Recorder for Spotter

[Rockdoc173]

I did a search but it didn't yield helpful data so I'm gonna how this question to you folks. Where I shoot, I've been having trouble spotting splash so I'm looking into a good spotting scope complete with some kind of camera recorder. I'm looking for recommendations for such products. I've looked at Phone Scope, Spot Shot, and a few others but I have no way of knowing what works and what's marketing fluff. My range has a camera that they use, but it's generally static and other shooters compete for its use. I want my own stand alone system that allows me to shop shots from 1000 to 2000 yds. My intended use is strictly for slow fire type long range shooting, no PRS-like stuff. Setup needs to be intuitive and reliable, and resolution should be adequate for picking out splash.

 

[96C]

Nikon | Shop & Explore Cameras, Lenses, and Accessories

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Consider this, at least you can play back footage on a large screen and have it as a separate stand alone unit.
I use a P900 camera, similar but smaller.

 

[Rockdoc173]

Actually I just started thinking the same way since I have a T6i. I could get a telephoto lens for it and go from there

 

[Steel head]

I often use my iPhone in a phone cam mount on my spotter when doing ELR by myself.
It’s proven to extremely helpful at times.

 

[spife7980]

I bought an old galaxy phone that serves as my borescope and phone scope display.

I don’t use it much for spotting anymore. Easy enough to just use a rifle scope

 

[Mike Casselton]

I have the SME Spot Shot that attaches to a spotter.
It works very well and you can record shots and review at any time.

You're more than welcome to try it next time you come out.

 

[cschastain2]

Nikon | Shop & Explore Cameras, Lenses, and Accessories

Shop the latest mirrorless & DSLR cameras and NIKKOR lenses from the official Nikon eCommerce site. Explore our innovations and photo equipment!

www.nikonusa.com

Consider this, at least you can play back footage on a large screen and have it as a separate stand alone unit.
I use a P900 camera, similar but smaller.

I have this camera…It’s excellent for this and keeps your Spotter free

 

[cschastain2]

I got mine here:

Nikon COOLPIX P1000 Digital Camera

Nikon COOLPIX P1000 Digital Camera

www.abesofmaine.com

 

[warnera1102]

I have the SME Spot Shot that attaches to a spotter.
It works very well and you can record shots and review at any time.

You're more than welcome to try it next time you come out.

I looked at one of these but the reviews online pushed me away. Have you had good luck with it?

 

[Rancid Coolaid]

Phone Skope on a Vortex razor with mil reticle here, works well.

In the right conditions, you get vapor trail and splash, which is very helpful.

Regardless of how you do it, you need a good solid tripod.

Resolution will be mostly about the spotter, less about the imaging system, or so it seems to me. But I don't shoot out to 2000 yards, so mostly talking out of my ass on that part.

 

[Steel head]

While I can usually pick up impacts and misses with my scope occasionally the recorded shots really come in handy, especially past 2000 yards.

 

[Mike Casselton]

I looked at one of these but the reviews online pushed me away. Have you had good luck with it?

It's only limited by the quality of the spotting scope, and mirage.
I use mine with an old 22x Bausch & Lomb and it works quite well.
I'd love to have a tablet to view it on, but it's fine with my phone.

Like @Steelhead mentioned, for the longer range stuff, being able to view a recording is best.

For 1 mile +, a wifi camera at the impact area is even better.

 

[Rockdoc173]

I have the SME Spot Shot that attaches to a spotter.
It works very well and you can record shots and review at any time.

You're more than welcome to try it next time you come out.

Thanks Mike, I might take you up on that

 

[Rockdoc173]

It's only limited by the quality of the spotting scope, and mirage.
I use mine with an old 22x Bausch & Lomb and it works quite well.
I'd love to have a tablet to view it on, but it's fine with my phone.

Like @Steelhead mentioned, for the longer range stuff, being able to view a recording is best.

For 1 mile +, a wifi camera at the impact area is even better.

I'm kinda thinking an intermediate spotter, maybe a Leupold Mk4 or Razor, together with an iPad mini and the Spot Shot unit you referenced would make a good setup. On paper anyway.

 

[Mike Casselton]

If Rick comes out next week with us, I'll hook it up with his Bushy spotter. I'm pretty sure it's 30x and has a mil reticle.
If you're able to make it, we can set it up and see if it works for you.

If it doesn't, I'd be happy to spot for you.

 

[Rockdoc173]

If Rick comes out next week with us, I'll hook it up with his Bushy spotter. I'm pretty sure it's 30x and has a mil reticle.
If you're able to make it, we can set it up and see if it works for you.

If it doesn't, I'd be happy to spot for you.

