[The Independent (UK)]

…

Sony, however, is aiming its newest product squarely at the nature enthusiast market, which a spokesman said has “seen huge growth” in recent years. But will the twitchers of Britain be persuaded to give up their traditional optical binoculars in favour of the new-fangled video version? In a world where the “bird count” – the number of individual species spotted – is the badge of honour, some are reluctant to leave behind the equipment which has served them well thus far. Others, of course, are hunting the next piece of equipment to help them in their quest for birds.

“They are quite heavy, perhaps too heavy to have out all day. But if the quality of the image is high, there will be people out there who will want them,” said one twitcher, Michael Hopton, a 67-year-old retired biochemist (bird count: 420). “You might have to be a lottery winner to afford them but I am sure people will be using them before too long. You could use them for other things too, like the races or perhaps a concert.”  …

The binoculars go on sale in November and there are currently only three prototypes in the UK. The manufacturer stressed that they are still in the final stages of development. …

Another twitcher at the Bird Fair, 77-year-old Peter Carlton (bird count: 5,000), said the binoculars would be a “development for the future, certainly” but they were “going to be good”. “People will take it up because they can film something they don’t know and perhaps identify it later when they watch it back.” …

Read the full story here: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/digital-3d-bins-have-a-place-but-will-twitchers-be-switchers-2342392.html