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BEST TELESCOPE PHONE ADAPTERS. Looking at the universe through the lens of a telescope has the power to transform oneself. The rings of Saturn, the Milky Way, and the familiar yet alien surface of the moon – it is an experience like no other. But often times, just seeing it with your eyes is not enough, you have to photograph it. Traditionally, astrophotography has been done by sophisticated DSLRs exclusively but now more and more smartphones are replacing those bulky cameras and becoming top choice for astrophotography. For one, camera optics in cell phones have gone through tremendous development. Today, even the most basic of phones come equipped with camera setups that were common in still cameras back in the day. The most advanced of the models allow a whole host of features including optics up to 40 megapixels and ability to shoot in RAW image format. This makes smartphones a very easy choice for astrophotographers since they are not as bulky and do a very good job at capturing sharp and vivid images. Although phones have the ability to take stunning images, the key to good astrophotography is stability. A phone which is typically hand held don’t offer that at all which results in shaky images and vignetting. Therefore to stabilize the image, a phone adapter is used. Phone adapters allow you to position your phone at the back of a whole range of optical devices such as telescopes, microscopes and binoculars. They allow for axial stability while you take your photos or videos thus eliminating the need to hold the phone in one place or dealing with ugly vignettes on your photo. These days, most of the top telescope brands such as Celestron, Carson and Saxon sell these phone adapters for you to use with their devices. How they work. Phone adapters usually have two working parts, one attaching to the phone and the other to the telescope. They achieve their stability and correct angles by attaching to the eyepiece of your telescope while the other end of it lines up the lens of your phone camera right behind the eyepiece where your eyes would be. In this manner, it allows the phone camera to see what the human eye would see, thus giving the picture a realistic feel. How to use a phone adapter. You should always start by reading the manual that is included in your package for specific instructions. Once you’ve unpacked the adapter, insert your phone into the phone holder and tighten the clamp by adjusting the screws. Make sure while you do it that the phone is turned on and possibly have the camera app running. While you tighten the screws, pay attention that no buttons on the side of your phone gets pressed. Next, adjust the other end to the telescope clamp in a manner that you can see your phone’s lens through the hole that is placed in the back of the clamp. Tighten the screws to stabilize the arm in the exact configuration. In the end the phone should be stabilized in a way that the phone adapter lines perfectly with your camera lens. Now, for the final step, attach the adapter to the back of your scope. Line up the disk to your eyepiece and securely close the jaws. Once you have finished photographing, release the telescope jaw latch and preview the photo. The image on your phone would be magnified and bright. If you are having trouble with focusing, try adjusting the focus by regulating the telescope. While the adapter is connected, tapping on the phone screen to take a photo can create blurry images because of the shake. To avoid that, you can use a Bluetooth clicker or simply use your camera’s timer delay function. Best phone adapters for your telescope. Orion SteadyPix Quick Smartphone Telescope Photo Adapter. This adapter is perfect for people who are looking for inexpensive solutions that would let them take superior quality astronomical pictures through their smartphone’s built-in camera. This adapter is versatile in the sense that it can accommodate phones of all sizes without scratching, be it iPhone 4S or the brand new iPhone XS Max. The twist-to-lock eyepiece mechanism is optimal for telescopes and the superior design and engineering behind the SteadyPix means installation is quick and easy. By providing a stable and secure connection between your telescope and smartphone, the SteadyPix allow you to take phenomenal snaps that you can cherish for life. Taking well-focused photos through your cell phone is incredibly hard and even the most steady of hands would fail at keeping the phone absolutely still. This often results in blurry images, The Orion SteadyPix Quick Smartphone Telescope Photo Adapter takes that frustration and uncertainty out of the equation by providing a platform that is stable, reliable and secure. You can also attach the SteadyPix Quick to a tripod-mounted binocular or spotting scope eyepiece to take magnified pictures of daytime targets like colorful birds, wildlife and scenery. You can even attach your smartphone to a microscope eyepiece using the SteadyPix Quick. Made with ABS grade plastic and lined with rubber, the Orion SteadyPix is incredibly lightweight and therefore very easy to carry and deploy. While using the adapter, it is best if you remove any phone casings or bumpers that may influence the ability of the adapter to take perfect pictures. You can find it here on Amazon. Find the latest price here. NexYZ 3-axis universal smartphone adapter. Celestron NexYZ 3-Axis smartphone adapter. Video by Jenham's Astro NexYZ is a very special universal smartphone adapter. It can accommodate a whole host of smartphones, from the small ones to even the phablets. The platform is secure and sturdy and build to accommodate the weights of these devices. The mechanism built into the NexYZ is easy and intuitive so much so that installing a device onto its platform only takes seconds. It is also a step ahead of its competition with its unique three-axis adjustment feature. While most adapters put the onus on you to place your phone perfectly onto the platform and then adjust either vertically or horizontally, the NexYZ adapter’s innovative design gives you unprecedented control by allowing you to place your phone over the platform, center it with the X and Y axial knobs and then move it up or down the eyepiece until you have the whole field of view in shot. And although this adjustment seems complicated and very precise, it takes only a fraction of how long it would take you to adjust other adapters. It takes a whole of 45 seconds to insert the phone onto the platform, attach it to the eyepiece, start the camera app on your phone and center the eyepiece with respect to your camera by using the knobs. You can also easily switch from portrait mode to landscape mode by just turning the clamp attached to the eyepiece and readjusting the X, Y and Z axes. It is a unique feature of the NexYZ that sets it apart from the competition which predominantly only allows photos to be taken in portrait mode. NexYZ is very versatile and can be used with a variety of scopes including telescopes, binoculars and microscopes. It is built to work as intended even if your phone has a casing on it but just to be extra sure it is advised to remove the casing before inserting it into the NexYZ platform. Find the latest price on Amazon you can find it here. Gosky Quick Adapter GOPA001. Gosky Adapter. Video by Hunting Optics Snapping picture and taking videos of the cosmos is super easy with the new Gosky Quick Adapter GOPA001. It is a simple device that lets you connect your cell phone to a multitude of devices including binoculars, telescopes and microscopes. The universal adapter mount fits all devices regardless of brand thus making it truly versatile. To use the Gosky Quick Adapter GOPA001, all you have to do is attach your phone to the platform with clamps and then attach the other end to your scope. The platform is padded and lined with rubber to prevent unwanted scratching on your phone. It is cleverly designed that makes it super easy to align the phone camera to the eyepiece quickly and effortlessly. No technical knowhow is required to assemble this platform. Find the latest price on Amazon here. The phone platform is sturdy and allows for enough space to fit the modern big screen phones with ease. Related questions. Can I use my phone adapter to click pictures through my binoculars? Absolutely! Almost all brands today allow you to use the adapters on a multitude of optical devices including telescopes, microscopes and binoculars. The mechanism of using the adapters on binoculars is the same as it is with telescopes. First you place the phone into the adapter phone slot and secure it in a way that the camera is centered. Now you clamp that end to the eyepiece of the binocular to capture spectacular photographs. Please read the manual included with the package if you have any confusion. The images I captured through the adapter are blurry and out of focus. How do I fix that? This is probably a stabilization issue. First, make sure that your phone is tightly secured to the platform by examining the knobs. If they are, take note if the surface where you mounted the telescope is even. Images can also appear blurry is you attempt to take the photo by tapping onto the screen. To resolve this, you can buy a Bluetooth clicker that will allow you to click pictures remotely. If you rather do it the inexpensive way, then you can simply use your phone’s camera delay timer function to get a shot sans human interference.