Kite APC Stabilized Binoculars

Earlier this year I was treated to the loan of a pair of image stabilised binoculars ("bins") from Kite, the company who supplied my rather wonderful Lynx HD bins that I use all the time for my hobby and career.

My choice of bins is dictated by my inability to hold them steady, so 8x magnification is all I can use. 10x or higher are redundant for me, as the "image" I see is just too shaky and I can't be dealing with supporting them, when I'm on the move all the time.

The pair I was loaned were 16x42. Yes, 16 times magnification! Twice what my normal bins offer.

I've played with stabilised bins from other manufacturers in the past, and some actually made me feel quite nauseous when panning or moving the view around. Others struggled to stabilise the image properly, so I wasn't sure what to expect from these.

All I can say for these is that it's like some form of witchcraft or wizardry. I used these bins when I was sitting in the back seat of a friend's car, going along a track, and while my body and head were bouncing around from the lumps and bumps in the road, the view through these binoculars was rock solid, as if the road was like glass.

If only my camera's image stabilisation was as impressive!

Image quality is good too, though any fringing from backlit views is enlarged, probably simply from the level of magnification. But I was able to get incredible views of subjects at distance, with great detail and of course without any shake from my hands.

The bins are physically fairly bulky, but not overly so. I wouldn't take them out with me when scrambling around tracking otters for example, but for looking for wildlife from the car or from a boat, they'd be amazing.

My pair were powered by 4 AA batteries, and I'm told this gives up to 120 hours of use. Considering that they power off when you turn them vertical (i.e. when they're hanging around your neck and not being used), just a pack of batteries should be enough to last most of the year.

Focusing was dead easy with the huge dial on top, and getting a comfortable view was also simple with the adjustable eye-cups, which can be moved to an angle to fit, much like normal bins do via the hinge on them.

They're not even that heavy. Sure, they're heavier than my Lynx pair, but they're half the size and haven't got 4 AA batteries inside.

I was really impressed, and am tempted to invest in a pair, as they are a bargain when compared with rivals. And Kite are developing new versions all the time, such as a pair charged via USB, instead of using batteries.

Here in Scotland they can be bought from Ffordes Photographic and elsewhere from The Birders Store based in Worcester.