As a pro photographer who lives in the mountains, I love snapping pictures of wildlife. The walls of my home are peppered with photos of owls, foxes, elk and bears. That said, I don’t always carry my wildlife setup with me. It’s heavy, bulky and expensive — it ran me more than $5,000 (gulp). But, thankfully, now I don’t always need it: The Md.Life 80x Zoom Monocular Telescope, on sale for only $42, means any shutterbug can get good close-up images with the camera that’s already in their pocket: their phone.
Amazon
With 80x zoom, this telescope will help you see — and photograph — clearly from almost a mile away.
$42 at Amazon
Why is this a good deal? 💰
I write about deals for a living, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen an item marked down by over 90%. Usually, I think, this is too good to be true. And in this case, it is! While the MSRP for this telescope is $600, it usually sells for around $100. That said, with this sale and the coupon, you’re only paying $42, which is 58% off the usual price — and still quite the deal for what you get.
Why do I need this? 🤔
We’ve all been there. You look up at the night sky to see a gorgeous full moon and think to yourself, “That would look amazing on the ‘gram.” You grab your phone and snap a pic. The resulting photograph is not at all what you want, with the moon taking up only a few pixels in the frame — not worth posting at all.
While smartphone cameras have gotten insane in the past few years, almost to the point that you can barely tell the difference between a photo shot on your phone and one shot with a pro-grade camera, one area that still lags is zoom. It takes a long lens to get close-up images of wildlife, the sky or a sporting event, and our phones are too compact. Even the cheapest camera with good zoom capabilities will run you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
This telescope features 80x zoom, which will give you — or your smartphone — a clear view of subjects up to 1,500 yards away. That’s almost a mile. It also comes with an easy-to-use smartphone adapter and tripod, so everything you need for quality photos is included. The telescope itself features an adjustable eye cup and focusing wheel to ensure what you’re looking at is in focus, as well as a nonslip rubber coating to keep you from losing your grip.
What reviewers say 💬
Over 700 customers have given this bestseller a five-star review, and more than 2,000 have been purchased in the last month alone.
Pros 👍
“This telescope has a good weight, but not too heavy and feels good to hold on to,” commented one five-star reviewer, adding that it’s “very well made and takes up little space in my backpack or as it swings on my neck and more comfortable to use than binoculars.”
Another happy customer noted that they liked it much more than their binoculars. “It was easy to see through. Easy to focus. Easy to find my target. Looking out from my patio I was able to zoom right in on the casinos in the Las Vegas Valley with great clarity.” But the city lights weren’t the only place this telescope was handy: “The best, though, was on a cruise ship. As whales were breaching off the back of the ship. everyone was passing it around to get a good view. Some hooked up their cell phones and got nice video as well.”
A third photographer took this telescope on a trip to Yellowstone. “There was a family of buffalo grazing in a field I would estimate to be 1,500 to 2,000 feet away. Using the camera attachment was easier than I thought it would be. Line up the hole with your phone’s camera lens and then attach it to the scope. It was good for pictures and actually easier for videos.”
Cons 👎
While you shouldn’t expect professional-level equipment, some customers still expressed concerns regarding image quality. “The only real negative was the camera attachment; it doesn’t really give a good image and it is blurry around the edges,” mentioned one four-star reviewer, adding the caveat, “I say this only trying it quickly two times.”
Another customer, who rated the telescope four stars overall, mentioned that it interfered with their phone case. “I have to take off the protective cover of my phone to use it with the monocular,” they mentioned, before adding, “This is going to be very useful and a lot of fun. Much better than binoculars.”
Amazon
Many reviewers say they like this lightweight gadget better than heavier, bulkier binoculars.
$42 at Amazon
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
