Leica has made smartphone photography through binoculars a whole lot easier, thanks to a new partnership with US company Ollin.
The result is the Ollin snapshot adapter for Leica Geovid Pro binoculars, a simple but clever accessory designed to let users quickly capture what they are seeing through their binoculars using a smartphone. Whether it is wildlife, birding, hunting, or simply recording a memorable sighting in the field, this adapter turns the Leica Geovid Pro into something far more versatile.
The idea is simple: the adapter holds almost any smartphone securely in place using magnetic brackets, allowing the phone’s camera to line up with the binocular eyepiece. Once attached, users can shoot stills and videos directly through the binoculars, effectively turning their smartphone into a powerful telephoto camera.
Leica says the smart magnetic system ensures precise alignment with repeatable accuracy, which should make the whole process far less fiddly than traditional digiscoping setups. Different smartphones can be connected using the Ollin snapcase or magnetic tab, both of which are available separately. Better still, the adapter’s flat design means it can be left on the eyepiece during normal binocular use, making it quick to switch between observation and photography.
Alongside the new Ollin adapter, Leica Sports Optics has also introduced the Leica Geovid Pro 8x42 and 10x42 binoculars in a new olive green finish. Going forward, olive green will be used to identify the Geovid Pro line, while the Geovid R range will remain in black, and the top-end Geovid AB+ models will appear in Flat Dark Earth. It is a small change, but one designed to make Leica’s rangefinder binocular lineup easier to understand.
The Leica Geovid Pro range is already one of the most advanced binocular systems in Leica’s sports optics lineup, combining premium optics with over 30 years of rangefinding experience. The models feature Pro Applied Ballistics Ultralight ( a specialized, entry-level ballistic solver tier that calculates long-range shooting solutions) with G1/G7 support and more than 740 factory-loaded cartridges preinstalled, along with access to Leica’s wider database.
The Geovid Pro binoculars also feature Leica’s open-bridge design for a secure grip, as well as a built-in compass. This allows users to target and retrieve terrain points for navigation using Leica Pro Track, making the binoculars as much about precision and fieldcraft as they are about pure observation.
The Leica Geovid Pro 8x42 and 10x42 binoculars in olive green are available now from Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store, and specialist retailers, priced at $3,639 / £2,470.
The new Ollin snapshot adapter for Leica is priced at $229 / £129, with additional models also available for other Leica binoculars and Leica spotting scopes.