It is no secret that digiscoping has come a long way over the last few years. With new technology to get clearer and easier use
in the field, it has become a must-have tool on your next hunt. It is a very powerful tool that is very simple to use but will enhance your experience a ton. It allows you to get very detailed observations and to capture some great memories in the field. This is not just a tool for your western hunter who carries a spotter in his backpack on nearly every hunt. This is something I have seen tons of whitetail hunters sitting in hunting blinds use frequently to age deer, judge a buck’s trophy potential, or just capture the shot for everlasting memories. All you need to make this happen is a spotting scope, smartphone, and one of the many great products that basically allow the two to work together. Below, I will break down three of my favorite brands to look into if you are thinking about digiscoping on your next hunt.PHONE SKOPE CARBON PROThe Phone Skope Carbon Pro is an awesome magnetic phone case that has attachments that will attach to your spotting scope, making this a great product. One thing that is very different about Phone Skope is that it was designed and built as an awesome phone case first. This is much different than the others we will talk about in the way that this is a great everyday, carry in your pocket phone case. It’s very strong and protective along with being very slim in design and lightweight.The Carbon Pro is magnetic and has many accessories that you can add to it, one being an adaptor that is magnetic and slides in place over your camera. It then mounts to your spotting scope using a twist-lock method. You place the correct spotting scope adaptor on your eye piece and then the MagSafe disk, which is magnetically connected to your phone, will twist onto your spotting scope adaptor to line it up. You may have to wiggle it around a little bit to get the perfect clear picture, but it is super easy and a great durable setup. The MagSafe disk system is the only one in this review that will allow you to use multiple cameras on your phone. It slides up and down, aligning with two cameras to best fit the task at hand. Remember, this is an amazing phone case first with the capability of turning into a digiscoping tool, so it does have a few more pieces and few more setup steps than the others we are going to talk about. However, this setup is by far the best when it comes to everyday phone use and phone protection.OLLIN SNAPCASE AND SNAPSHOT SPOTTER ADAPTOROllin has changed the digiscoping game, making it super easy and fast to get your phone set up and recording on your spotting scope. This is a two-part system. You will need the correct case for your phone and the correct spotting scope adaptor. The system is built specifically for your phone and spotting scope, so if you change one, you will have to get the correct pieces again. Once you have your phone case and spotting adaptor, it is super easy to set up. The spotting scope adaptor simply slides over the eye piece and has a cap that protects your glass at all times when not in use. The cap is magnetic as well, which keeps it locked in place and your spotting scope safe while bouncing around in the truck or your backpack. With this adaptor on your spotting scope, you are still able to glass normally with your eyes without having to take it on and off. When you are ready to start digiscoping and your phone is in the correct case, just place the phone case up to your spotter and the magnets will lock your phone to your spotter. It will be aligned perfectly each time. This is possibly the fastest setup system from taking your phone out of your pocket to recording what your spotting scope is looking at. The phone case on this system is a little bulky and may not be one that you want to carry around each and every day when not in the field, but all in all, this system is designed for digiscoping first and is a great product all around.MAGVIEW S1 SYSTEMThe MagView system is unique in the fact you can use any phone case you already have with it. The system comes with a small metal plate that sticks to the back of most any phone case. It is an easy two-piece setup that works great. The piece that goes on your spotter opens when you are ready to use it and closes to protect your glass when it’s in your pack or riding around in the truck. When you open the scope cover up, the piece that opens has a magnet in it that will grab onto the metal plate on the backside of your phone and hold it in place. However, this system doesn’t lock it in perfectly each time.You will need to download the MagView app, which you will use to take your photos or videos anyway. When the app is open on your phone, it shows a small set of crosshairs that will help you guide the camera lens’ center into place before the magnet grabs and locks your phone in. This is a super easy system to set up and protects your glass great, but it can be a little tricky the first few times getting your phone camera lined up perfectly.These are three of my favorite systems, and all of them work great. I have used all three, and each has its own benefits, but you will not go wrong with any of them. If you are thinking about upping your game and getting some awesome video or photos of wildlife, I would highly recommend looking into these and seeing which is going to be the best fit for your setup.