Very kind of you sir. The issue that was most frustrating the other day was that there was nothing to spot, at least, from my vantage point. Usually I get something, some puff of splash, but not that day. Missing is one thing, even missing a lot (lol I've gotten used to that problem), but when you can't correct because you're shooting blind, well, the world just seems a little more unfair. lol

 

[Mike Casselton]

I hear you.
It's much easier to spot from the turf or even the grass area to the right.
There's also a lot less mirage because it's a bit higher.
Would you be open to shooting from there if we helped you with set up?

Fair warning: Dan will talk you into attempting shots at the mile targets before the day is through.

 

[jbuck88]

I use the phone scope and leupold GR 12-40 spotter. It picks up trace better then the mk4 I had but no reticle. So flip a coin.

When I'm shooting solo I can hit record in slow motion and usually get a good spot.

 

[Pbjunkiee]

Olympus tg-6 and novagrade adapter

 

[Rockdoc173]

I hear you.
It's much easier to spot from the turf or even the grass area to the right.
There's also a lot less mirage because it's a bit higher.
Would you be open to shooting from there if we helped you with set up?

Fair warning: Dan will talk you into attempting shots at the mile targets before the day is through.

I might move back up there. I used to shoot up there quite a bit but that lower spot is just more convenient. I tapped that mile about two weeks go, so the question in my mind was, "How can I hit a mile one week, then not be able to hit a k the next?" Grrrrrr Bad week is all.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Some days the trigger press feels like this:

 

[Rockdoc173]

Some days the trigger press feels like this:

buhhhhaaaahhaaa

 

[Crosswind]

I did a search but it didn't yield helpful data so I'm gonna how this question to you folks. Where I shoot, I've been having trouble spotting splash so I'm looking into a good spotting scope complete with some kind of camera recorder. I'm looking for recommendations for such products. I've looked at Phone Scope, Spot Shot, and a few others but I have no way of knowing what works and what's marketing fluff. My range has a camera that they use, but it's generally static and other shooters compete for its use. I want my own stand alone system that allows me to shop shots from 1000 to 2000 yds. My intended use is strictly for slow fire type long range shooting, no PRS-like stuff. Setup needs to be intuitive and reliable, and resolution should be adequate for picking out splash.

THE HAWK FROM TARGET VISION

 

[carbonbased]

This Novagrade one is the best universal one I found. Might be the best one, period.

The moon shot was taken with a Vortex Razor 27-60x85 at 60x, I believe. Edit: found out I was zoomed out a bit. Maybe 40-50x-ish?

Was going to buy a Nikon P1000, but wasn’t sure if it zoomed in more than a 60x spotter for a prairie dog at 400-500yds.

In any case, $169<$1000, and I don’t use a spotter for spotting PDs anymore (15x-18x binos are better/easier) so this setup is pretty good. It was 100 degrees out and super super bright, so there was a little light leakage causing flare. A dark cloth or tinfoil would solve that. Probably user error…I didn’t have much inclination to use the setup because I hunted mostly alone this year.

I only use the spotter at the range.

But the BIGGEST reasons to use your phone are sharing ease and organizational: You film with the phone and you’re done. It’s filed away in your pics. Sharing is easy.

With a P1000 (or any video camera), you’re futzing with getting the movie from the camera to the computer and then maybe to your phone. Maybe have to shrink the file size down for the phone. Maybe the file format of whatever video camera you use isn’t mp4, more headaches.

Pure video cameras and video formats are a whole other can of worms.

But if you don’t share, use it only for spotting, and delete the stuff anyway, a P1000 would be hard to beat, especially with an external monitor.

 

[RickyRacer87]

The P1000 is what I use and yes there is a bit of setup but the view is amazing and I use a Andycine Monitor for viewing my own splashes. And using that I have it on my little table that I shoot from. Also I am able to use the pinch to zoom on the monitor to get as close as I like. The zoom is amazing. I also am able to share the video feed with others using a Z-Cam Ipman video streaming device. I can share it to 4 other shooters as well as watch it on my monitor. Yeah I'm kind of a geek and just love gadgets... We shoot ULR and start at 2054 yards and we all like to get hits, even though we are still competing We all help each other get on target. The close up is at 2054 yards but zoomed to an extreme with the pinch to zoom on the monitor.

This was the view at 1 mile and was zoomed to 3000mm on the camera and only a slight pinch to zoom on the monitor.
You can see the little video transmitter clamped to the side of the tripod.

 

[carbonbased]

The P1000 is what I use and yes there is a bit of setup but the view is amazing and I use a Andycine Monitor for viewing my own splashes. And using that I have it on my little table that I shoot from. Also I am able to use the pinch to zoom on the monitor to get as close as I like. The zoom is amazing. I also am able to share the video feed with others using a Z-Cam Ipman video streaming device. I can share it to 4 other shooters as well as watch it on my monitor. Yeah I'm kind of a geek and just love gadgets... We shoot ULR and start at 2054 yards and we all like to get hits, even though we are still competing We all help each other get on target. The close up is at 2054 yards but zoomed to an extreme with the pinch to zoom on the monitor. View attachment 7806054View attachment 7806055
This was the view at 1 mile and was zoomed to 3000mm on the camera and only a slight pinch to zoom on the monitor.
You can see the little video transmitter clamped to the side of the tripod.

