Bowhuntrben
Well-known member
I just wanted to share my experience with some different digiscoping adapters that I tried recently in case anybody else is considering purchasing one soon.
I recently bought and tried 3 different ones.
The first I tried was the Novagrade Double Gripper. This thing is built like a tank, and I can’t imagine it would break. That said, it is also very heavy. I was fine with the weight, but I didn’t think it was very user friendly. Having the double gripper made it seem not real easy to slide my phone in and out. They also make a single gripper which I suspect would be much easier for sliding the phone in and out. Once in, the phone did hold steady (probably steadier with the double gripper than the single). I wasn’t too impressed with the stopper they use to slide the phone up to. I think this was for being able to take your phone in and out without having to readjust every time. It just didn’t seem like that part locked down enough for me if I wanted to push the phone up against it. I found it difficult to get the phone lined up just right on my spotter using the Novagrade. I’m not sure if it was a lining up issue or an eye relief distance issue, but I couldn’t get the picture to work out when I was at full zoom on my Vortex spotter (hopefully to be Swarovski some day J). With all of that, the Novagrade IS a universal adapter. You can put any phone in it, and put it on any spotter. The double gripper cost $169. I ended up returning it because of the issues with trying to get it lined up.
Once I returned that, I ordered two more adapters. I ordered a cheap one off of Amazon. It is the Gosky Spotting Scope Phone Adapter Mount – Big Type. It is a universal adapter which fits multiple phone sizes and spotting scopes. I tested this one out, and I found it to be much easier to get lined up than the Novagrade was. It works quite well actually, and I’m impressed. When I hooked it up to my spotter, I had no issues getting the image even at full zoom. The drawback to this adapter is that it’s mostly plastic. It feels cheap, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some components could break eventually. I may try to replace some of the screws with something a little more heavy duty, but I plan to keep this adapter so that I can use it with my dad’s phone or uncle’s phone in the future. This adapter only cost $36, so it isn’t much of an investment.
The last adapter I tried was from Tines Up. I decided to get the universal adapter with slim case kit. It came with a case specific for my iphone (you can get it for many different phones, but it’s specific to the phone and not universal for any phone). The adapter itself is universal for any spotter. If you get a new phone, you can just buy a new case. Alternatively, they have the tabs you can buy which you can affix to whatever case you have. I found the build on the Tines Up to be great. It is metal, and it doesn’t seem like it will break. Since I got the case kit, all I had to do was put my phone in the case, and I was good to go. I put it on my spotter, and it lined up perfectly, and I had no issues with it at max zoom. It feels a lot more solid than the Gosky, and attaching it to the scope was super smooth. This is the adapter I would recommend getting if you don’t need it to be universal for any phone (or if you are willing to buy the tab or case for each phone that you will use). My kit cost $105. The case only would cost $37 if I need to replace it if I get a new phone. Otherwise, the tabs cost $20 if wanting to add them to an existing case. The universal adapter alone costs $80.
I know there are other adapters out there that I didn’t try and people seem to like (phoneskope, outdoorsmans, etc.), so feel free to post up what you’re using and likes/dislikes so people can benefit from your experiences!
I recently bought and tried 3 different ones.
The first I tried was the Novagrade Double Gripper. This thing is built like a tank, and I can’t imagine it would break. That said, it is also very heavy. I was fine with the weight, but I didn’t think it was very user friendly. Having the double gripper made it seem not real easy to slide my phone in and out. They also make a single gripper which I suspect would be much easier for sliding the phone in and out. Once in, the phone did hold steady (probably steadier with the double gripper than the single). I wasn’t too impressed with the stopper they use to slide the phone up to. I think this was for being able to take your phone in and out without having to readjust every time. It just didn’t seem like that part locked down enough for me if I wanted to push the phone up against it. I found it difficult to get the phone lined up just right on my spotter using the Novagrade. I’m not sure if it was a lining up issue or an eye relief distance issue, but I couldn’t get the picture to work out when I was at full zoom on my Vortex spotter (hopefully to be Swarovski some day J). With all of that, the Novagrade IS a universal adapter. You can put any phone in it, and put it on any spotter. The double gripper cost $169. I ended up returning it because of the issues with trying to get it lined up.
Once I returned that, I ordered two more adapters. I ordered a cheap one off of Amazon. It is the Gosky Spotting Scope Phone Adapter Mount – Big Type. It is a universal adapter which fits multiple phone sizes and spotting scopes. I tested this one out, and I found it to be much easier to get lined up than the Novagrade was. It works quite well actually, and I’m impressed. When I hooked it up to my spotter, I had no issues getting the image even at full zoom. The drawback to this adapter is that it’s mostly plastic. It feels cheap, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some components could break eventually. I may try to replace some of the screws with something a little more heavy duty, but I plan to keep this adapter so that I can use it with my dad’s phone or uncle’s phone in the future. This adapter only cost $36, so it isn’t much of an investment.
The last adapter I tried was from Tines Up. I decided to get the universal adapter with slim case kit. It came with a case specific for my iphone (you can get it for many different phones, but it’s specific to the phone and not universal for any phone). The adapter itself is universal for any spotter. If you get a new phone, you can just buy a new case. Alternatively, they have the tabs you can buy which you can affix to whatever case you have. I found the build on the Tines Up to be great. It is metal, and it doesn’t seem like it will break. Since I got the case kit, all I had to do was put my phone in the case, and I was good to go. I put it on my spotter, and it lined up perfectly, and I had no issues with it at max zoom. It feels a lot more solid than the Gosky, and attaching it to the scope was super smooth. This is the adapter I would recommend getting if you don’t need it to be universal for any phone (or if you are willing to buy the tab or case for each phone that you will use). My kit cost $105. The case only would cost $37 if I need to replace it if I get a new phone. Otherwise, the tabs cost $20 if wanting to add them to an existing case. The universal adapter alone costs $80.
I know there are other adapters out there that I didn’t try and people seem to like (phoneskope, outdoorsmans, etc.), so feel free to post up what you’re using and likes/dislikes so people can benefit from your experiences!
