Replace Binos with Your Phone's Optical Zoom?

[dreamingWest]

Here's an offseason topic:

Have any of you ultralight hunters considered ditching your main bino because optical zoom is so high on late model phones?

My daughter has just started running track this year and I noticed several mom's around me using their phone's zoom capability to identify kids all the way across the stadium. It worked surprisingly well. I see the latest iPhone Pro model boasts 8X Optical Zoom.

I'm an alpha optics guy. I love great glass. But I'm curious, any of you guys brave enough to go straight iPhone Pro with a CRF?

 

[Samson7x]

Negative, glass is too important in the hunt IMO.

 

[dreamingWest]

After I hit post, I realized how dumb it would be for any hunt more that just a woodland style still hunt. In which case you could argue you don't need glass at all.

I live in my binos even in a treestand. But I think most of the whitetail hunters in my camp could definitely ditch their binos for these 8x zoom phones.

 

[180ls1]

My wife has that phone. I was blown away as well.

I've considered it on my 15's in place of a spotter but have not actually tested it.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I’ve used my new iPhone pro to zoom when I don’t have binos. It’s crazy how good the zoom is. But no…that’s a dumb idea.

 

[SkeeterMcgiblet]

I didn't replace my binos but I did replace a spotter for certain hunts with a magview & the phones zoom function. I got this picture at 1400 yds with 10x binos

 

[MuleyFever]

I think in daylight it works but the small cameras suck when using all their zoom in low light.

 

[Ross]

It is fun to play with but is not a pair of binos. It is simply a handy tool at this stage.

 

[Blake C]

Hahahajaj

 

[StupidLightweight]

Modern phones are incredible tools, but they're not binos. If the goal is to save weight on a hunt, binos should be the last place to look. As others have said, they do pair nicely with binos to give you more zoom when needed.

 

[180ls1]

I didn't replace my binos but I did replace a spotter for certain hunts with a magview & the phones zoom function. I got this picture at 1400 yds with 10x binos

How much phone zoom are you using? I am wondering if 2x or 3x through my 15x56 would work and "eliminate" my spotter which is only used for verifying, not counting every inch.