Jacob MurphyATN is easily one of the most progressive and innovative optics companies on the planet. It seems like very product they produce pushes the envelope of what is currently available on the market. Occasionally one of these products flops but those situations are rare and ATN always uses the experience to improve the product so that the next iteration will be successful.
Almost 20 years ago ATN started out with a smart scope that attempted to be an all-in-one solution for the shooter. They moved on into night vision and then into thermal imagery. All of these products have found a great measure of success over the years and allowed them to venture on to more innovative products and expand their market beyond the hunter and shooter.
And that is how we ended up with the BinoX, what is attempting and succeeding in being the most versatile and useful binoculars ever invented. There is no other company that is even coming close at this point. They literally combine every feature you could ever want into a compact and high quality unit.
Construction
If ATN has a shortcoming, it would be in their construction. In the case of the BinoX, these are mostly made of a high-density, fiber reinforced plastic. They do use a rubberized armor over most of the body but otherwise, they almost feel cheap. Don’t let this fool you though. These binoculars are plenty tough and quite durable.
Optical Quality
With these binoculars, you have to think of optical quality in a somewhat different way. Rather than relying on the use of expensive and hard to produce lenses, ATN has gone the digital route. In essence, these are a very powerful zoom camera with dual lenses and screens. This opens the doors to a lot of features that will we go through shortly.
Even with a different method of getting the image to your eye, image quality is still about the most important factor with a set of binoculars. Well, rest easy because the image you see through these is easily equal to an HD movie. The best lensed binoculars are probably somewhat better quality optically but the ATN can definitely stand with any of the mid-range brands like Nikon and Bushnell.
The fact that the BinoX does not rely on lenses and a prism for image transfer means it is much easier to preserve color and brightness. When it comes to the important aspects of image quality, these will match most any optic out there. On higher magnification there can be a slight grainy appearance but the distortion is much less than you would get with a cheap set of regular binoculars.
Durability and Weather Resistance
As stated above, these are likely not the most durable binoculars on the market but there is ample reason why they won’t be. For one, there are a lot of sensitive electronics packed into the BinoX and electronics like to be treated a bit more gently. You don’t have to baby them by any means but you should take care of them as best you can. Do so and they will last you for years with no problem.
They are water resistant and completely fog proof thanks to their design. While a downpour may not be the best place to break these out, they can handle a light rain with no problems. Without conventional lenses, there is little concern with dust or water penetrating the scope. Mostly, you will just need to make sure the electronics don’t get saturated.
Features and Function
The list of features these binoculars offer could go on for pages but we will keep it as brief as possible, staring with the basics. These are binoculars and their main job is magnification. The BinoX are variable power with a low end of 4x and a high end of 16x. This makes them one of the most powerful sets of binoculars on the market.
They have a both day and night modes with full night vision capability. This transitions based on light levels so you never have to mess around to get a good view no matter how much bright it is. It can see in just about anything but pitch black and even then, you can use a cheap IR illuminator to keep them working.
They work as a rangefinder with a solid 500 yard range. They are quite accurate and very easy to use. They operate in scan mode so you can use them to track moving objects or get a quick reading on a variety of targets at different distances. They are large than a conventual rangefinder but offer so much more that that hardly matters.
Inside they have both a compass and gyroscope. These two options will constantly track the facing of the binoculars while keeping the image stable and blur free. Since this is a digital device, this is a huge asset. The compass may be a bit of a novelty feature but there is a lot to be said for a device that you can simply point and know which way you are looking.
To round it out, you can also record 1080p video and photos directly from the BinoX. These can be streamed via Wi-Fi to any smart device. This is an added bonus but one that you will likely find yourself using far more than you expect. There are currently no other binoculars that can provide this feature along with everything else the BinoX can do.
Conclusion
If you are the type of person that wants one tool that will do a number of jobs, the BinoX deserves a solid look. Besides, you can get these for less than you can a decent rangefinder, digital camera, night vision, and even binoculars. Having this one device can save you hundreds of dollars and still provide you with all the features of a number of gadgets you likely want anyway.
