Vankey Cellphone Telescope Adapter Mount, Universal Phone Scope Mount, Work with for Spotting Scope, Telescope, Microscope, Monocular, Binocular, for iPhone, Samsung, HTC, LG and More

It’s pretty sturdy plastic aligns very well with the eyepiece using modern phones of all sizes no matter where the camera is located on your phone very nice swivel construction and can also be used on a little tripod

This mount is better than holding your phone up to the eyepiece and trying to get the angle and distance just right. I would recommend setting it up during daylight hours, so you can be sure that you know what you are doing and that you can get everything set up correctly. I used a Moto G Play (without the phone case) and was able to get these pictures of Jupiter and the Galilean moons, something I could not really do without the mount. Please note, getting the exposure correct is difficult; Jupiter is not exploding in that picture, it is just over-exposed. As far as usability goes, the mount is ok. The phone holder arms are on a spring, so you have to pull them apart and then hold them apart while you insert your phone. When you release the arms, they close automatically. The screw on the back of the phone holder likes to stick - when you first unscrew it, the phone won't start sliding up and down freely until you give it a little nudge. After the nudge, the phone slides freely until you tighten it. The eyepiece holder works well. It fits my standard eyepieces (I don't have any special eyepieces, just the ones that came with the telescope - and the telescope isn't anything fancy either).

Originally I got the cheapest model offered. It was very easy to use and get on my phone, an S21 Ultra. The problem was that it holds the phone with a spring and was real tight. Since I just got my phone I didn't want to risk the spring snapping back and causing a scratch. The seller was awesome and let me get the next model up with the screws to adjust tension. Much much better. Both of these not only attached to my telescope just fine but they also have a side mounting hole for a tripod. So this is like 2 mounts in one. Now the other issue as many have indicated is that it is a pain to get a camera phone lined up on a telescope hole. My S21 ultra has like 5 camera that the software seems to pick which is in use depending on zoom settings. So lining up the right camera hole is hard. What I did was put my telescope in my kitchen so I had a lot of light coming into the lens. Then I put the phone on there and adjusted the zoom settings to how I'd use them outside. Finally I adjusted the mount so I could see through my camera into the lens. I tightened everything and carried it outside and was able to see Jupiter as I intended.

I brought two, one for me one to give away. My phone has center camera and mounting was fairly easy, but needed to remove the phone protector case because the 'gripper' did not open enough. But if your phone has corner camera (or cameras) forget it! The phone mounts in such odd way in an angle that is difficult to have a good photo.

I have loved owning and using microscopes for more than 60 years. They have enlarged and enhanced my life immeasurably. But, as a former science teacher I know that compound microscopes can be frustrating and tricky to use for elementary and high school aged children. They can be a bit frustrating for parents and teachers as well. The most frustrating thing for a teacher or parent is not knowing if the child is actually seeing what they THINK they are seeing. And, that is especially true when using toy microscopes. Smartphone adapters are game changers in this regard. At last, EVERYBODY can see what is under the lens of a scope and talk about it in depth. The attached video demonstrates the Vankey Smartphone Adapter being used on a wide variety of common levels of microscope quality and every one of them benefit by being seen on a smartphone screen. I actually have two types, the Vankey is spring-loaded and is best used on smaller phones with limited side controls. I use this one with an iPhone5 and recently gifted 6 to neighbors and family members. The LAKWAR works in a similar way except that it uses a screw to adjust the phone side of the adapter. I prefer that one for use with the Samsung and Sony Experia phones due to the placement of the many side mounted controls. But, matter which brand you buy, you are going to enhance your microscope experience many times over with one of these wonderful adapters.