Digiscoping full kit setup.

[canonman77]

Hi Guys, I am wanting to take up Digiscoping & have a possible budget of £1000 for a very good top end scope & £500 for the compact camera, eyepieces (If needed), tripod & adapters. I dont know a great deal about digiscoping & would greatly appreciate any advice on the kit I will need. I will more than likely scope from a hide on a reserve & have been told a straight scope is better for digiscoping, but dont know If this Is correct or not.. Can anyone please help......

Regards & thankyou In advance.

Sean..

[JSO]

I'm not looking to start a debate on angled versus straight scopes, but follow this link to see the work of someone who digiscopes with an angled scope (sadly, this is not my work):

http://www.birddigiscoping.com/avian.html

On his blog you will find a link with pictures of McDowell's current setup and his older setup. He does some great work with an angled scope. Straight or angled is really a matter of personal preference.

Cheers,

JSO

[Derry]

Sean, if there is a reserve close to you why not visit and and see if there are some digiscopers there,, bet they will share use of their gear so you can get a feel for both types of scopes as well as some great hands on for starting out,,

I have used both and like the straight scopes better but then I cam from an astro environment,, normally a 90 degree diagonal or straight through depending on the object being viewed,,

Derry

[Neil]

If you're mostly working from hides then a straight scope is better. I like to use cameras with rotatable screens too for when birds come closer to the hide . You normally can't stand up in hides and still see the birds. Neil.

[canonman77]

they are some fantastic images, really fantastic. I do have quite a few reserves near me so will pop down for a bit research. I like the Swarovski AT 80 HD scope & I see quite a few peole use 20-60x eyepieces or the standard 30x, 32x. I also have a powershot SX1 camera & wondered If that could be used for digiscoping. Ive also found out that Its a very expensive hobby. I primarily use a dslr with a 100-400mm lens, but have found out that when I go to the reserves most birds are too far away & usually stay In the middle, when scopers can easily reach them....

Regards.
Sean..

[David Smith]

Sean
If it's of any interest I am wanting £85.00 for this (cost me nearly £300.00) and the actual kit has never been out of the house.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=128538

[Yorkiebird]

they are some fantastic images, really fantastic. I do have quite a few reserves near me so will pop down for a bit research. I like the Swarovski AT 80 HD scope & I see quite a few peole use 20-60x eyepieces or the standard 30x, 32x. I also have a powershot SX1 camera & wondered If that could be used for digiscoping. Ive also found out that Its a very expensive hobby. I primarily use a dslr with a 100-400mm lens, but have found out that when I go to the reserves most birds are too far away & usually stay In the middle, when scopers can easily reach them....

Regards.
Sean..

Sean

I use the Swarovski AT 80 with the 30x for digiscoping. Since aquiring the
30x I must admit I haven't used my 20-60 zoom eyepiece as much. I use the Swarovski DCA.

Regards Yorkiebird :hi:

[canonman77]

thanks for the offer david, but I am looking towards the nikon coolpix cameras, perhaps nikon 5100..

I wont be buying yet, I tend to take in as much info as I can about digiscoping before I really commit to something..

Regards.
Sean.

[Sleeper]

Hi Sean
I put together a list of the items I have used for my digiscoping on my web page with some settings that you may find helpful. Here you can view both my wifes (M.R Photography=DSLR) and my own gallery (wild rossendale Digiscoped) on the tab "photographic gallery"

http://www.wildrossendale.co.uk/Digiscoping.html

http://wild-rossendale.jalbum.net/Wild%20Rossendale/

[canonman77]

I have my eye on an Opticron ES80 GA scope, but what I would like to know Is would I be able to use the Canon powershot SX1 for digiscoping with this scope, the sx1 has a 20x optical zoom, image stabilisation & all other host of mod cons..

Regards.
sean..

[Neil]

I have my eye on an Opticron ES80 GA scope, but what I would like to know Is would I be able to use the Canon powershot SX1 for digiscoping with this scope, the sx1 has a 20x optical zoom, image stabilisation & all other host of mod cons..

Regards.
sean..

Sean,
No.
Neil.

[Ashley beolens]

Posted a full setup for sale myself just last night!

[canonman77]

hi, Ive just bought a Opticron ES80 GA with a nikon coolpix 4500 & eagle eye camera to scope adapter from here & Its actually the ED version as well, so thats a bonus..

Thanks.

[canonman77]

Hello again, If the SX1 Powershot Is no good for digiscoping, which camera Is the one to go for. I have seen that the coolpix 4500 Isnt really up to the job with only having 4MP & would I be right In saying you only need roughly 3-4x optical zoom & would Internal focusing be best....

Regards..
Sean......

[Derry]

would see if you can find a good P5000 or P5100,, they have adequate pix for our needs,, I have the P5000 and no desire to move up with what is out there at present,,

Derry

[canonman77]

would a panasonic lumix fx12 would ok to use..Its got a 7.2 mega pixel leica lens, its got a 2.5" lcd screen, image stabiliser & the optical zoom is 3x with a 4x digital zoom... Thanks.

Sean..

[JSO]

The Panasonic Lumix fx 12 should work. The optical zoom isn't too great. If your purchasing this from a local shop bring your scope with you while camera shopping and try it out.

[jourdaj]

Sean,

My 2 cents worth (US currency), put 'all' of your money into the best spotting scope you can find. Consider it a near-lifetime investment. Digiscoping is difficult enough w/ the very best setups, and even harder w/ less-than-optimum equipment/conditions.

Check out the latest 80+ mm scopes from Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Nikon and Kowa and see which ones you can afford. Then, in a few months down the road you can consider cameras/adaptors, etc....

Best of luck w/ whatever route you choose.

[Josef]

Canonman,

All good advice above and good for you to study. After reading tons on which camera the only thing different I did was study the results I saw on Birdforum and noting the equipment used. After several nights of that I bought the camera.

With the great power of using the scope also comes its challenge - keeping it steady while frantically getting shots off. 1-Aim, 2-Focus, 3-Shoot. I use a sight to find the bird and sometimes my noose to keep it in view while focusing with one hand and cable release in the other hand. I focus with the help of an extend-a-view viewing the monitor which gets the bird in focus and not the twig in front of it. A very smooth tripod head also increases results.

Good luck, Joe