The history of stabilized observation instruments goes back to 1980 when Fujinon launched the first Stabiscope pair of binoculars. Ten years later Zeiss showed their instrument, the 20x60 S. It's still an excellent pair of binoculars even for contemporary standards, with a completely mechanical stabilization system so it doesn't need any presence of electronic parts and power supply.
In 1995 other mechanisms based on electronics appeared on the market. Canon was among the trending leaders with their 12x36 IS model, in which the stabilization was performed by a changing in the position of Porro II prisms. Next years such companies as Nikon or Bushnell joined the club of producers of stabilized binoculars.
When it comes to stabilized spotting scopes Nikon was a forerunner. In October 2011 they presented the Filedscope EDG 85 mm VR, an instrument you could hardly call portable as its weight reached almost 2.5 kilograms. You certainly would think twice before you took it on a field trip.
Please Support Us
If you enjoy our reviews and articles, and you want us to continue our work please, support our website by donating through PayPal. The funds are going to be used for paying our editorial team, renting servers, and equipping our testing studio; only that way we will be able to continue providing you interesting content for free.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - R E K L A M A - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When it comes to smaller spotting scopes with stabilization the Belgian Kite Optics company has been leading. In 2025 they presented the APC 60ED. This product wasn't an instant hit but small wonder. We speak here about a relatively new producer, not as renowned as other companies of greater tradition. What's more, their spotting scopes looks like a tube with a strange box attached to it, all with a price tag of 2000 Euro. Many potential customers think it's rather too risky. After all there have been cases of such companies as Zen Ray or Bynolyt that also used to be quite active on the sports optics market offering even lifetime warranty; they gained a significant number or customers and then went bankrupt leaving their fans high and dry.
On 25th of November 2025 the Austrian Swarovski Optik entered the market of stabilized spotting scopes, with a launch of two models: the straight Balance ST 14-35x50 and the angled Balance AT 18-45x65. They are offered for, respectively, 3390 and 3590 Euro.
Both models feature the same parfocal 2.5x zoom eyepiece with an extending, smoothly regulated eyecup. The eyepiece is really big but because of its dimension it also provides an impressing fields of view range among other things, all the time preserving a very comfortable eye relief distance of as much as 20 mm. These fields change from 57 to 78 deg. As a result the straight model provides you a real range of fields of view from 4 to 2.2 deg and the bigger angled model - from 3.16 to 1.74 degrees. Both spotting scopes allow you to set focus up from a distance of 3.4 meters.
In both cases you also deal with very solid casings covered by good quality rubber armour which allows you to use these instruments in a temperature ranges from -20 to +50 �C. Still these spotting scoped don't feature any dew shields (a.k.a hoods).
Underneath each of these models you see a tripod mount to which you can attach a plate added in the box. A battery slot is positioned at the front in the small spotting scope and at the back in case of the bigger one; they all are on the side of the prism cell. The instruments are powered by a dedicated RB-S rechargeable battery that, in typical temperature range, is supposed to ensure you 12 hours of work. Of course you can buy an additional battery that costs about 70 Euro. The stabilization switch in both cases is situated at the back, under the eyepiece, stabilization being deactivated automatically after 5 minutes of inactivity.
It is surprising that both these spotting scopes are very similar when it comes to dimensions and weight. It stemms from the fact that the objective lens of the 50 mm device has an additional rim and, as a result, the outer diameter of the tubes amounts to as much as 80 mm; in case of the 65 mm instrument the diameter is just 3 mm bigger. Perhaps these significant dimensions of the ST50 are forcced by the dimensions of the prisms that house the stabilization system. The final result is such that the angled model, weighing 1470 grams so being just 13% heavier, is able to gather as much as 69% of light more than the straight model that weighs 1300 grams.
Of course you should remember that though you deal here with a far greater difference in objective lens diameters and the amount of gathered light; also different magnification ranges make the surface image brightness provided by both spotting scopes is similar. The advantage of the 65 mm device decreases in this category to just 2%.
