Review: Adonstar Kids Dual Lens Microscope Telescope Binoculars (AD122)

Bill Loguidice — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 20:56:03 +0000

The Adonstar Kids Dual Lens Microscope Telescope Binoculars (AD122) is an interesting product. As the name implies, although it has a binocular look, there’s a microscope lens on the right and a telescope lens on the left. It’s a compact size, weighing less than half a pound, and is fairly well-suited for its pre-teen audience, although it’s not weather-proofed, so it needs to stay away from water.

What you get.

In the box, you get the dual lens microscope telescope binoculars, lanyard, 8GB microSD card, mini desktop tripod, microUSB cable, and a manual. Setup is simple. Insert the microSD card into the slot, plug the microUSB cable into a USB charger of your choice to top up the built-in 800mAh battery, and off you go.

Each lens is independent.

The default mode is video at 1080p/30fps (1920×1080/30). Photos default to the maximum of 10MP (3872 x 2592) and can be set all the way down to 1MP (1280×1024).

The rear control buttons on the left side are as follows:

+ = Move up/Zoom In
– = Move down/Zoom out
M = Short press to switch between picture/video/playback, Long press to enter the menu settings

The rear control buttons on the right side as as follows:

Camera Icon = Long press to switch between lenses, Short press to record video or take pictures
OK = Long press to switch the brightness of the LED lights, Short press to confirm in the menu
Power Icon = Long press to power on/off

The screen and controls.

All footage is recorded to the microSD card, but you can optionally plug the microSD cable into your PC. Once connected to the PC, you can access the SD card contents or use it as a computer camera, i.e., Mass Storage, PC Camera, and Record Mode options.

One thing to keep in mind is that it can be difficult for anyone – let alone those with little hands – to keep the Adonstar steady when in use, so you’ll likely have a lot of blurry images. That’s why the built-in 1/4 inch tripod mount is so important and no doubt why they include a mini tripod in the package. That still doesn’t change how hard you have to press the button to engage it, which is OK for video after the initial movement, but not ideal when just wanting to take a photo. Unfortunately, even when you stay as steady as possible and have maximum light, image quality is very low.

This is just about the best up-close image quality you’ll get.

Fortunately, using it solely for live viewing is far more forgiving. The built-in 2 inch LCD viewing screen provides a good image and it’s easy to adjust the focus on either lens side with the independent focusing tubes. While not ideal for capturing images because of the poor quality of the image sensor, the Adonstar does do well for live microscopic or telescopic viewing, which is no doubt what most kids will use it for after they get bored with taking lots of blurry photos and videos.

Another image example. Yes, you can set the date and time in the menu, which I obviously didn’t do.

While not quite the ideal pre-teen electronic device, the relatively low cost makes it a practical toy to try for curious kids. Just don’t expect to enjoy any of the images or videos saved to the microSD card or for there to be much magnification either up close or far away.

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Review: Adonstar Kids Dual Lens Microscope Telescope Binoculars (AD122)