Former DJI engineers have made 'the world's first robotic extreme zoom camera' — it features a 50x zoom, AI tracking and can identify 300+ bird species

The FarseerTech RocXZoom is raising funds on Kickstarter You get a 50x hybrid zoom and 20x optical zoom from the camera Dual-stabilization technologies mean everything stays still The FarseerTech RocXZoom stands out for a number of reasons: it's been developed by ex-DJI engineers , it solves some of

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>The FarseerTech RocXZoom is raising funds on Kickstarter</strong></li><li><strong>You get a 50x hybrid zoom and 20x optical zoom from the camera</strong></li><li><strong>Dual-stabilization technologies mean everything stays still</strong></li></ul><p>The FarseerTech RocXZoom stands out for a number of reasons: it's been developed by <a href="https://www.techradar.com/best/best-dji-drone">ex-DJI engineers</a>, it solves some of the most persistent pain points for taking photos at high zoom levels, and it can recognize more than 300 bird species thanks to on-board AI.</p><p>It's also soared past its original goal on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/farseer/rocx-worlds-first-robotic-extreme-zoom-camera" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> (via <a href="https://petapixel.com/2026/08/31/former-dji-engineers-raise-250000-for-worlds-first-robotic-extreme-zoom-camera/" target="_blank">PetaPixel</a>), raising more than 25x its target at the time of writing thanks to 350 willing backers. The campaign will continue to be open for contributions until Saturday, September 28.</p><p>In the words of the creators, the RocXZoom is "a compact long-range optical assistant integrating recognition, tracking and zoom" with "robotic precision to break the limitations of traditional long-lens tripods" to give you extremely smooth recordings at extremely high zoom levels (which are usually notoriously difficult to stabilize).</p><p>You get a 50x hybrid zoom, 20x optical zoom, and 40mm-2000mm equivalent reach with the camera, plus the bird recognition we mentioned, plus human and object detection too. Dual stabilization is provided by an integrated gimbal and electronic image stabilization, and the demo shots and hands-on tests all look suitably impressive.</p><h2 id="extreme-zoom-solved">Extreme zoom solved</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1200px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="UAPvXDswT72VD6engEKAQm" name="rocxzoom-2" alt="FarseerTech RocXZoom" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UAPvXDswT72VD6engEKAQm.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1200" height="675" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The RocXZoom can be attached to a more conventional camera too </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: FarseerTech)</span></figcaption></figure><p>"At extreme zoom, every heartbeat creates motion blur, yet RocXZoom turns challenging long-distance shots into controlled, trackable handheld captures — ideal for birding, wildlife, outdoor observation and distant action moments where lengthy setup time would make you miss the shot," <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/farseer/rocx-worlds-first-robotic-extreme-zoom-camera" target="_blank">reads the sales pitch</a>.</p><p>While there does seem to be some trade-off in terms of image quality (a small 1/2.5-inch type sensor and a lens ranging from f/1.8 to f/3.9), the promise is that anything you're looking at long-distance through the RocXZoom will remain stable and in the frame, even if it's moving or you're moving (or both). </p><p>As always with crowdfunded projects, there's no guarantee that putting your money down will ultimately get you a product. The specs of the camera, its shipping schedule, and its final price could all change as the campaign continues.</p><p>The camera has already been shown off at CES 2026, however, which gives it more credibility. If you've decided you want in, the cheapest early bird level sits at $499 (that's about £370 / AU$700 with a straight currency conversion).</p><div data-widget-type="multimodelreview" data-widget-title="Today's best camera deals" data-model-name="Sony A7 V,Canon EOS R10,Fujifilm X-T5"></div> </article> ]]>