When the T2 Pro first came to my attention, I expected to be thoroughly underwhelmed. A smartphone plug-in micro camera – how good could that possibly be? As it turns out, bloody good. I’m genuinely impressed.

The unit ships in a nicely packaged box, which includes the camera plus a very handy little padded carrying case. At 2.5cm square and 3.5cm tall, including an attached rubber lens cover, it’s very dinky. Crucially, the lens is focusable, which hugely enhances its useability. I opted for an IOS version, but Android variants are also available.

The accompanying cardboard box included a mounting handle that holds both the camera and phone in front mounted clamps. I have an iPhone 14 Pro Max and the rig was more than capable of holding the phone (including its case) plus the camera perfectly securely.

The handle is an all metal (aluminium) affair with a rubberised pistol grip. Basic in design but very sturdy. There are no plastic components to fail and once all those expensive electronics are clamped in place it’s rock solid. The camera connects to the phone via a supplied cable and there’s also a standard quarter-inch mount for connection to a tripod.

A shooter’s perspective

An obvious question is, what do you do when it’s time to take a shot? As you can see it’s not an easy thing to put down. You could add a lanyard or a mini tripod but that’s all a bit cumbersome. In a solo shooting scenario, a separate full-size tripod would be the way to go. However, there is an alternative. You don’t need the handle at all. You could simply connect the camera directly to the phone, locate your target, find it in the scope, slip the phone/ camera combo in a pocket and take the shot. A cheap phone case might be a wise investment. With some minor modifications you could easily adjust the case to accommodate the camera. The camera won’t fit into the Lightning port without a bit of case tinkering. Obviously, you could remove the case altogether, but that’s perhaps a little risky.

There’s also a separate chassis/enclosure available with a Picatinny rail, allowing you to turn the camera into a dedicated scope, which features several reticles and colour schemes. You simply switch on ‘scope mode’ within the app and a reticle appears. Zeroing is done by simply moving the ret around the screen, either with your finger or via pop-up directional controls. A similar ‘finger pinch control’ system is also applied to zoom in from the base mag of 2x to a maximum of 15x.

Inside the app

The accompanying app is very well implemented, featuring multiple colour palettes, touch control, hotspot tracking, picture and video recording (with audio), plus a pip function that allows you employ the phones standard camera alongside the thermal image, a compass, speedometer, GPS location, the list goes on. The thermal sensor isn’t huge, but it does a cracking job for its size.

The bottom line

If you’re on a budget and you’re primarily spotting, ratting or rabbiting, the T2 Pro offers a great and affordable route into thermal. The hunting applications are obvious but there’s so much more potential with this handy little device. Picking up after a shoot, tracking shot deer or indeed anything else, locating lost stock or spotting unwanted visitors, four-legged or otherwise. For a keeper, farmer, hunter, or stalker it’s just so convenient. Kept in a pocket or tucked away in the glove box, it provides instant access to the power of thermal 24/7 in any situation. There’s a famous saying in photography: “The best camera in the world is the one you have with you.” That idiom definitely applies to the T2 Pro. Highly recommended.

Tech specs T2 Pro IOS & Android Interface

• Interface: USB Type-C
• Mobile app: Xinfrared
• Resolution: 256×192
• Pixel Pitch: 12μm
• Water Resistance Level: IPX4
• Focal length: 13.0mm
• FOV: 13.6°×10.2°
• Focus Mode: Manual
• Magnification: 2x to 15x
• Frame rate: 25Hz
• NETD: ≤50mk
• Temperature Range: 0°C~+80°C
• Unit Weight: 20g
• Reticle: Hot tracking & rifle scope reticle
• Colour palettes: White hot, black hot, birdwatching, rainbow, iron rainbow

Use the discount code ‘fieldsport’ with this link to save $20 at the checkout.