Carson HookUpz Universal Smartphone Digiscoping Adapter for Most Full Sized Binoculars (IB-700) XX-Large

Very impressed. Well made....plastic, but good plastic and very sturdy and strong. I also have the Gosky metal mount. It works, but is much more of a chore to set up and cannot really be done quickly, as with this. Not much of a learning curve really. So quick and so easy to set up. Some great thought went into this. From what I read online, this new model took care of any dislikes some owners had with the first model. This is pricey, I suppose, but, I think the ingenuity and ease of use is well worth it for sure.

Ok. So there's many of these adapters to choose from. There is a cheap universal model marketed under a number of brand names that is relatively difficult to set up and does not maintain it's settings for quick use. There are a few well designed units with precise tuning knobs for both the horizontal and vertical axis. These, unfortunately, are now all deeply discounted because the designers did not anticipate the development and popularity of the upcoming larger smartphones. Seems they're stuck with a large stockpile.Then, there's the Carlson. I like the way it can be easily placed on and off both the phone and optical instrument quickly once set up. For phones with a center camera, as others have pointed out, (the Galaxy S7 in my case) problems exist. While the Carlson has a tuning knob for lining up the horizontal axis, the vertical placement of the phone is via a slider with a "tensioner" at the top which utilizes a snap action to lock in place. In my case, with the phone camera aligned, that tensioner, only catches the very edge of the phone (with or without the case). In fact, trying to pull down on it causes the phone to misalign as the tensioner follows the curve of the phone thus, pushing it sideways. Maybe mine was defective, but the same slider also does not sit flush with the back of the phone due to the green protrusions designed to catch the eyepiece of the telescope or binocular. The pictures below, show all of these issues.What to do? I was ready to return it for a refund because it would not hold its alignment on my phone nor, would it hold or grasp firmly to the eyepiece of my binoculars which have large, nonfoldable eye cusps (not Carlson's fault as they indicate for "most binoculars"). Anyway, a large rubber band was the extent my engineering effort. It worked. The phone stays aligned. I can remove the phone as usual as the rubber band stretches to allow for that. Finally, it helps (though not to complete satisfaction) with the grip on the binocular. Just be sure the rubber band does not interfere with any sensors on the front of the phone. The pictures below show the mod. The eye relief due to the extended eyepiece, uses some field of view as I have to zoom in to eliminate the "circle effect". For binoculars, get the object in focus with the unused eyepiece first, then let the camera focus on that image. Also, with binoculars, you will have to use the nonadjustable eyepiece or the entire unit will spin around.All in all, I've taken some neat videos and pictures but this is primarily due to the fact that my binoculars are image stabilized and help correct for the additional movement caused by trying to hold the entire setup in alignment. One star off for flimsy attachment and the second for not being as universal as I expected. Carson should really investigate adjustment knobs for both axis and providing customers the ability to interchange several lengths of those "green grabbers" to accommodate different eyepieces.

This adapter is a great way to hold yourself over if you aren't sure you want to invest in a proper camera. It's incredibly functional and easy to use. Overall I'm impressed at how clever and adaptable the design is, and it seems that Carson's claims that it will work with virtually any phone and any optic are valid.Pros:Works well with my dual-camera phone. I think even the multi-camera phones like the iPhone 11 pro max would work.Easy alignmentSecure attachment. I can really shake my binoculars around and my phone doesn't fall.It stays aligned, so you only have to make fine adjustmentsIt seems to be well-made. It is mostly plastic, but it certainly isn't flimsy.Cons:I am worried that the plastic will break eventually. For the price, an all-plastic design feels a little cheap.Bulky. My ideal adapter would allow me to put my phone in when I go out birding, then put it in my pocket to pull out and quickly attach it to my binoculars. This certainly can't fit into normal pockets, and for me, that makes it less functional.There is a gap between the lens of your phone and the eyepiece, which allows glare in. It only is noticeable in certain settings, and you can simply cup your hand around the eyepiece.Overall, I'm satisfied with this purchase, and I think it might be hard to find a better alternative. The bulkiness is the main reason I feel like it deserves only 4 stars.I'd like to also observe that using your phone+binoculars as a camera is hard. The way the weight is distributed when you have your phone rigged up to a set of binoculars makes it unstable, and I struggle to stabilize the image. Additionally, with no zoom on your phone, the won't fill the screen. Both of these features would be true for any similar product, so I wouldn't hold it against this one.For what it's worth, I tested this with an iPhone X and wingspan optics 8x42 binoculars.