Opticron USM-2 Mount: FirstLook/FirstUse

Easy setup, secure fit, and stable in use!

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Carolyn Donovan and Wan Chi Lau in Photography, RainyDayPhotography // 0 Comments

We have looked at, played with, and reviewed a lot of smartphone mounts over the years. A LOT. A few years ago we (finally) found one we liked with all the features we needed, so we stopped looking.

Recently though, we came across the USM-2 by Opticron. It seemed really simple to setup and easy to operate, and while we really like the mount we have, we HAD to take a closer look!

FirstLook

The Opticron USM-2 is designed to work only for smartphones, so no DSLR or point-n-shoot cameras. The idea is to align the phone’s lens to the opening on the mount, then center everything to the eyepiece of the spotting scope, telescope, or whatever.

Kind of looks like something from the sixth grade slide-rule class, but really for adults with smartphones and cameras.

The four independently sliding arms are long enough to grip the largest of smartphones. The grippers are rubber tipped and curved slightly to hold the phone securely. The tips and arms are metal and does not flex, a huge plus compared to the plastic ones we have used in the past. A single knob in the back locks both arms in place at the same time.

Gizmo-ology at its finest.

The mount secures onto the eyepiece by a three-pin, self-centering gripper. The metal pins are rubber coated. The gripping mechanism is made of metal, another HUGE plus when compared to the ones made with all plastic parts. Diameter adjustments and grip strength are both made using a single linear worm screw.

Any which way you look at it, a really well-made, well-designed, piece of kit.

After examining the USM-2, we really like all of the design and usability decisions Opticron made in creating this mount:

Metal construction for all of the pieces needed for gripping and holding;
Plastics used for weight-saving where logical;
Single knob for locking both slider arms;
Single knob for adjusting diameter and gripping the eyepiece;
Rubber tipped pieces for no-scratch non-slip at all contact points; and
Easy-pack flat design.

A solid piece of kit, and we recommend it highly. HIGHLY.

The Opticron USM-2 is a well thought-through and engineered piece of kit, and we were eager to take it out to see how it performed in the field!!! So we did 😉

FirstUse

The first outing with the USM-2 was back to the spot where we had our first view of the Northern Flicker. We took the iPhone 11 Pro Max smartphone with us for this outing. The phone has three different lenses, and we chose the 1X for the FirstUse with the Opticron mount.

Makes waiting to see the tip of a beak poke out of a hole up in a tree a complete non-neck-strain event.

The following is what we thought of the USM-2 FirstUse experience:

It is MUCH easier to center the lens on the mount first, THEN attach it to the scope;
Mounting the phone in the vertical orientation was better for the overall balance;
Everything stayed secure for an hour of observing, photo/video taking, etc.;
The mount was very stable and vibration free;
It was the fastest setup/breakdown mount we have ever used.

Looks wonky from this angle, but it was a perfect fit and a perfect match.

Results

We were very happy with how this mount performed in the FirstUse outing, especially since we know that some of the shots we got with the iPhone would have been extremely hard to do with a DSLR.

As mounted, the iPhone became a viewer that allowed the folks on our FE (“Flicker Expedition”) to have a sharable experience, something that would have been less share-y if parties had to take turn at the eyepiece. The bigger screen also provided a way to easily monitor the site and take action when something was happening.

Breakfast at last!

It is kind of amazing that we could get shots and videos this sharp through the eyepiece of a spotting scope with nothing but a smartphone on a mount. The Opticron USM-2 mount will likely be coming with us on all of our outings from here on out!