Digiscoping

[leekimhor]

Thanks for the welcome message. This is the first time I am writing in to this site. Do pardon me if the attached subject matter is not in the proper channel.



From: KH Lee – domiciled in PENANG, MALAYSIA

Subject: DIGISCOPING

Hello and Good wishes to one and all, reading this column. The raison de etre of this write-up is to share with all members that there is a way out of shooting far-away subjects with an equivalent of a 1200mm super lens on the ‘cheap’ (of course some monetary investments will be involved).

Before proceeding do put on record that the writer is not under the employment of Ms. Manfrotto or Nikon, though he is using their excellent products for his experiment and describing them with appreciation. The attached narration is the actual field conditions which he had gone through.

He had been for the last few weeks, trying to capture birds digitally with a digi-scope set up and the system comprise the following: An image of the camera & scope setup is attached;

1. Nikon Fieldscope ED 60mm diameter, with a straight eye-view mount – read some where that in the 35 film equivalent lingo, it is a F13.00 x 1200mm lens!!!! Wow – a mighty long lens albeit a slow one
2. A Nikon D80 digital camera
3. A Nikon scope to camera adapter (FSA-L1 for DSLR made by Nikon) – one end of this adapter is screwed into the scope, via the eye-view mount and the other end is a typical Nikon lens mounting. The threads are very fine so left the adapter permanently attached to the scope, if to remove and refit them again constantly, the day will come when one of them will become history and used as a paper weight. If he wants to use the camera he had just to detach it from the bayonet end.
4. The camera and in actuality the shooting condition cannot be used in any modes other than Manual, so the camera have to be set accordingly. Remember to turn the small node at the side of the camera to M too besides setting the top dial failing which, the Err code will come up. The f reading on the top LCD of the camera will be at f0.0 and for the images attached herewith, the ISO was set at 250 as the sun was quite bright and WB the ‘sun’ icon.
5. The above setup was then mounted on the following MANFROTTO products:-

1. The scope and camera was secured on a TELEPHOTO LENS SUPPORT Model No: 293 (the cradle-like support) and then mounted on a Gimbal-type Long Lens Bracket Model No: 393 and finally the whole system were mounted on a 190DB tripod. The 393 is a unique design of engineering fore thought, the sliding plate, where the lens/camera is attached, is a rectangular metal piece and slide horizontally, so if the whole camera system (plus the cradle) is on it, you only have to find & slide to the centre of gravity, ie, the fulcrum point, that is to say that the balance is right at 180 degree with no tilt either way, you just tighten the set screw and bingo you free to shoot to your heart content. The standing U bracket (the big one) can turn 360 degree around the tripod and the inverted U bracket (the smaller one) can tilt upwards and downwards with ease and remain at whatever angle you have selected.

FOOTNOTE: Owing to the fact that the scope is at f13, only bright and sunny days will be fine for photography, the shutter speed the camera will choose it, and moreover the ISO would not be that high to cut down on noise. The camera was set at multiple shots and fire away at JPEG settings.

The images attached are not to the standard of National Geographic requirements as, he is still learning and refining the process especially the focussing techniques ( to be fast & accurate) – after all he is transcending from Auto to Manual modes again. The distance involved from the shooting position to the birds was not less than 100 feet – if nearer they would have flew away. He apologizes for the rather fuzzy & unrefined images of white Herons in flight – he is still learning.

The whole setup, nevertheless, quite heavy, to his small body framework, is rock steady during operation. The cradle system at the rear end where it support the camera provides full protection to the whole system, otherwise without it the camera will be left dangling there ( a very precarious situation) – any slight pressure applied to it, the whole system will be history too. Frankly speaking, to the writer’s opinion, the cradle from Manfrotto was perfect to carry the weight of the straight view scope from Nikon and camera combination.

To buy an original 1200mm fully auto, the greenbacks so paid out will enable the writer to retire for ever and have a fruitful & meaningful life style.

Do let him have your criticisms by return so as to enable him to grasp more of the subject of Digiscoping. If there are learned SIFUs who can advise further, please be at liberty to share out with everybody your methods – the writer may have missed out something.

Thank you and have a Happy holiday. Peace, harmony and prosperity for the coming New Year of 2009.

[John Hallas]

Pretty good set-up there and a good description of how it all hangs together.
Now if someone could do the same with for a Canon 400D I might be interested in getting the kit together

[miketoll]

I sometimes attach my Canon 40D to my Opticron 66ED scope and it works as above. All you need is the right adaptor but it is not easy to get good shots as we have become so used to automatic focus etc but it can mean getting shots that are not possible without a vast expense. Still prefer to go out light and loose with a 400mm lens though.

[gordon g]

Originally Posted by johnnybike

Pretty good set-up there and a good description of how it all hangs together.
Now if someone could do the same with for a Canon 400D I might be interested in getting the kit together

I have sometimes used my 400D to digiscope, using a 50mm lens attached to a swaroski 80mm HD scope using a DCA (I think I have the name right - it's a tube adapter from swaroski that fits around the eyepiece and screws onto the filter thread of the lens.)
I dont have any examples to hand, but by using MF and a cable release, did get some reasonable images. I tend to use the 500mm prime +/- TCs for birding so have never really perfected the digiscoping technique.

[leekimhor]

Hello again and a Happy & Properous 2009,

I have purchased an adapter known in the trade as a Nikon lens to EOS adapter and the combi was attach to a Canon 50D body. The item is a stainless steel type - the Nikon mount is a bit smaller than a Canon mount, so within this context the adapter will fit tightly to a Canon body and the Nikon bayonet will be an internal cutting on this adapter. Prices range from Malaysian Dollars - RM150 - RM750 (the more expensive type will have the digital reading points built-in) whereas the former is a plain Jane and served the purposes intended in this case.

Attached herewith are some shots taken last week on this new combi. Thank you.

[Saphire]

That looks like a great combination and seems to work very well. My favorite is number two the eye on the swallow is nice and sharp, the last photo is a little soft but is very colorful is it a bee-eater.

[leekimhor]

Originally Posted by Saphire

That looks like a great combination and seems to work very well. My favorite is number two the eye on the swallow is nice and sharp, the last photo is a little soft but is very colorful is it a bee-eater.

Hello everybody,

Sorry for the belated reply , as yours truly was quite time 'constrainted' and was tied up in other meaningful aspects.

Yes Madam, that is a Bee eater. It is the breeding session over here, and the weather is equivalent to Spring at your end. These birds are gregarious in nature, supportive of each other in the group and will do their best to defend their nests. The 'raptors' prevalent are the mynahs. Keep in touch and Thank you.