View attachment 7806056

Ha! How big is the round gong and square plate?

And on that middle pic with the square plate, where is that located on the mountainside? I was zooming around and couldn't find it.

 

[RickyRacer87]

The round gong is 37” dia. I believe the square gong is 24”
The gong is located just to the left of where the rifle is pointed. On the farthest ridge just to the right of the big group of trees.

 

[carbonbased]

The round gong is 37” dia. I believe the square gong is 24”
The gong is located just to the left of where the rifle is pointed. On the farthest ridge just to the right of the big group of trees.

Thanks. And the gong (text colored red, above), that’s referencing the square gong, right?

I’m just trying to visualize a prairie dog’s size in the full/uncropped video frame at 500 yds using that P1000 without an external monitor. A PD presents about a of 10” target depending on age and position, but it’s often a skinny target.

 

[TheGerman]

Use what SOCOM....and I use...

Monoloc + your spotter eye piece bushing and their phone cradle with a Samsung 10s.

Can also get bushings for other things like a Leica monocle or a PVS14 if you want to do NV through the spotter, through the phone.

 

[RickyRacer87]

Yes the gong that’s on the hillside is the square one that you see in the monitor. And that’s at a mile

 

[Freediver111]

I have no issues with my Swaro ATS 65mm, iPhone, and Novagrade double gripper.
Screen shot of a video I was recording a few weeks ago. This is at 800 yds. There was a decent mirage when you watch the video, which is why the snapshot below is a little blurry. I guess there a million ways to do it, but for $170, the novagrade is a nice bit of kit.

 

[carbonbased]

Use what SOCOM....and I use...

Monoloc + your spotter eye piece bushing and their phone cradle with a Samsung 10s.

Can also get bushings for other things like a Leica monocle or a PVS14 if you want to do NV through the spotter, through the phone.

Is Monoloc a company or a generic type of connection? Or both?

(Sorry for not researching too much beforehand)

 

[TheGerman]

Is Monoloc a company or a generic type of connection? Or both?

(Sorry for not researching too much beforehand)

MonoLoc

VisionPro Shop provides affordable military grade adapters, iWitness kits, and waterproof cases for iPhone 4 or iPhone 4s smart phones to enable live streaming video via Skype or Facetime from just about any scope using the Tactical Solutions MonoLoc adapter and custom bushings. We make...

www.visionproshop.com

Also email/call them, they haven't updated the site or their new products. I use this with a Spotter 60 and Samsung 10s.

 

[carbonbased]

MonoLoc

VisionPro Shop provides affordable military grade adapters, iWitness kits, and waterproof cases for iPhone 4 or iPhone 4s smart phones to enable live streaming video via Skype or Facetime from just about any scope using the Tactical Solutions MonoLoc adapter and custom bushings. We make...

www.visionproshop.com

Also email/call them, they haven't updated the site or their new products. I use this with a Spotter 60 and Samsung 10s.

Thanks. I went to that site before my earlier posting and was like, WTF? So I’m glad you replied. I’ll give them a call.

I mentioned this before, but I’ve borriwed the Novagrade double gripper adapter and it’s pretty good. There was a little light flare, but if I buy that I’d just use a little black cloth or aluminum foil to stop that.

It looks like this Monoloc system would fix that flare issue, but it uses proprietary cradles for each type of phone.

I’ll give them a call.

 

[TheGerman]

Thanks. I went to that site before my earlier posting and was like, WTF? So I’m glad you replied. I’ll give them a call.

I mentioned this before, but I’ve borriwed the Novagrade double gripper adapter and it’s pretty good. There was a little light flare, but if I buy that I’d just use a little black cloth or aluminum foil to stop that.

It looks like this Monoloc system would fix that flare issue, but it uses proprietary cradles for each type of phone.

I’ll give them a call.

Generally the phones are centered around the 'tactical' models the .mil uses. Worse case, you get a 200$ brand new, unlocked Samsung 10s off of ebay just for shooting use; thats what I did.

How the monoloc works is if they make the bushing for it, you can insert whatever it is plus the appropriate bushing into the monoloc. This is then perfectly tensioned down and centered when closing the Monoloc. The cradle has a built on bushing/adapter that goes in the other end of the monoloc and then you just view everything (including your spotter reticle) through the phone. No more getting behind the spotter in a weird angle or trying to see shit with 1 eye.

You can also do cool shit like but the Leica monocle and have the monoloc hold it infront of your phone for something that destroys any set of binos on the planet.

 

[carbonbased]

Ok so this might be of interest: https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/the-big-digiscope-phone-scope-cam-overview.7133529/

I put this together after not finding the info I needed. Had to spend waaaay too much time on it so I figured I’d share.