I'm looking into options for digiscoping with a Nikon Coolpix 995 (38 - 150mm zoom equivalent) and a 640mm f.l. apo refractor. Here are options I've come up with so far: William Optics DCL-28 (24mm f.l.), Scopetronix Wide Angle 14mm or 18mm eyepiece, and finally my Apogee Widescan 20mm 70deg. fov eyepiece (it has a recess for the eyecup that should alow attachment of the Digi-T system). I would be going after small birds for the most part since we have a lot of those in this area. I'd like to know what eyepiece would probably be the most useful considering the focal length of the scope and zoom range of the camera.
Digiscoping options
Started by Joplin Motisher-Chittenden, 04/30/2003 04:25PM
Posted 04/30/2003 04:25PM
Opening Post
Posted 04/30/2003 08:09PM
#1
Joplin,
I just acquired a Coolpix 4500 and am still at the low end of the learning curve. Here's a shot taken with the Scoptronix Wide Angle 18mm and a Stellarvue 80mm/f6 (480mm) with the camera at the zero zoom position. I believe this is a Say's Phoebe. Sorry the background is just a blur -- the camera was set at 1/125 sec - F2.3. As I said, I'm still learning. Next time I'll try to shoot at higher F-stop to get more depth of field.
Jim
I just acquired a Coolpix 4500 and am still at the low end of the learning curve. Here's a shot taken with the Scoptronix Wide Angle 18mm and a Stellarvue 80mm/f6 (480mm) with the camera at the zero zoom position. I believe this is a Say's Phoebe. Sorry the background is just a blur -- the camera was set at 1/125 sec - F2.3. As I said, I'm still learning. Next time I'll try to shoot at higher F-stop to get more depth of field.
Jim
Attached Image:
Posted 05/01/2003 05:20AM
#2
Joplin,
My best advice to you would be to consider a much longer focal length lens. Something like a 40mm. The lower power will make focus much easier. Also, the image brightness will keep your exposure time very short and it will also reduce the violet color fringing from the optics. And, you can easily zoom, or crop your pictures, if you want a larger image scale. It will also give you a wider field of view for when you want to frame your subject to add to the overall "feel" of the image. In my opinion, photography is just like astronomy --- the more power you use, the less you will see, and the less detailed an image will be. I think a properly framed subject is much more pleasing than an over magnified one. Of course, your opinion may not be the same as mine, but here's an example. I took this image of a green heron yesterday, (4-29-03). I could easily have cropped it to fill the entire screen but I think something is lost when the subject is removed from its environment. Using a lower power eyepiece will allow you to choose if you want a wide field of view, or if you want to really zoom in on your subject. For all the reasons listed above, I really think a very low power eyepiece will serve you best. Regards, Kurt Horsley
My best advice to you would be to consider a much longer focal length lens. Something like a 40mm. The lower power will make focus much easier. Also, the image brightness will keep your exposure time very short and it will also reduce the violet color fringing from the optics. And, you can easily zoom, or crop your pictures, if you want a larger image scale. It will also give you a wider field of view for when you want to frame your subject to add to the overall "feel" of the image. In my opinion, photography is just like astronomy --- the more power you use, the less you will see, and the less detailed an image will be. I think a properly framed subject is much more pleasing than an over magnified one. Of course, your opinion may not be the same as mine, but here's an example. I took this image of a green heron yesterday, (4-29-03). I could easily have cropped it to fill the entire screen but I think something is lost when the subject is removed from its environment. Using a lower power eyepiece will allow you to choose if you want a wide field of view, or if you want to really zoom in on your subject. For all the reasons listed above, I really think a very low power eyepiece will serve you best. Regards, Kurt Horsley
Attached Image:
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