DIY works great, I gave up on my Carson some time ago because it was fiddly and floppy. Definitely not recommended.
I turned out the inside of some drain pipe to get a gentle push fit on the spotter, which is really solid.
Avoid camera shake with a <$5 (try AliExpress) remote shutter release which allows you to take photos without touching the phone.
These can be wired (goes in the phone's earphone jack), or bluetooth.
Bookmarks