The Gadgets Page

The Carson “HookUpz” universal smartphone adapter is a clever device that adapts any smartphone camera to just about any optical device, such as binoculars, telescopes, microscopes, and spotting scopes. This allows you to add the camera you already have to the optics you already have.

I use the the adapter with my image stabilized binoculars. This gives me an 18X telephoto lens that is image stabilized and easy to shoot through with results very similar to a DSLR.

The adapter is very simple to use: Just insert your phone and line up the camera with the aperture on the adapter. Then clamp the adapter to the eyepiece of the optic. The entire setup takes less than a minute to be very precise.

Once your phone is mounted to the optic, you can use the phone’s screen to observe through it and take pictures. The results with my binoculars were very good, and with my spotting scope the results were excellent.

There are some physical limitations you may run into with image circle size; you may get falloff at the edges of the image because the optic image projection is smaller than your phone’s sensor. Just crop the image to eliminate this effect.

I found the Carson Universal Optics Adapter to be reliable, clever, and well made. If you ever want to shoot through your optics with your phone, it’s the one-size-fits-all solution.

Carson’s website: http://www.carson.com/accessories/smart-phone-adapters/1468-