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Opticron MM3 50 mm and Iphone 6S (1 Viewer)

Frank, you have probably provided this info in the past, but which eye-pieces work for you for this phone-scoping?

Niels
 
Niels,

I use the fixed magnification, wide angle HDF 40809 for almost all my phonescope pics. On the 50 mm it provides 18x and in the 60 mm it gives 23x. I have occasionally used the HDF zoom but nowhere near as much as the wide angle eyepiece.

For what it is worth a friend just started using the higher mag, wide angle HDF eyepiece, the 40858, and has gotten some promising results with the 60 mm.
 
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Biweekly pic update.

Red-winged Blackbird. Phonescoped with the Opticron MM3 60, Iphone 6S and Phone Skope Universal adapter a couple of weekends ago.
 

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Thank you Ratal. I would agree. This is one of my recent favorites for all of the reasons you listed.

Just to show off a little of the versatility of this phonescoping setup, how about a non-perched bird, in-flight shot? Not the best angle for lighting but still pretty neat in my opinion.
 

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Julian,

Thank you for the comments. I would agree. The amazing part about the MM3 scope lineup is the excellent image quality they produce in such a small, lightweight package. In the US the prices are certainly affordable for this level of image quality (under $700 for the 50 mm and under $850 for the 60 mm with standard HDF zoom eyepiece).
 
Here is a Bald Eagle picture that I took this past weekend. The bird was about 90 yards away so on top of the regular magnification of the scope (fixed magnification eyepiece) I had to use a bit of the phone's digital zoom to get the bird to fill more of the frame. Despite that I think it still turned out better than expected.

Opticron MM3 60 mm
Iphone 6S
Phoneskope Universal adapter and Bluetooth shutter release
 

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Tim at Thermal Birding gets some pretty good results with the MM3 too Frank:

https://twitter.com/ThermalBirding/status/710423184009461760

Cheers, Pete

Yes, he does.

Don't know if you got wind of it yet but Tim and I are doing a phonescoping workshop at the local Wild Birds store next month. I have been kicking the idea around for about a year now but after seeing some of the gentlemen from Zeiss doing one at Hawk Mountain soon I thought it was finally time to put a presentation together.

So easy and so much fun.
 
Pic update. American Oystercatchers taken last weekend in Cape May, NJ during their annual Optics Sale. Opticron MM3 60 mm, Iphone 6S, Phoneskope Universal adapter with Bluetooth shutter release.
 

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Just a couple more pics taken with the MM3 60 mm and IPhone 6S. This time with the HDF zoom set at 45x. Backyard birds while I was grilling dinner.
 

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Weekly pic update....

American Bittern...found a dozen feet off of a major roadway in my area. A rare spring visitor. Only one or two are reported each spring in the Lehigh Valley area. This one was located next to a roadside flower stand in a small pond.

Opticron MM3 60 mm
HDF zoom
Iphone 6S
Phoneskope adapter
 

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Those are some stunning pics, Frank, keep the pics coming, please! ;) Pretty much surprised with the x45 pics, did they need a lot of croping/postprocessing? They look fantastic taking in to consideration the size of the scope and the deep zooming.

I've just ordered an MM3 60 and was curious about your experience with different eyepieces. I think I've read you somewhere in the forum that you prefer the HDF over the SDL, I wonder if that is related to the digiscoping capacities of each particular eyepiece or another different matter. Any insight appreciated :)
 
yarrellii,

Thank you. I will accommodate your request at the bottom of this post. Pics were taken at the Biggest Week in American Birding festival this past weekend. Because of the tight quarters I chose the MM3 50 mm with the HDF 18x fixed mag/wide angle eyepiece, Iphone 6S and new Phoneskope Universal adapter.

I was a bit surprised with the 45x pics too. They turned out much better than I expected. Speaks to the quality of the scope/eyepiece I guess. ;) Slight crop because the apparent field of view is fairly large at 45x. Only a little post-processing.

I do prefer the HDF to the SDL V2 for a couple of reasons. Physically it "fits" the scope better in the sense of size and weight. Optically I can't see much difference between the two eyepieces and I lose view of the fieldstop in the middle of the zoom range with the SDL V2. I prefer the fixed mag/wide angle eyepieces for phonescoping. The 809 is my current favorite.
 

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Thanks ever so much for your reply :) I've tried the MM3 with HDF and was happy and was advised that SDL was a little better in terms of performance plus (a big plus for me) it is waterproof and then there's the parfocal bit (I'm not 100 % sure that there will be no need for refocusing after zooming, but the lesser, the better). I'll share my views as soon as I get it. Thanks again and great pictures as always.
 
Firsts pics and impressions coming.
The nest of a blackbird hidden among the branches of a mastic tree in Ibiza. Shot from around 10-15 m. (600 x 600 px)

Mirlo_MM3.jpeg

MM3 60 ED, SDL eyepiece around x37-40, handheld smartphone (Nexus 5). Handheld phonescoping is really challenging ;)
 
Nicely done Yarrellii!

You are certainly correct. Handholding a phone to the eyepiece of a scope and still expecting high detail can be a frustrating/challenging experience. So, next on your purchase list is a phonescoping adapter. I don't believe Opticron makes one for the Nexus 5 so you are going to have to go the 3rd party route..... Novagrade or Phoneskope most likely.
 
Common Grackle phonescoped with the Opticron MM3 60 mm, Iphone 6S and Phoneskope Universal adapter (plus Bluetooth shutter release).... a couple of days ago here in Eastern PA.
 

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Thanks. Yes I've been checking both Phoneskope and Novagrade, I like the simple lines (and less bulk) of the Opticron adaptors (unfortunately only for iPhone and Samsung) and Phoneskope. I'm thinking about a homemade solution to mimmic what these two do :)
 
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