Posting here cause kind of pew related. Bought a new tripod and micro adjustment add-on for my spotting scope, plus a cellphone/camera adapter.
The micro adjuster, total thumbs up, the cellphone camera adapter, total thumbs down.
So, as I've started shooting longer ranges, my scope isn't always enough to let me see what is happening at the target. While not a problem with the larger calibers that leave a bigger hole, the smaller caliber's like my new .22-250 can be a little harder to spot a hole on the target out past 100 yards. They only leave a hole approximately .224 cal inch which is the diameter of the bullet, and can be a little harder to spot out at distance.
I have a decent spotting scope, while it's not a fancy top of the line brand name like Leopold or Swarovski, it does a decent job at a fraction of the price. For example a decent Swarovski spotting scope at 60x with a 80mm objective can go for over $2500 U.S. My spotting scope is a "Yukon" brand that has two variable ranges, 6-25X and 25-100x with a 100mm objective that I paid less than $150 U.S. for at a gun show. Yes, the glass is not quite as good and noticeably less clear to the eye, but it is still adequate for checking targets at distance. In fact, even more so than many scopes 10x it's cost. I've been happy overall with the performance.
One of the challenges with any high power spotting scope is adjusting the tripod tilt and side cant for the target to be in view. In my experience, I've always struggled with typical tripod mounts. It's like I adjust it, then got to tighten and lock in, and it always shifts when I let go of the tripod lever. Not an issue at 100 yards, but definitely an issue at 200-500 yards, sometimes completely losing the target sight.
(Close up of trigger/ball tripod)
To remedy that, I recently got both a new tripod with a pisol grip "ball" mount, and a "micro adjustment" gizmo. This ball joint pistol grip helps to lock the view in very close to where I want it, and the micro adjustment gizmo allows me to then make micro adjustments with this gizmo for both up and down as well as left to right. This makes a world of difference. Now able to easily center the spotting scope on target and visualize the resulting holes. Double thumbs up for those considering a similar purchase or having the same struggle!
(Close up of micro adjust - double thumbs up!)
I also bought a cellphone camera adapter for the spotting scope. My thought was that I could use this for target pics and also for some wildlife photography and video. I've been getting lots of photo opportunities with all the local deer and birds. I thought perhaps this would allow me to get some good close up shots or even video using my cellphone cam. Not. First off, the promised adapter did not even fit properly. It fit over the eyepiece, sure, but only when it was zoomed completely out. This meant I could not adjust the focus properly with the adapter connected, and that even if I were to adjust the focus first and then connect the adapter, it would no longer fit the extended focus eyepiece. Double thumbs down on this one. Sad that I wasted the money on that.
(Cellphone camera adapter, above and below, Double thumbs down)
Was hoping to also use it for some wildlife photography and moon shots. Nope. This will have to wait until my planned digital camera and telephoto upgrade this spring. More to come on that next month I hope!