tenny52 Loc: San Francisco

Today I found this on Amazon, forgive me if you think I am advertising, I am not but just finger itching.
https://www.amazon.com/Gosky-Updated-Newest-Spotting-Carrying/dp/B07FMT95B5/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
I find this very nice and useful, because it can be used on smart phones and Nikons.
I have a D610 and my questions are:
1. Does anyone have experience with this kind of monoscopes on smartphones or Dslrs?
2. Can this thing do better job than my Nikkor(300mm, 4.5 manual) or similar? I also have a Tamron(200-400mm 5.6 auto)
3. Is this a good thing to own or you find other brands more versatile?

Ourspolair

Discussions I have read on using a spotting scope on a DSLR have usually pointed out that the lenses are not as sharp as an OEM camera lens on the camera.The last one I read was on a scope which cost a lot more than the one you are showing. In the centre of the lens, the resolution is best, so for a smart phone it would probably be a good choice to get much closer to your subject. Since it comes with all of the adapters necessary, you could try it out and return it to Amazon if you are not satisfied with the results, so you have nothing to lose except some time, and you would have a usable scope for bird watching to boot!

jackerayc Loc: Southeast Texas

I don’t know anything about this, but thanks for posting this

jackerayc Loc: Southeast Texas

Thank you for the info. I have learned a little more from this. I have been wondering the same thing about using a spotting scope with my Nikon

fjdarling Loc: Mesa, Arizona, USA

The spotting scopes I've used (not this one) generally exhibited some chromatic aberration when used for photography. Your Nikon lenses will probably give you better overall image quality, but the spotting scope may have more magnification. And you might find it gives more acceptable images with a smartphone than with a dslr. Not saying you shouldn't try one...just be sure to test if its image quality meets your needs. You might find it very handy to use even IF it turns out to be not critically accurate. And you might be able to correct the CA in post production.

promfh Loc: Redwood City, CA, USA

I have used a couple of solutions to long distance photography. With appropriate adaptation I mounted my Nikon D5300 on an 40 - 80X spotting scope? As previously mentioned, the distortion at the edges was quite apparent so you lose about half of the image area using only the center of an already small sensor.

But the biggest problem was being able to see the frame while lining up the shot. The whole tripod mounted system was unwieldy and it was hard to look down into the viewfinder while crouching down in a bird blind. Using the LCD view helped a little but was still problematic.

Switching the Nikon body for an Olympus Tough 4 helped quite a bit as the smaller, lighter camera was easier to maneuver. The 4X optical zoom helped a bit as well.

But my final solution turned out to be an older (manual everything) Nikon 500mm f/4 with the factory 2X adapter on a sturdy tripod. With the 1.5X cropped sensor it’s roughly equivalent to 1500mm f/8. The whole rig, with tripod, weighs in at 27 pounds but delivers superior IQ for under $1000.

I use a running baby stroller to haul this around. It’s fine on normal foot trails and is easy on my 75YO back.

Your mileage might very but it works well for me.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Before I could afford a suitable length lens, I tried using my spotting scope on my Nikon (it was an earlier model (D300) snfthought the results were OK..... until I got a 400mm Sigma lens. The results were easily noticeable. Not very sharp in comparison. But... if all you can afford is to use is your spotting scope, it's better than none.