The image stabilization system remains the core part of the new spotting scopes. It is based on a precisely calibrated network of sensors that are able to detect even the slightest movements and compensate them in real time with a help of an efficient electric motor that regulates the position of the prisms system. The system is able to perform over 1,000 measurements per second ensuring you a continuous micro-adjustment of optical components. Indeed, when you look deeply inside the tubes with the stabilization switched on, you can notice a bushing with prisms that slumps to a side. It's a pity that, at the same time, you also see a part of bright, green electronics plate and shiny heads of Allen bolts. Fortunately, other parts inside the tubes are properly blackened and ribbed.
As we've already started describing image stabilization we should also say something about its efficiency. To be honest I had my doubts about its performance with such a big magnification ratio, 45 times. The practice proved me wrong. Apparently Swarovski is an expert in this field and their instrument surprised me very nicely. Both spotting scopes are able to provide you really stable, clear images even at the highest magnification available, making observations really comfortable. I had an impression that some fluidity of motion and slight out-of-focus areas, appearing with stronger deflections of the optical system, are far less bothersome than incase of stabilized Canon binoculars. While using the Swarovski spotting scopes you can completely forget about the fact that they are stabilized. You can also forget completely about using a tripod – as long as the battery works.
The spotting scopes come with reasonable accessory kits. Apart from the battery, mentioned above, you get a charger with two sockets, a dedicated USB charging cable, a strap, an objective lens cover, an eyepiece cover, a mounting adapter, an optics cleaning cloth, and some documents.
When it comes to image quality the performance is in accordance with this Austrian company standards. Brightness, white balance, contrast and sharpness are beyond reproach. What's more, this sharpness remains even across the entire field of view, no matter what magnification value you apply. A very slight resolution decrease can be noticed only at the highest magnification. Geometric deformations don't bother you completely – a minimal influence of pincushion distortion can be noticed only at the lowest magnification.
Chromatic aberration on the edge of the field might be a problem for a change. It is perhaps not that noticeable at lower magnifications but at the maximum closeup you can notice it without any problems.
If I wanted to look for other flaws I would mention some black-out sensitivity of the eyepiece that becomes especially noticeable with higher magnification values. The apparent field of view increases to near 70 degrees and when you want to look from side to side quickly you often end up reaching black diaphragm.
Due to horrible weather in recent days we couldn't carry out dark sky observations so I cannot say anything about coma and astigmatism correction. Still, taking into account the overall image sharpness across the frame, I suppose the situation is not bad. I admit I can hardly wait for an opportunity to perform observations of the Moon, Saturn, or Jupiter with its galilean satellites with a handheld instrument that offers you 45x magnification.
Finally let me add some subjective opinions and impressions. The Balance AT 18-45x65 is for me personally a real hit - a sensational piece of equipment with excellent optics, a wide field of view, a stabilization unit so efficient that allows you to forget about any kind of tripod across the whole magnification range. At the same time this spotting scope is really ergonomic. Its angled construction means that you can bend your arms in the elbows and stabilize them by pressing close to your torso.
The Balance ST 14-35x50 mm for a change is, from my private perspective, a far less interesting option. The price difference between both models amounts to just 200 Euro - nothing meaningful at this price level. At the same time by decreasing the objective from 65 mm to 50 mm you gain surprisingly little when it comes to the weight and physical dimensions. The difference between tube diameters of both spotting scopes amounts to just 3 mm and the difference in weight is just 170 grams. At the same time working comfort of the straight variant is definitely lower – you have to keep it higher, with your extended hands, decreasing the stability and making you more tired faster. If I could choose I would take the bigger instrument without any hesiation as it has far more assets.
Pricing of the new spotting scopes is quite a different matter. A price tag of 3500 Euro might be called astronomical but if you compare it to prices of other instruments of this class you stop shaking your head. The classic Swarovski ATX 25-60x65 spotting scope, without any stabilization unit, costs 3480 Euro so just a tad less than its stabilized brother. When you look at the Swarovski binoculars and their prices the situation becomes even more interesting. The Swarovski NL Pure 14x52 currently costs 3550 Euro. To be honest, if I ever needed an optical instrument with a higher magnification ration I would add 40 Euro and bought the AT Balance 18-45x65 instead. After all the only stabilization mechanism available in the NL Pure 14x52 is an optional headrest.
To sum up, the Swarovski Balance AT/ST spotting scopes are an excellent option that, I am sure, will find a lot of satisfied users.
