Another example of the CP8400

[yossi]

Here's a shot I took last night with the CP8400 and the Leica Apo 77 scope. The eyepiece was zoomed to the maximum tele setting (X60). I've started to like this camera...
The EVF is extremely useful in bright sunny days, as we have here, and is very detailed. The only two drawbacks it has over the CP4500 are the maximal tele setting (only 85mm equiv.) and the need for a low ISO (50) to get a clean image. Here it is:

http://www.kramery.com/digitalphoto/gallery/CP8400/DSCN0868f.jpg

[hollis_f]

Great pic. Do you use manual or auto focus?

[yossi]

AF. The sharpness of the EVF shows accurately what's in focus (best for terrestrial shots). I wish they will fix the F/W so that the remote control unit will have an immediate mode, not only a 10 or 3 seconds delay.

[THE_FERN]

[QUOTE=yossi]Here's a shot I took last night with the CP8400...

Hi Yossi

I'm eying up a CP 8400. I have an ancient Kowa TSN 4 scope and wondered how good the 8400 is compared with the more established Nikon 9x range. I noticed that the London Camera Exchange digiscoping site (http://www.digiscoping.co.uk/photo_products.htm) suggests this camera is OK if used at max zoom. Anyone got any comments?

...This would be for a trip to Taiwan later this month.

Cheers

Fernley

[yossi]

[QUOTE=yossi]Here's a shot I took last night with the CP8400...

Hi Yossi

I'm eying up a CP 8400. I have an ancient Kowa TSN 4 scope and wondered how good the 8400 is compared with the more established Nikon 9x range. I noticed that the London Camera Exchange digiscoping site (http://www.digiscoping.co.uk/photo_products.htm) suggests this camera is OK if used at max zoom. Anyone got any comments?

...This would be for a trip to Taiwan later this month.

Cheers

Fernley
Hi Fernley,

As for general use, it's a nice camera, with a great wide angle. It responds quickly and is fairly small. When used at ISO 50, pictures are clean and very sharp. For digiscoping it is useful at the last 10% or so of the zoom range. You should have a zoom eyepiece on your scope if you want a zoom setup. The 9X series is better for digiscoping in the sense of coupling to scopes, (28mm thread and IF) and a larger, even sometimes all of the zoom range, can be used.
The CP4500 is no exception. However, these are relatively old cameras and parts are rare and expensive (I just paid ~$100 for a plastic CF door that broke in my very old CP990). They respond fairly slow and they are limited to 3-4 MP only. The big drawback for my needs is the difficilty to focus in bright sunny days using the LCD screen. The CP8400 has a great EVF, solving this problem entirely.
The CP8400 can use most of my old lenses I've purchased for the CP990 and CP4500 - like the TC3ED, the fisheye adapter, even the Eagleeye X5 scope (resulting is a nice 425mm tele). You need to have the appropriate lens adapters though.

[Neil]

Yossi,
Nice photo. How do you find the speed of focusing and continuous shooting on the CP8800 compared to the CP4500? Neil.

[yossi]

Yossi,
Nice photo. How do you find the speed of focusing and continuous shooting on the CP8800 compared to the CP4500? Neil.

Hi Neil,

The focusing speed is faster than the CP4500, but not blazing speed though. However, it's fast enough for my needs. I didn't try continuous shooting as I don't use it.
Please see below the page related to speed of the camera tested in DPREVIEW:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikoncp8400/page11.asp