What Is Digiscoping? A Guide for Birders

Digiscoping is the technique of taking photographs or video through a spotting scope. By attaching a smartphone adapter to a high-quality scope, you can capture images at 60x magnification — equivalent to a 3,000mm telephoto lens. The results often rival those of professional photographers using $10,000+ camera setups.

How It Works

A spotting scope magnifies the image 20–60x. We attach a universal phone adapter to the eyepiece, aligning your smartphone camera with the scope's optics. You then use your phone's native camera app (or a specialized app) to photograph or record video through the scope. The scope does the heavy lifting — your phone just captures what the scope sees.

Why Digiscoping Beats Most Cameras

A typical birder's camera with a 400mm lens gives you roughly 8x magnification. Our scope at 40x gives you 5 times that reach. This means frame-filling shots of birds at 30–50 meters — distances where even a 600mm lens would show a small bird in a big frame. The scope also gathers more light than most telephoto lenses, making it excellent in the low-light conditions of cloud forest.

What You Take Home

On a typical day tour, we capture 100–300 photos and multiple video clips. All images are yours to keep. We transfer them to your phone at the end of the tour via AirDrop or file sharing. Many of our guests have had their digiscoping photos published in birding magazines and social media with thousands of likes.

Our Setup

We use a premium spotting scope with ED glass for sharp, color-accurate images. The universal phone adapter fits any smartphone. No camera equipment is required from you — just bring your phone with storage space.

Why We Include It in Every Tour

We believe every birder deserves great photos of the birds they see. Not everyone can afford a $5,000 telephoto lens, but everyone has a smartphone. By including digiscoping in every tour, we ensure you go home with professional-quality memories — not just a checklist.