digiscoping problems

 
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WWT223



Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:13 am    Post subject: digiscoping problems Reply with quote

My rig consists of the following all bought from recommendations from the forum: Kowa 663 with 20-60 eyepiece, Canon A570 IS camera, Alphen 760 digi mount. I have taken some good pics with it , but only if the light was very bright and the birds very cooperative. The Canon will only open up to f5 in digi mode, causing me to have to use too slow a shutter speed. My question is would a different camera or a different eyepiece help my problem. I only use the eyepiece in 20 power when digiscoping. Or am I asking too much of a 66mm scope. Would the 25WA eye piece be better for my uses, or the 20mm.
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Jne_K
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Joined: 24 Sep 2003
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

That's the nature of digiscoping and bird photography in general. I know, I've used every type of equipment there is for bird photographyand have been taking bird pics for over twenty years. Bird photography of any kind is advanced photography. It is not beginner stuff. It takes patience and persistence, no matter what equipment you are using. For every good pic, you will take dozens (sometimes many dozens) of bad ones and spend a lot of hours in the field.

In fact, relative to other techniques for bird photography, digiscoping is actually simpler and easier and, most importantly, it gives you access to more magnification than any other type of equipment setup. This means pics that you could never get using traditional equipment. Keep at it - you will get better.

Your equipment is definitely better than most, so don't be in a hurry to make changes, with the possible exception of the eyepiece. No way around slow shutter speeds when you are using these magnifications, no matter what the camera and going to a larger scope will not make a significant difference. Do your digiscoping under decent lighting conditions and leave low light work to other techniques and equipment.

If you want to do low light photography for any wildlife, buy an SLR and large (and very expensive) aperture telephoto lenses. This will get you faster shutter speeds, but at the expense of magnification. Remember, even a 400mm telephoto, considered a long lens, is only going to translate to about 8x. You're going to have to be right on top of a bird at 8x to fill a frame. Worse yet, a 400mm-600mm lens with any aperture is not only going to cost far more than your scope, it will also be physically larger than your scope.

You want the 20x wide angle eyepiece for digiscoping, since it has a wider lens element and will produce less vignetting. That's the one I use most often for digiscoping, though I have also used the zoom for some good pics. Just a matter of cropping and editing, later.

Bottom line is to keep shooting. What you have is better than most digiscopers and can get you some great pics.
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Jne_K
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

To add, you might also want to choose your subjects, carefully. The best targets for digiscoping tend to be water birds - herons, waterfowl and so on. These stay relatively still. The hardest targets are constantly moving birds such as songbirds.
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WWT223



Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:04 pm    Post subject: DIGISCOPING Reply with quote

Thanks for the encouragement. I put away my Contax 35mm equipment years ago. I will stick with the digiscoping. It is fun and no expensive film to buy. I do think I will order the 20mm lens. Again, thanks for the help and encouragement.
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Jne_K
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

You are very welcome. I used to shoot Contax, too. Brings back a lot of memories. Wish I still had my Zeiss lenses. Oh, well.
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