If you've always wanted a pair of HD digital binoculars, you could very well get some without shelling out the big bucks.
A new smartphone accessory called Snapzoom allows you to mate your smartphone camera with the optical scope of a pair of binoculars, dramatically increasing the reach of your handset. The iPhone 5, for instance, would get its normal 33mm focal length boosted to 330mm on a 10x spotting scope.
Compatible with most smartphones (with or without a case), the Snapzoom can be mounted on all single- and dual-eyepiece scopes, which include the usual binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes, and even microscopes.
The accessory also automatically locks your phone in the landscape mode so it produces videos that are easy to view on a large screen.
This interesting product is currently seeking crowdfunding on Kickstarter, so the Snapszoom could be yours for a basic pledge of $70. If you don't own a pair of field glasses, the $90 option gets you a basic binocular kit to get started.
Here are some sample shots:
(Source: Crave Asia via DPreview)