Image-stabilized binoculars
Encyclopedia
Image-stabilized binoculars are binoculars
that have a mechanism for decreasing the apparent motion of the view due to binocular movement.
Image stabilized binoculars are designed to minimize image shaking in hand-held binoculars
. Higher power binoculars bring the image closer, but the image shift is also greater with even smaller movement of your hands. Image stabilization technology in binoculars ensures instant adjustment of the image to compensate for the motion. Major brands making image stabilized binoculars include are Canon, Fujinon, Nikon, Carl Zeiss, and Bushnell.
Several different mechanisms have been used for image stabilization.
may be changed.
, or the binocular prisms may be disengaged from the housings, allowing them to be unaffected by binocular movement.
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Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
that have a mechanism for decreasing the apparent motion of the view due to binocular movement.
Image stabilized binoculars are designed to minimize image shaking in hand-held binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
. Higher power binoculars bring the image closer, but the image shift is also greater with even smaller movement of your hands. Image stabilization technology in binoculars ensures instant adjustment of the image to compensate for the motion. Major brands making image stabilized binoculars include are Canon, Fujinon, Nikon, Carl Zeiss, and Bushnell.
Several different mechanisms have been used for image stabilization.
Active systems
In these systems the change in attitude of the binoculars is sensed electronically, and some part of the system is changed to correct this offset. A lens group may be shifted, or the angle of a fluid filled prismPrism (optics)
In optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. The exact angles between the surfaces depend on the application. The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular prism with a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in colloquial use...
may be changed.
Passive systems
In these systems there is no feedback from a sensor to the corrective element. The whole binocular may be stabilized by use of a gyroscopeGyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
, or the binocular prisms may be disengaged from the housings, allowing them to be unaffected by binocular movement.
Use
Image-stabilized binoculars are frequently used when viewing from a moving object such as a boat or plane. They are also very helpful with high powered binoculars. Image stabilized binoculars have become popular with amateur astronomerAstronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
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See also
- MonocularMonocularA monocular is a modified refracting telescope used to magnify the images of distant objects by passing light through a series of lenses and sometimes prisms; the use of prisms results in a lightweight telescope. Volume and weight are less than half those of binoculars of similar optical...
- TelescopeTelescopeA telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
- Spotting scopeSpotting scopeA spotting scope is a small portable telescope with added optics to present an erect image, optimized for the observation of terrestrial objects...