cropped significantly to demonstrate the camera's capabilities. However, by contrast, it incorrectly suggested that the bottom adult Common Gull was in fact a Ring-billed Gull. Again, the image has been cropped from the original.

Camera settings can be easily changed during use via the phone app and these comprise Recording Resolution, Frame Rate (for videos), Exposure Compensation, Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Sharpness.

The resultant image quality is good, although the subjects appear smaller than when viewed through the binocular. I learned this is indeed the case and a slightly lower magnification is factored in to capture the whole field of view. Using the camera in video mode, I was also pleased with the results delivered in capturing an impressive Common Starling murmuration above one of my local nature reserves.
When in camera mode, the device is also capable of streaming what's in the field of view to four 'guests' connected to it via the Outdoor app at up to a range of 10 m.

Of the remaining AX Visio modes, the compass provides an accurate depiction of both directional and elevational co-ordinates and is useful for alerting observers at other localities if a particular bird is heading in their direction. The Share Discoveries mode is a unique and impressive tool that allows the user to click on an object or a difficult-to-see bird before handing the device to an accompanying observer who can then immediately locate the subject via a series of moving arrows highlighting its exact position in the field of view. 

Favourite 1 and 2 modes can be used to accommodate other ID software (such as butterflies and dragonflies), while the third-party app connection is ready for future use. I did not use the mammal ID mode.

 

Ground-breaking binoculars

With its impressive functionality, the AX Visio is undoubtedly ground-breaking, although it could prove controversial insomuch as it does not (yet) fully replace observer experience, for which there is currently no substitute. As outlined above, misidentifications are possible and, some will argue, may lead to the dissemination of erroneous reports of rare birds on various news platforms. Conversely, the device may unearth birds which would have otherwise been overlooked by inexperienced observers.

The AX Visio weighs just over 1 kg but I did not find it heavy-going, even using a conventional lanyard – although a binocular harness would offer more support. It is supplied with a battery charger and will function without a phone connection (images, firmware and software updates can be downloaded later). It can also be switched off completely and used simply as a binocular.

 

Further info

• Price: £3,820
• Size: 154 x 137 mm
• Weight: 1,090 g 
• Field of view: 112 m at 1,000 m 
• Light transmission: 88%
• Close focus: 3 m 
• Camera Resolution: 13 mp
• Shutter speed: 1/125-1/4000
• Battery: 3,000 mAh Li-Ion rechargeable 
• Battery operating time: 15 hours
  (general use), 2 hours (maximum use)
• Bluetooth range: 10 m (approx)
• Maximum number of
  connected observers: 5
• Gas-filled: yes
• Waterproof: yes
• Guarantee: 3 years (AX Visio); 1 year (battery)

Verdict

+ High rate of correct identifications
+ Relatively lightweight
- Camera has lower magnification than the optics