Last updated: August 29, 2026
Your smartphone may be more capable of photographing the Yukon than you realize. Recent phones can produce surprisingly good photographs of the northern lights, landscapes and wildlife, and attachable smartphone lenses can extend those capabilities without requiring you to travel with a full DSLR or mirrorless camera system.
The important point is that the two main photography opportunities on our Yukon Northern Lights Tour require different things from a lens. For the aurora borealis, a wider view and good low-light performance are most useful. At the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, additional telephoto reach can help when animals are farther back in their habitats.
You do not necessarily need an additional lens. Many recent smartphones already include wide-angle, standard and optical telephoto cameras. Before purchasing anything, it is worth understanding what your phone can already do.
Depending on the model, your smartphone may include:
A recent phone with a strong main camera and dedicated optical telephoto camera may already cover most of the photography opportunities on this tour.
Learn how to switch between your phone's cameras before travelling. It is also helpful to understand which zoom settings use an actual optical camera and which rely primarily on digital enlargement. Heavy digital zoom can make a distant animal appear larger on the screen while reducing fine detail in the final photograph.
Aurora photography is different from wildlife photography. You are not normally trying to magnify a small object in the distance. Instead, you want enough of the sky in the frame to show the shape and scale of the aurora, often together with trees, snow or the surrounding Yukon landscape.
On many smartphones, the standard 1× camera is the strongest camera for low-light photography. It may have advantages over the phone's ultrawide camera when the sky is dark.
Try your phone's standard and ultrawide cameras at night before leaving home. If the built-in ultrawide produces photographs you are happy with, there may be little reason to purchase another lens.
A quality wide-angle smartphone attachment, commonly in approximately the 16 mm class, can capture a broader section of the sky. Some systems are designed to mount over the phone's 1× main camera, allowing you to gain a wider field of view while continuing to use that camera.
This can be useful for:
Whether an external wide-angle lens produces better results than your phone's built-in ultrawide camera depends on the phone and the attachment. Consider it an additional photographic option rather than an automatic upgrade.
Guest note: When shopping, look for a quality wide-angle smartphone lens that is specifically compatible with your phone model or with a secure mounting system. A lens that is slightly misaligned with the phone camera can produce dark corners, softness or difficulty focusing.
If northern lights photography is your main reason for considering an accessory, a small smartphone tripod or secure support may make a greater difference than adding another lens.
Recent smartphones often use Night Mode, Night Sight, Pro Mode or a similar low-light setting that gathers light over a longer period. Keeping the phone still allows these modes to work more effectively.
When photographing the aurora:
The aurora itself can move. A very long exposure may brighten a faint display but can also soften the definition of rapidly moving aurora curtains. If your phone provides manual control, experiment rather than assuming that the longest possible exposure will always produce the best photograph.
The Yukon Wildlife Preserve follows a large outdoor route through spacious natural habitats. During a visit, some animals may be relatively close while others may be farther away.
For wildlife, optical reach becomes more useful than a wide field of view.
Some newer smartphones include dedicated 3× or 5× optical telephoto cameras. If yours does, try it before purchasing another lens. A built-in optical telephoto camera is simple, quick to use and does not require you to install an attachment when an animal appears.
A phone with a good dedicated telephoto camera may be all that many guests need at the Preserve.
Attachable smartphone telephoto lenses are commonly available in approximately the 2× or 60 mm class. These provide modest additional optical magnification and can be useful for:
However, a moderate telephoto attachment is not the same as a large wildlife lens on a DSLR or mirrorless camera. If your phone already includes a good 3× or 5× optical telephoto camera, a 2× attachment designed for the 1× camera may not provide a meaningful advantage.
Longer smartphone telephoto systems are also available. Some are described by focal length, while others are advertised using magnification figures such as 10×, 12× or 18×.
These can provide substantially more reach, but the trade-offs become more important. Longer lenses magnify hand movement, require accurate alignment with the phone camera and are generally slower to install and use.
Some premium smartphone systems extend into approximately the 200–240 mm class. These are closer in purpose to a traditional wildlife telephoto lens, although they remain fixed smartphone attachments rather than conventional interchangeable zoom lenses.
Guest note: Do not choose a lens solely because it carries the largest magnification number. Sharpness, mounting accuracy, autofocus, stabilization and compatibility with your particular phone are equally important.
Start with your phone's main and ultrawide cameras. Bring a compact tripod. If you want an additional lens, consider a quality wide-angle attachment designed to work with your phone's main camera.
Check whether your phone already has a 3×, 4× or 5× optical telephoto camera. If it does not, a compatible telephoto attachment may provide useful additional reach.
A recent smartphone with wide, standard and optical telephoto cameras, combined with a small tripod, is probably the simplest choice. It lets you move from aurora photography at night to landscapes and wildlife during the day without repeatedly attaching and removing lenses.
Consider a phone-specific mounting system with separate wide-angle and telephoto lenses. Secure mounting and precise alignment are particularly important once the attachments become larger or heavier.
There is no need to purchase from a particular retailer. Smartphone lenses are available online and through many photography and electronics retailers. What matters most is choosing equipment that works properly with your exact phone.
Before purchasing, check the following:
If you would like to investigate the options before travelling, useful searches include:
Specifications are not always directly comparable between manufacturers, so read the compatibility information rather than relying on the product name alone.
A smartphone attachment is most useful when you can install and operate it quickly. Wildlife does not wait while a lens is being aligned, and standing beneath the northern lights is not the ideal time to learn an unfamiliar camera setting.
Before leaving home:
Cool autumn nights can reduce battery performance, particularly during extended aurora photography. Keep your phone reasonably warm when you are not using it and consider carrying a charged portable power bank.
Lens glass can also fog when moving between cold outdoor conditions and warm indoor environments. Give your equipment time to adjust when temperatures change rather than immediately removing and cleaning condensation from cold optical surfaces.
Photography conditions in the Yukon are never completely predictable. Aurora visibility depends on cloud cover, solar activity and local conditions, while animals at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve may be close to the viewing route or farther back in their habitats. Neither aurora visibility nor a particular wildlife photograph can be guaranteed.
A smartphone is nevertheless a remarkably practical travel camera. For many guests, the phone they already own, a little preparation and a compact tripod may be all that is required. For those who want more flexibility, a carefully chosen wide-angle or telephoto attachment can extend what the phone can do without requiring a full camera bag.
Choose equipment for your exact phone, practise with it before travelling and keep the setup simple enough that photography remains part of enjoying the Yukon rather than getting in the way of it.
Learn more about the Yukon Northern Lights Tour