Truth be told, I’m a bit of a digital camera junkie. I’ve got reams of uncategorized JPGs filling up space on several hard drives at the house (and several of those hard drives filling up space in junk drawers in the office!) That’s not to say that owning seven digital cameras in the form of pocket cams, DSLRs, cellphone cameras, etc., that all do effectively the same job is a bad thing—I swear, there’s a big, big difference between a 6MP camera with a 3X zoom and a 7MP camera with a 4X zoom!—it’s just my admission that sometimes a little consolidation of my gadgetry would be a welcome change.

With that in mind, I’d been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Spion Digital Binocular Camera from Gadget Universe. The best part about living here in Tucson is that as I write this, it’s a brisk, 60-degree February morning (by the way, wherever you are reading this…enjoy your snow!). It’s hiking weather here. Until I got the Spion, hiking meant a digital camera, some binoculars, camcorder, a tripod and host of other accessories like additional lenses and extra batteries. It’s a lot to lug up and down a mountain, let alone try to juggle when I want to get a good picture off in a hurry. With the Spion in tow, I made better time and took better pictures. The 5MP camera takes crisp, clean shots and having the choice between spying my best images through the binoculars or the LCD screen means unrivaled flexibility. It also does video, so there’s one less thing to weigh me down while trekking. While I still needed the tripod (it’s a lot harder than you might imagine taking a steady, far away shot with both hands holding the binocular lenses), the Spion is tripod-ready so it’s all good (Check out the result above! It doesn’t get any more beautiful than the Catalinas).

Though it’s effectively reduced my camera and accessory count while hiking, it has made it easier to take good pictures while on the trails. Good thing I’ve still got some extra space in those junk drawers!