This is a review aimed at people looking at this scope as a way to get into birding; in addition to pros/cons, I'm going to give my advice for new birders to get started using this, which can maybe also help you tell if digiscoping is going to be the right birdwatching approach for you. I've had this scope for a little less than a year. I have not used any high-end cameras to compare it to.
Pros:
Really inexpensive way to get into the hobby. For a relatively small cost, you're getting a great zoom level.
Perfect for bird identification photos.
Seems really robust and sturdy. I don't mind just slinging this over the shoulder and going for a hike, rather than having a lens where I'm worried that any bump is going to cause a misalignment. It is a little heavy, but I'd rather heavy and sturdy than light and fragile.
Cons:
Weak link is the connector to the phone. It's fiddly to get aligned just right sometimes. Sometimes I think I've gotten a great shot and then checking it out afterwards I have weird dark patches on the photo because the scope and camera weren't totally aligned.
The photos you get won't be professional quality. this is less a knock on the scope, moreso, on digiscoping as compared to traditional cameras. You'll get great photos for identification and sharing.
If there was one feature I'd like on the scope itself, I'd love some tactile indicator on the focus adjustment knob so you can remember just by touch which way is focusing closer and further. I find myself frequently turning it the wrong way.
General advice:
1. Get a good tripod. You'll want one that's adjustable up to standing height, light-weight, and has a pan/tilt-handle. (I got one that didn't have a handle and ended up deciding that I needed to make one). The tripod that comes with the scope is sturdy, but setting up and sitting on the ground isn't great for birding. I got one with a ball-head mount, and I'm not sure it's better than one with bi-directional pan head. My sense is that ball-heads allow you to quickly adjust to unusual angles, but pan heads are a little easier for fine-tuning your adjustments. The scope is quite front-heavy when mounted on a tripod.
2. Use a good camera app. I use Camera+ 2 on the iphone and find that it's a lot better than the standard camera app. While you can use both the manual focus and the phone's focus ability, I find the best approach is to get my focus close with the scope, and then use the focus on the camera do the rest. A great approach is to use autofocus on something at the same depth as the bird (a branch or leaf), and lock the focus... then you don't have to worry about the bird moving and the camera suddenly deciding to focus on the distant background.
Speaking of apps, you'll definitely want to get Merlin, for use with identifying birds... you can leave Merlin running, stay in your camera app, and you'll get notifications when new bird calls are detected. (also, this is a beat of a cheat, but playing a bird call back through Merlin can be a great way to get a shy songbird to come out in the open.) Paying attention to bird calls and learning to recognize them is both rewarding and really useful.
3. The zoom on this scope is really powerful, but if there's one thing that's challenging, it's when a bird is too close. There's just no way to focus on a bird that's closer than about 12 feet (and you can't quickly dismount your phone if you want to switch). It's important to understand your zoom on your camera phone: typically you've got both an optical and digital zoom. Digital zoom isn't actually zooming in any closer, just expanding the pixels, so generally there isn't any point in zooming in beyond your optical zoom threshold. Remember that the closer you are, the narrower your depth of field is, so don't bother trying to get as close as you can. If you're photographing a larger bird like a goose or heron, you might not be able to get it all into the shot if you're too close.
4. Depending on your phone settings, you may find that your picture is inside a circular vignette, especially when your phone's zoom is set to 1. For my phone, there's a zoom sweet-spot between 1.5 to 2, where the picture fills the full frame and I'm still using optical zoom.
5. Accept that it's going to take a while to set up a shot. This is ultimately the big downside to digiscoping: you can't just point-and-shoot. You'll miss out on some shots because the bird takes off while you're still trying to dial in your focus. When I'm photographing songbirds, I spend a lot of time observing what branches they like and where they move, getting my focus locked in on where I think it's going to go, and then waiting. Getting any good action shots likely requires both a lot of preparation and luck.
6. Bring a pair of binoculars, even cheap small ones. If you're trying to tell at a distance if a bird is worth your effort, it's easier to just check it out through binoculars first.
7. Start with wetlands. Geese and ducks make way better targets for the beginner, since they're large and slow-moving. Songbirds are a lot more challenging. Practice quickly getting your zoom and focus set. Because you're looking down at the scope rather than through it (like a binocular or telescope), it can take a little while to actually get it pointed where you want as well, so it's good to practice using landmarks (ie. that bird is below a prominent tree on the horizon so I'll find that tree first, and then pan down until I get to the bird).
8. A lot of your photo quality is going to be determined by your post-processing. This is something I'm not really experienced with yet, but if you want to try and push this beyond just identification into really vivid, high-quality photos, you'll need to work in a desktop photo-processing app.
