Swarovski HD ATS-80 (20-60X) & Nikon D70

[Michele R]

Hello,

I am new to digiscoping and I have a few beginner questions that I hope someone can help me with. My loving husband just surprised me with a Swarovski HD ATS-80 (20-60x) which should arrive this Friday!

I am certain that I will have more questions, but these are my immediate concerns:

1) Can I use my Nikon D70 to digiscope and are there any drawbacks to using this camera?
2) The largest SW DC adapter supplied is 52mm and my 20mm f2.8 Nikkor is 62mm; what is the best way to connect the lens to the adapter (step-up ring?)?
3) Should I consider the straight scope as opposed to the angled, or is this just a matter of personal preferrence and type of birding?

I appreciate any advice you can provide.

Michele

[kshea]

Michele,

I used the D70 for a few months when I first started using a DSLR for digiscoping. I have Zeiss scopes and they make their own branded adapter for connecting the camera. Swaro makes an adapter for DSLR's as well but it's fairly pricey.

This guy has a setup similar to the one you're considering.

http://birdfreak.com/digiscoping/

My results with the D70 were mixed. At low ISO's it worked great combined with high shutter speeds. Higher ISO's didn't produce very crisp images and I wound up using the infrared remote to reduce camera shake. After about 3 months I jumped ship and bought a Canon 400D and have been really happy about it.

Here is a link to a sample image from my results with the D70.

http://flickr.com/photos/kmichaelshea/2857057383/

[Michele R]

Thank you for the reply and the links. The Swaro Digital Camera Adapter iwill arrive with the scope to make the connection, but I do not have a 50mm lens to thread into the 52mm filter ring. I think I will start out with the cheapest solution; a 62-52mm adapter to test my 20mm lens with the new scope. If it does not work out, I will either get a 50mm lens or search for a better camera for digiscoping. I appreciate your feedback.

[RJM]

You could also save a bundle $$$ by going all Nikon, eg ED82 + FSA-L1 adapter + D70. There are some distinct advantages to this. You don't need a camera lens (the adapter is positive projection), you can shoot in Aperture Priority Auto with full metering and exposure control, and you can use the Nikon teleconverters for more distance. You will still have to focus manually though. Higher 75x zoom too.

cheers,
Rick

[Paul Corfield]

Have a look at the link below. Similar scope but with fixed eyepieces and a Nikon D90 via a couple of step rings. Neil will be your best source of information.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=124846

Paul.

[Michele R]

Thank you all for the advice. Please forgive my ignorance, but why is it that some cameras are able to utilize auto focus in digiscoping with the Swaro scope (Neil apparantly uses it with the D90) while others cannot (D70)?

[RJM]

Michele,

I think Neil is using a 1980's 20/F1.8 manual focus lens. He sets lens focus mid-way then uses the scope's focuser for final focusing. If you have an autofocus capable lens compatible with your camera then AF should work.

You can have the camera menus set up for AF BUT unless your lens is AF capable AND AF compatible with your DSLR, the camera/lens combo will only focus manually.

Rick

[Neil]

Thank you all for the advice. Please forgive my ignorance, but why is it that some cameras are able to utilize auto focus in digiscoping with the Swaro scope (Neil apparantly uses it with the D90) while others cannot (D70)?

Michele,
Cameras that have Liveview (eg . Nikon D3,D90 and Olympus E420 which I have ) are able to Auto focus in Liveview Mode . My Nikon 20/2.8 D is an Auto Focus lens and will AF wide open, although a little sluggish compared to my P6000 and 8400. High iso/low noise sensors are also very important for digiscoping. With the D90 I'm using iso 400 and 800 most of the time.
Neil.