Swarovski AX Visio

5 days Birding in Florida using the Swarovski AX Visio 

What does the AX Visio add to the birding experience?

Swarovski AX Visio – A few details – 

The first smart binoculars – The AX Visio is the perfect symbiosis of digital intelligence and high-performance sport optics. The high-precision binoculars with SWAROVISION technology deliver razor-sharp images with excellent colour fidelity.

Personal Birding Experience – 

Your preferences for birding optics can be endless – binoculars, monoculars, telescopes, tripods, which camera (if any) will always be a personal preference – there is no right or wrong – ergo a wide range of tools of the trade will always be available and will always be personal to the user. In this review we explore our user experience of the AX Visio. Five days in different sites in Florida provided us with a range of habitats, avian diversity and many birdwatching scenarios in which to explore the AX Visio. 

Exploring traditional methods with new technology – 

When identifying birds the AX Visio has a built in confidence level letting you know how reliable the ID suggestion is. When the bird is in view the display shows 25%-100% identification accuracy. One of the many parts to the Visio experience is the ability to take photos whilst viewing the birds – and here viewing is the key word. Whilst still viewing the birds with the 10×32 optics the photograph work was taken care of by the AX Visio and the photography experience was very intuitive providing no distraction. You can easily upload the photos to your phone in the field/scrub/swamp. To be able to take a quick photo whilst looking at that brief glimpse of a bird is at times invaluable in helping with identification later. Who doesn’t value that not ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ shot but a photographic record to discern at a later date? 

Summary 

Nothing about the AX Visio detracts from the enjoyment of birdwatching. The AX Visio is a worthy addition in the optics toolkit. An innovative optics experience.

Notable AX Visio notes and photos from each place – 

Wellington’s Peaceful Waters Sanctuary – 

To start, the identification function on the AX Visio was easy to use and started our exploration of Florida’s birds. We did bring along a bird book to use and to verify birds seen – all identifications from the AX Visio were spot on.

Jonathan Dickinson State Park –

The Florida Scrub Jay, the states only endemic bird species was the highlight of this stop. The Jays were photographed using the AX Visio and show their bands in detail. 

Merritt Island – 

Flight identification of ‘far away’ birds such as the Wood Stork and Osprey proved successful.  

Fort de Soto – 

The Blue Jay was obscured by vegetation on a few occasions but the Visio was able to detect, identify and photograph with ease. We were also lucky to get close views of a Great Horned Owl. 

Audubon Corkscrew Swamp – 

Black and White, Yellow-rumped, Palm and Pine Warblers and Gnatcatchers were easily located by the AX Visio within the swamp habitat. Short videos of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpeckers worked well to see them in action. The AX Visio managed to pick out this Painted Bunting despite the vegetation obscuring the view. 

Long Key State Park – 

The binoculars gave fantastic clarity of distant Belted Kingfishers over the ocean and the ability to take a photograph was even better.