Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 00:01:18 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: jackandjanet Powers Subject: Re: Digiscoping (LONG) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Ben Poscover=20 Subject: [MDOSPREY] Digiscoping I am interested in getting a digital camera in which to do digiscoping. = Those pictures of birds taken using this technique are amazing. =20 =20 Ben (and William) -- Great topic right now. It so happens that many new models of digital = cameras are being announced right now, so the current ones will come = down in price. Probably the best advice right now is don't buy just = yet. Do the research and watch the prices, they will be coming down. = Of course, if you want one of the new 8MP digitals they are just = announcing they will probably be shipping between now and the summer. In December of 2001, I hinted enough (and was good enough) to get my = first digital camera for Christmas. It was so I could digiscope. = Shireen Gonzaga, of this list, had recommended the Yahoo Group Birds-Pix = and a then-obscure genius Laurence Poh of Ipoh, Malaysia, to the = MDOsprey folks for a newly-developed technique of shooting bird pictures = through a spotting scope using a digital camera. Wow! Tack-sharp = pictures of birds 100-150 yards distant without having to lug tons of = equipment into the field. The effective focal length was between 2000 = and 3500 mm! To buy a lens that long, if they made one, would require = close to the gross national product of Malaysia! The most popular combination of camera and scope was the Swarovski AT80 = with 20~60mm zoom lens and the Nikon Coolpix 990. The reason for that = camera was the internal focus lens which allowed a very close alignment = of the lens with the eyepiece of the scope, the small lens diameter = (28mm), the swival body design of the camera and the sharp focus of the = Nikon lens. Actually, I think Laurence was using a Leica at first and = eventually went to a Swarovski. However, the evolution of digiscoping = was like everything else, new people came into the picture [pun = intended] and new equipment was tried. Many, many cameras and scopes = work for digiscoping. There is a website (I can't locate it right now, = but will try) where a birder/digiscoper put all of the websites he found = into a chart to allow comparison. I think Birds-Pix also has Folder = still in the Files section listing members' choice of equipment. I bet = it's not up to date, since it seems people are constantly upgrading = cameras a scopes as they mature in the techniques. =20 I have evolved from the CP990 to the CP5400, but still use the Swarovski = AT80. The CP5400 camera is not ideal for digiscoping because it doesn't = allow for great focal length, due to the need for a wider field of view = to avoid vignetting. However, with a ScopeTronix MaxView 40mm adapter, = I have been getting great shots with the CP5400 at about a 1300 = effective focal length. Several of my shots have been posted on = Birds-Pix in the last month, if you want to see the results. My point = here is that there are many choices and many ways to approach = digiscoping. You have to determine for yourself what you want to do, = what is important to you. Then you do the research and try out your top = choices. It's already been said, you shouldn't just take our advice, = check for yourself. =20 In my opinion, there is no better approach than to belong to several = Yahoo groups and read, read, read; go to the "pros" websites and check = out the links they are constantly posting; and try scopes and cameras = for yourself. Maybe the most overlooked aspect of digiscoping is that it is = photography at an extreme focal length, but it is photography = nevertheless. The same rules apply. So, get a sturdy tripod or you = will notice that your pix are not very sharp no matter what combination = of scope and camera you use. Get a mechanical or electronic shutter = release for the same reason. You will eventually want to try one of the = many adapters for the same reason again. I started by hand-holding (so = did Laurence Poh and most digiscopers), but wanted a greater percentage = of my shots keepers - same principle, sturdiness. You will usually need = a lot of sun. You will get some pix of just the bird's head because you = couldn't get far enough away with your extreme gear, and you will wish = for more "environment" around the bird. You will be in demand for that = once in a lifetime pix of the vagrant rarity, like the Black-capped and = Rufous Hummingbirds at SI. (When I took and posted pix of the Barnacle = Goose in Alexandria, someone in Iowa asked if they could post my pix on = their bird club's bulletin board.) This has gone on long enough, I am way too happy for a grown man when I = digiscope. Also when I blow my Black-crowned Night-Heron up to a 13" x = 19" print for my office wall. I hope this helps. There is no one = answer, but there is a lifetime of fun and accomplishment if you want. =20 Here are the Yahoo Group links directly related to digiscoping: birds-pix-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (Here pictures are posted from = around the world, and discussion held about them) digiscopingbirds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (Here digiscoping = technique is discussed and debated) Also, here are three Nikon Yahoo groups where folks also ask and answer = questions about digiscoping: coolpix990-subscribe@yahoogroups.com nikon5000-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Nikon5700-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Happy Digiscoping, ( =B0)> /( )\ =A9=BF=A9=AC =20 / \/ \ =20 =20 Jack Powers Alexandria, VA, USA=20 powersalex@comcast.net http://powersalex.homestead.com =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================