The Do's and Don'ts of Digiscoping

Hunters have come a long way from crude paintings on the walls of their caves that told the story of a hunts success. The modern hunter now has a plethora of tools at his disposal to record his trips into the field. The most common of these tools is the cell phone. Cell phones today with their upgraded camera systems and processors have all but made the inexpensive point and shoot cameras obsolete. Even with these advanced tools however, there are still some do’s and don’ts when it comes to digiscoping in the field.

Magnification: When digiscoping through an optic, especially spotting scopes, the clearest photos you will get are on the lowest magnification available. Turning up the power of the scope will distort the photo and give you less than desirable results. If more magnification is needed, use the digital zoom on your phone and refocus the optic for the best clarity possible.

Set up for the Shot: In order to get perfect photographs, you must take into effect the position of the animal. If the animal is in a shady spot on a hillside, move positions until you are able to silhouette the animal against something in the background. Another thing to be mindful of when setting up is the position of the sun. A sunspot in view can cause the photo to come out grainy or worse, not come out at all.

Take photos in burst mode: By setting your phone up to take a burst of photos, chances are at least one will turn out good. This makes sure every photo opportunity will be maximized. For this reason, I also like to use the video feature when digiscoping. You never know what you are going to catch on film that you would have missed due to a slow shutter speed.

Carry Headphones: These aren’t just for listening to a good podcast when hunting is bad anymore. A lot of newer phones allow you to use the ‘Answer’ button on your headphones to snap a hands-free photo. By doing this you eliminate the need to touch the phone while it’s locked on target, so you get a clearer, crisper photograph every time. If your phone doesn’t have this feature, either use the 5 second timer or get a Bluetooth shutter remote off Amazon for a couple dollars.

Use these helpful tips on your next hunting or scouting trip to provide you with a lasting memory and photos to scroll through for the next off season. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time if you have questions regarding these tips or how to get the best set up to acquire envy-worthy pictures.

Watch Mark walk us through the Outdoorsmans Digiscoping Adapter