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Phonescoping
I would have lost a million dollar bet a year ago that I would be photographing with my cell phone. I’ve always had a camera on my shoulder and never used my phone camera. That is until one day I decided to attach my new Iphone 6S+ to my Kowa 883 scope. The results kind of blew my mind. The small phone sensor does have some limitations for still photos but the video is production worthy 4K quality. Included in this months installment are samples of phonescoped stills. The results still shock me after a year of doing it. I also like the phone as it makes sharing the view with others easy. People really enjoy viewing a nest or a bird on the phone screen. It is such fun seeing kids faces light up. Phonescoping is perfect for birders. It’s very simple to get good results with just a little practice.
Great Blue Herons
This was an early attempt at Phonescoping. I really could not believe the quality and never realized how much more fun it is to view the subject on the phone screen while the phone is attached to my scope. I’ve not used my camera for the past 8 months. Makes me laugh. This image of a mated pair of Great Blue Herons convinced me there really is something to Phonescoping.
Barn Owl
This was a lifer for me last year. A pair of barn owls nested in the cavity of a 55 gallon plastic barrel cut in half. It took me 2 days to find them. They were in the midst of a vast oak tree plot with dense hanging Spanish moss. I got very lucky to find a small clearing between the moss for a clean shot. Owls are my favorites. Quality from an iPhone 6S plus is surprisingly good. I keep my Kowa 1.6 extender on when Phonescoping and keep the zoom at 25X.
Smooth-billed Ani
This smooth-billed ani caused quite a stir this year near my home in Daytona Beach. He was way out of his southern territory but was quite obliging for several weeks. I just love the detail and clarity I get with my Kowa 883 scope. Another lifer for me!
Green Heron
One of the greatest joys I get from Phonescoping is sharing the view with others while it is attached to my Kowa 883 scope. It is so much fun watching the faces of little kids light up when you show them a bird on the phone screen. Brings a smile to their parents for that matter. Kowa makes a small selection of adapters for the latest phones to fit their scopes but universal adapters such as Novagrade are available to fit any phone to any scope and work well.
Green heron
Phonescoping is the ideal way to combine birding and photography, two pursuits that often conflict with each other. It is a quick way to document and even create beautiful bird imagery when out on birding ventures with others. Birding groups are often appreciative when catching a glimpse such as this green heron on the back of my phone while attached to my scope.
Red-shouldered Hawk
I often like to convert my color photos to black and white. It reduces the photo to pure substance and texture. The detail my phone and Kowa 883 scope provide still amazes me. This red-shouldered hawk sat patiently while I captured some images. Such beautiful birds and plentiful here in Florida.
Cormorants
Just some cormorants hanging out one warm spring day at Merritt Island. You can’t use too much of the digital zoom on my iPhone 6S plus to photograph with but for viewing you can use the digital zoom all the way without degradation. This provides amazing focal lengths combined with the zoom on your scope allowing for great looks at birds very far away.
Great-horned owl
A phone attached to my scope allows me to capture wonderful images even at dusk. The light gathering quality of a scope and the latitude of a phone image make it rather easy to get images like this great horned owl guarding her chicks a few months ago in south Florida at dusk. The ease of Phonescoping and it’s ability to help me demonstrate Digiscoping and scopes is the big advantage to me.
Roseate spoonbill
It would just be wrong for me not to include a Phonescoped image of a roseate spoonbill living here in Central Florida. I always use a bluetooth shutter release When Phonescoping. I like the one made by Phoneskope. I also use a Hoodman magnifying loupe to check critical focus. By holding both in my left hand and focusing my scope with the left I am able increase my keeper ratio tremendously. Just takes a little practice.
Mississippi kite
Such cool birds. We heard about an invasion of grasshoppers at a sub division a few hours from our house that was attracting close to a hundred Mississippi kites last summer. We rushed over and sure enough there they were! I was using my camera but the battery soon died. Thankfully I had my phone and was able to continue shooting the entire afternoon.
American bittern
All of these Phonescoped images bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart. While the phone sensors are very small and the images can’t be enlarged to much when printed Phonescoping has allowed me continue my life long passion for photography and has made it much more fun for learning birds and their behaviors. An American bittern in glorious morning light.
Great blue heron
Bhudda bird. Just another example of how scoping gives you the benefit of being much further away from wildlife, allowing you to capture much more natural behaviors. This guy never knew I was there. Attach your phone and come away with a beautiful photograph. It is just that easy.
Black-crowned night heron
This Phonescoped image of a black-crowned night heron is a perfect example of the quality possible when attaching a phone to a scope. It was a very contrasty scene but the iPhone 6S plus and my Kowa 883 scope handled the difficulty of this situation like a champ. Shadow details are maintained while still holding detail in the highlights. For those of you still wary of phone cameras, give it a shot. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
House finch
Just a very quick shot of a house finch I spotted outside the window while working an optics show for Kowa at Cape May Bird Observatory last month. The Cape May Bird Observatory run by David LaPuma and the Black Swamp Observatory run by Kimberly Kaufman and their amazing staffs are two of my favorite places for Phonescoping and birding. These are the soldiers in the trenches working tirelessly for birds, the environment and conservation. Please find it your heart to support them with donations or by visiting their on line stores for your next optics or digiscoping accessory need.