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Product Description
Main Features and Advantages
✔ Variable 20x to 60x zoom magnification and dynamic lens focusing system -- makes it easy to zoom in on target in detail.
✔ Fully multi-coated green film eyepiece lens helps to acquire a clearer, brighter and higher-contrast view.
✔ 80mm large objective lens to ensure the light-gathering power and high resolution, as well as large field of view range.
✔ 45 degree angled eyepiece provides more comfortable viewing, come with tripod allows rotation of the eyepiece to a sideways position, providing adjustable viewing angles.
✔ Durable framework and high-quality rubber armor provide non-slip grip, shock-proof grip and durable external protection.
✔ Waterproof, fogproof, shock-proof performances allow the scope to be used in all weather conditions.
✔ The retractable sun shade can be stretched out to protect the eyepiece and helps reduce glare..
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Advanced FMC 80mm Objective LensWith Advanced Fully Multi-coated 80mm Green Film Glass Lenses, you can enjoy a good clarity and brightness. The quality BAK4 Porro prism optics increases light transmission, delivers bright, clear, high-contrast images even in low-light conditions. |
20-60X Zoom& 45 degree Angled EyepieceVariable 20x to 60x magnification and dynamic lens focusing system for close-up and long range views - makes it easy to zoom in on target. 45 degree angled eyepiece provides more comfortable viewing |
Rotatable Eyepiece & Retractable Sun ShadeThe eye piece can be adjusted to any viewing position by simply loosening the adjustment collar on the center of the body to fit any situation. The retractable sun shade and inside threads helps helps reduce glare. |
Wide Applications:
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Target shootingLock the shooting target and witness the sharp shooting skills of the sharpshooter. |
ArcheryNo problem seeing archery target spotters and scoring disc in the archery field. |
Animals & birds watchingBest choice for bird watchers and animal lovers. You can go to parks, zoos, forests and other outdoor to see the lovely animals and birds. |
Moon observationExcellent optical performance can see the moon crater and other planets. Good partner for astronomy enthusiasts. |
Comes with a quick aligned phone adapter - Enjoy Capturing and Sharing!
Comes with a quick aligned cell phone adapter, you can take pictures and video of what you observe, Capture beauty of the distant world, share it with your friends and family.
The smartphone adapter is compact, light weight and very easy to handle. It is compatible with almost all smartphone on the market.
Compatible with phone 13Pro Max, 13Pro, 13, 12Pro Max, 12 Pro, 12, 12mini, 11Pro Max, 11 Pro,11, SE, Xs,Xr, X, 8 plus, 8, 7plus,7, 6plus, 6,5s,5, 4s, Samsung M, S, S+, Note Ultra, Note, A, Samsung GALAXY S, Note, LG, HTV, Sony almost all other smartphones on the market.
(Note: For all spotting scopes, the original picture is in a circle, please zoom the camera to get a full screen picture.)
Specification:
- Magnification: 20x -60x
- Objective lens diameter: 80mm
- Eyepiece diameter: 20mm
- Prism: BAK4
- Exit Pupil: 3.3-1.22mm
- Eye relief: 17.9-15mm
- Field of View: 82.9-48ft/1000yards
Reviews with images
Flaws, damages and disappointments
I purchased the Gosky Updated 20-60x80 Spotting Scope based on previous very satisfactory experience with a Gosky 12x50 monocular, thinking the design and craftsmanship would be equally satisfying this time. I was wrong.The box arrived slightly crushed. Not the manufacturer’s fault but might have contributed to internal damages which I then discovered. One of the three “clamps” in the phone adapter was broken and loose so I couldn’t securely attach the phone evenly to the scope eyepiece.While image quality was satisfactory at lowest 20x magnification, the scope could not focus properly at 40x to 60x. So viewing quality deteriorated as soon as I tried to zoom in. The geese picture was taken with good outdoor lighting at lowest magnification. The pictures of street numbers were taken with slight shading at progressively higher magnifications. All photos were taken with the same phone and the scope mounted on tripod.Focusing knob was a bit stiff (which I did not mind) but getting good focus especially at higher magnifications was hit and miss.Unlike my existing Gosky which uses a simple spring clamp to secure the phone and rubbery pushed in coupler to mate the digiscoping mechanism to the eyepiece, the new one uses a screw to secure the phone and requires user to twist the round coupler mechanism to attach to the eyepiece. This is way too tedious especially when you need to adjust the mounting position with the phone already attached. If Gosky used an external screw knob to secure the mechanism to the eyepiece it would not be too bad. Still, fiddling with screws means setup is cumbersome compared to my previous Gosky experience.Based on my previous experience with Gosky product, I was expecting sturdy hardware, acceptable and bright images at different magnifications with this 20-60x80 spotting scope. But I was sadly disappointed. I could have chosen an exchange instead of returning but the cumbersome setup would still be a turn off. So at the end, return.
