Digiscoping with binoculars

Joined
Apr 5, 2017
Messages
86
Location
WA...The dry side
Was wondering if anyone was digiscoping with binoculars?

I've got pair of Swaro 12x50 el's that I want to attach my GoPro hero 9 to.
I may get a phone adapter as well...Not bringing the spotter on this trip with weight being a factor.

I don't see how it would be any different than a spotter, other than magnification.

Any tips or thoughts?

Thanks
 
Joined
Feb 14, 2018
Messages
83
Location
Rockton, PA
Was wondering if anyone was digiscoping with binoculars?

I've got pair of Swaro 12x50 el's that I want to attach my GoPro hero 9 to.
I may get a phone adapter as well...Not bringing the spotter on this trip with weight being a factor.

I don't see how it would be any different than a spotter, other than magnification.

Any tips or thoughts?

Thanks

Magnification and light gathering capabilities are the two biggest factors between binoculars and spotting scopes.

The 12x50s should give you quite a bit of light. If you use your phone, you can take advantage of the digital zoom to get footage, which you really can't do with the GoPro.

I don't see you having an issue with the 12x50s mounted to a tripod. I would use the phone over the GoPro though to maximize the distance.

Skope on,
Tim
 

68w

FNG
Joined
Feb 5, 2016
Messages
19
Location
Buckley, WA
You can definitely digiscope with either. Like the post above said, biggest down fall for the binos is going to be light gathering and magnification.

phone sensors / go pros are already limited on how much light they can gather.

using 10x50 will give you the most light to your phone sensor (5mm exit pupil) giving you a clean image if you are close enough. Since You are limited on magnification at 10x, you can digitally zoom in on your phone but it will reduce image quality. Using binos you just have to be closer.

15x56 and 12x50 binos gives you a little more magnification at the cost of light gathering capabilities. (3.73 exit pupil 4.16

20-60x85 spotter is pretty awesome for digiscoping. At 20x lots of light and magnification (4.25mm exit pupil). As you start to increase magnification that image will darken and your phone will try to account for it by increasing the sensors light sensitivity. This fine, but often increases noise to the image and will begin to degrade the image the darker it gets. At 60x only 1.4mm exit pupil.

you’ll still get lots of usable footage/photos using your 12s.

Mule deer photo taken through a set of 15x56 with an iPhone 11 at 550 yards

Bighorn through razor spotter at 400 on 30x iPhone 7

elk through spotter at 20x around 150-200 yards iPhone 7

Goats through 15s at 500 yards iPhone 7
 

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Last edited:

hawkman71

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 5, 2021
Messages
222
I don't know if the "k" is necessary but I've been "diginocking" for 20 years. Sure, a scope is better but if you only have binoculars, then love the one you're with!

I bought a phone adapter for it and it works great.
 
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