Camera vs. Binoculars - Which is better for the birder?

Note: This is a comparison of a superzoom point-and-shoot and a pair of 10x50 binocs. Comparison does not apply to all cameras and/or binocs. 


Recently, I became acquainted with a pair of binoculars that was sitting around in my house for three years. Prior to my finding them, I had gone most of my birding life rarely raising a pair of birding optics to my eyes. In 2008 I became fixed on photographing birds, not just identifying them (and truthfully, I wasn't good at either). After three years, I had a new photography set-up and a Sibley's Guide, so I wasn't hopeless in either field. However, I started wondering, after I had found my dad's pair of 10x50 Eddie Bauer binoculars, whether there was more to birding than just getting a photo of the bird and IDing it correctly. I mean, 90% of the birders I knew used binoculars and/or spotting scopes. There must be a reason they're so popular. This lead me to try out the binoculars, and furthermore, to compare it to my old Canon PowerShot SX20 point-and-shoot camera.

The first difference I noticed was the difference in exposure. On a cloudy day, I went out ogling Robins with my binoculars and camera; my first day comparing the two in the field. First, I observed them through the binoculars. I had a great impression on the behavior of the bird, nomming berries on the top of a tree, but it was very backlit. I could barely make out the orange breast, yellow bill, or the white eyering. I then zoomed into the bird using my SX20, and upped the evaluation to +2. I received great views and excellent detail on field marks. I snapped two photos comparing what I saw in my viewfinder to what I saw through the binocs.

And thus, a +1 for the SX20.

The next thing I noticed was the difference in reach. Granted, my 10x50s are not the most powerful binoculars out there, but the SX20 outdoes the binocs in this field. The difference isn't major, but in extreme distances the SX20 proves to be of much more help than the binocs. A fine example is this morning, when I went out to observe a flock of Chipping Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Cedar Waxwings. I watched an unknown passerine fly by and perch into a distant oak tree in my neighbor's yard. In the binoculars, I could make out a small silhouette with vague yellowish coloration. In the viewfinder, I could make out a smallish, crested bird that was colored beige above and yellow below; an obvious waxwing. As before, I snapped a comparison shot.

So +2 for the SX20.

Another downside to binoculars is the focus. I'm not sure about the super expensive models, but mine are a pain in the butt to focus. Maybe I'm jut not used to binocs yet, but the focus seems tough to use, and is somewhat inconvenient. If they have autofocus on binocs, please let me know. My SX20 has a decent autofocus, but the manual focus is so much more difficult to use than my DSLR's lens. However, binocular's focusing seems to be a bit easier when focusing on the sky, and here's where the autofocus on my SX20 falls short. I can hardly ever get my camera to focus on a soaring raptor without manual focus, but with the binocs I can practically just lift them up to my eyes and distinguish field marks.
So +.5 for both binocs and SX20.

Besides these three, there are other more obvious differences, such as the capability of videos and still pictures in cameras, and the flexibility of the use of the binoculars (no batteries, no gears, etc.). I find if useful to have pictures. For example, if I see a tricky bird (such as a gull or an Empid), I can snap a picture and study it once the bird is gone. If I use binoculars, I'll only have my memory to run off of.
So which is better for the birder to use, binoculars or a camera? Now, I wouldn't suggest a camera over binocs if your using a DSLR with only a 300mm (or less) lens, or a point-and-shoot with under 20x zoom. The binoculars are excellent for viewing distant birds if you don't have a superzoom P&S. However, if you do have a superzoom camera (preferably the Canon PowerShot SX30, SX40, or Nikon Coolpix P510), I might suggest using that more than binoculars.

The debate isn't over yet. I still have much more to compare in the field before making a definite conclusion. I may not even make a definite conclusion. In the end, I will probably just use both in the field. I might even start to use the binoculars more, since I'll be selling my SX20 soon. Still, both binoculars and cameras are necessities to have while birding, and I would suggest using them both in the field.
I wonder if my dad has an old spotting scope somewhere...