Top reviews from Canada
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Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2023
Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in Canada on June 15, 2020
Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
I bought this to take picture of nature at my country house with my iPhone. I am very happy with the clarity of the lens and truly impressed by the magnification. Both the house and the cell tower in the included pictures are about 1 mile away (1.8 km). The pictures do not entirely render justice to the clarity of the lens as it is very hard to take a steady picture with that level of magnification. It is just physics. Even a little bit a wind can create a blur. At 60x, you will need a solid ground and calm weather conditions. Also I found that just touching the phone to take the picture could create a blur, so I put my iPhone on a 10s timer or I filmed at 4K and later select frames. The included iPhone attachment works rather well but it can be a little subtle to adjust perfectly. The little tripod included is well built and useful but I also got myself a sturdy high quality tripod for outdoor.
Images in this review
Reviewed in Canada on June 10, 2024
Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2024
Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2019
Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2024
Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
I purchased the Gosky Updated 20-60x80 Spotting Scope based on previous very satisfactory experience with a Gosky 12x50 monocular, thinking the design and craftsmanship would be equally satisfying this time. I was wrong.
The box arrived slightly crushed. Not the manufacturer’s fault but might have contributed to internal damages which I then discovered. One of the three “clamps” in the phone adapter was broken and loose so I couldn’t securely attach the phone evenly to the scope eyepiece.
While image quality was satisfactory at lowest 20x magnification, the scope could not focus properly at 40x to 60x. So viewing quality deteriorated as soon as I tried to zoom in. The geese picture was taken with good outdoor lighting at lowest magnification. The pictures of street numbers were taken with slight shading at progressively higher magnifications. All photos were taken with the same phone and the scope mounted on tripod.
Focusing knob was a bit stiff (which I did not mind) but getting good focus especially at higher magnifications was hit and miss.
Unlike my existing Gosky which uses a simple spring clamp to secure the phone and rubbery pushed in coupler to mate the digiscoping mechanism to the eyepiece, the new one uses a screw to secure the phone and requires user to twist the round coupler mechanism to attach to the eyepiece. This is way too tedious especially when you need to adjust the mounting position with the phone already attached. If Gosky used an external screw knob to secure the mechanism to the eyepiece it would not be too bad. Still, fiddling with screws means setup is cumbersome compared to my previous Gosky experience.
Based on my previous experience with Gosky product, I was expecting sturdy hardware, acceptable and bright images at different magnifications with this 20-60x80 spotting scope. But I was sadly disappointed. I could have chosen an exchange instead of returning but the cumbersome setup would still be a turn off. So at the end, return.
The box arrived slightly crushed. Not the manufacturer’s fault but might have contributed to internal damages which I then discovered. One of the three “clamps” in the phone adapter was broken and loose so I couldn’t securely attach the phone evenly to the scope eyepiece.
While image quality was satisfactory at lowest 20x magnification, the scope could not focus properly at 40x to 60x. So viewing quality deteriorated as soon as I tried to zoom in. The geese picture was taken with good outdoor lighting at lowest magnification. The pictures of street numbers were taken with slight shading at progressively higher magnifications. All photos were taken with the same phone and the scope mounted on tripod.
Focusing knob was a bit stiff (which I did not mind) but getting good focus especially at higher magnifications was hit and miss.
Unlike my existing Gosky which uses a simple spring clamp to secure the phone and rubbery pushed in coupler to mate the digiscoping mechanism to the eyepiece, the new one uses a screw to secure the phone and requires user to twist the round coupler mechanism to attach to the eyepiece. This is way too tedious especially when you need to adjust the mounting position with the phone already attached. If Gosky used an external screw knob to secure the mechanism to the eyepiece it would not be too bad. Still, fiddling with screws means setup is cumbersome compared to my previous Gosky experience.
Based on my previous experience with Gosky product, I was expecting sturdy hardware, acceptable and bright images at different magnifications with this 20-60x80 spotting scope. But I was sadly disappointed. I could have chosen an exchange instead of returning but the cumbersome setup would still be a turn off. So at the end, return.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
presidentg
Good enough!
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
Gonzalo
Excelente para hacer Spotting!
Reviewed in Mexico on February 26, 2024Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
da silva bodeao emmanuel
Bon rapport qualité prix
Reviewed in France on June 30, 2024Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
Leah S
A fantastically high quality instrument!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2022Colour Name: Green/BlackVerified Purchase
mollie
Very good .
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2021Verified Purchase