Eagle Eye Optic Zoom and IS digicams

[rb_stern]

I wondered about using my Eagle Eye 5X Optic Zoom adapter with one of the Image Stabilized ultra zoom digicams, e.g. Panasonic FZ-10 (12X zoom) or Canon S1 IS (10X zoom), to give an image-stabilised 50 or 60 X optical zoom power (ultra-portable digiscope, and cheap alternative to DSLR and IS zoom). Anyone have any experience or thoughts?

Richard

[Jay Turberville]

I wondered about using my Eagle Eye 5X Optic Zoom adapter with one of the Image Stabilized ultra zoom digicams, e.g. Panasonic FZ-10 (12X zoom) or Canon S1 IS (10X zoom), to give an image-stabilised 50 or 60 X optical zoom power (ultra-portable digiscope, and cheap alternative to DSLR and IS zoom). Anyone have any experience or thoughts?
Richard

No experience with this directly, but I'd expect a 5x scope to mate poorly with a 10x zoom lens due to eye relief issues. Best to ask Eagle Eye directly.

[IanF]

I'd forget about it. The FZ-10 has a very wide lens on it and the Eagle Eye is very narrow throughout it's length so vignetting would be extreme to say the least.

Several people are using converters such as the 1.7x Tcon-17 to good effect.

[BobM]

I wondered about using my Eagle Eye 5X Optic Zoom adapter with one of the Image Stabilized ultra zoom digicams, e.g. Panasonic FZ-10 (12X zoom) or Canon S1 IS (10X zoom), to give an image-stabilised 50 or 60 X optical zoom power (ultra-portable digiscope, and cheap alternative to DSLR and IS zoom). Anyone have any experience or thoughts?

Richard

Hi Richard,

I have an FZ10 and am examining the same subject. If you check out this link, http://bugeyedigital.com/product_main/ckc-cvlx8.html, you'll see that they claim only slight vignetting with the FZ10 and the LX. Scopetronix.com also sells the CrystalVue, and I've sent them an email asking for their thoughts either on using it and the FZ10 to give big magnification or using the camera with one of the scopetronix low power, fixed magnification, eyepieces and a high end scope (I'm considering the Pentax). I sent the email yesterday and haven't heard back yet. I'll let you know what they say when (if) they reply.

I should add that I drove to Wisconsin on Wednesday to check out scopes at Eagle Optics and found that there was considerable vignetting when I put the camera right up to the zoom eyepiece of the Pentax. However, when viewed on my computer using the PhotoBase viewer that comes with the camera, set at 50% zoom, the vignetting is entirely cropped out. I suspect that using a camera with a large lens, such as the FZ10, for digiscoping depends to a great extent on whether you intend (or at least hope to get shots of a quality to make it worthwhile) to print your photos. If your goal is to make prints, you might have to crop so much from an FZ10 image to eliminate the vignetting that you'd be unhappy. On the other hand, if you are content to view the shots on your computer and are mostly interested in the subject of the shot, the FZ10 might be ok.

Hope this helps.
Bob

[franckler]

Hi Bob,

you never reported what answer you got from them for that CrystalVue LX 8x Telephoto Lens. What was the result? plse let me know, I am really hoping for a positive answer

thanks
Franck

[dacol]

Hi Bob,

you never reported what answer you got from them for that CrystalVue LX 8x Telephoto Lens. What was the result? plse let me know, I am really hoping for a positive answer

thanks
Franck

I have used this lens with the Oly c750 which although not IS has a high zoom lens (38-380mm SLR equivalent FL). Small amounts of vignetting are present at max zoom, see attached pics.

Dalcio

[dacol]

I wondered about using my Eagle Eye 5X Optic Zoom adapter with one of the Image Stabilized ultra zoom digicams, e.g. Panasonic FZ-10 (12X zoom) or Canon S1 IS (10X zoom), to give an image-stabilised 50 or 60 X optical zoom power (ultra-portable digiscope, and cheap alternative to DSLR and IS zoom). Anyone have any experience or thoughts?

Richard

I have used the EE5x with a camera with a high zoom lens albeit not IS.
A couple of photos obtained using the EE5x with the Oly c750 (38-380mm SLR equiv. FL) can be found at this thread:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=18455

Two problems: first a bit of vignetting even at max zoom, also reduction in amount of light reaching sensor demands well lit targets.

Dalcio

[franckler]

I have used the EE5x with a camera with a high zoom lens albeit not IS.
A couple of photos obtained using the EE5x with the Oly c750 (38-380mm SLR equiv. FL) can be found at this thread:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=18455

Two problems: first a bit of vignetting even at max zoom, also reduction in amount of light reaching sensor demands well lit targets.

Dalcio

Thanks for your quick informative answer. I think I will pass on that clearvue and keep this camera more for shooting with just the 12 zoom and maybe a raynox 2.2 teleconverter. that seems safer. Will need to tread light. thx again.
I wish I had seen this forum before buying my camera