Canon A95 pics w/Kowa and adapter

[blackburnian]

Hi All,

Well I finaly got my digiscoping gear together. I gat a machinist to build me an adapter for my Kowa 824 and Canon A95.

Results are quite better that hand held. Was impressed with the feather detail of this Great Grey Owl... (see my gallery...closeupGGO).

Also was able to photograph the moon (see gallery).

If anyone wishes more details on my setup, pls indicate so on your replies.

This is a great set up! Having lot's of fun!

Marc

[giragop]

Yes Marc, I would like to know the details of your setup for digiscoping.
Thank you
Gil

[blackburnian]

Yes Marc, I would like to know the details of your setup for digiscoping.
Thank you
Gil

Hi Giragop,

I'll take pics of my set up and send you the details all at once.

Marc

[Suki]

Hi All,

Well I finaly got my digiscoping gear together. I gat a machinist to build me an adapter for my Kowa 824 and Canon A95.

Results are quite better that hand held. Was impressed with the feather detail of this Great Grey Owl... (see my gallery...closeupGGO).

Also was able to photograph the moon (see gallery).

If anyone wishes more details on my setup, pls indicate so on your replies.

This is a great set up! Having lot's of fun!

Marc

Marc,

I too am interested in your set up.

Sue

[andylockery]

Hi Marc,
I have just bought a Canon A95 and would very much like to see the details of your adapter and any other tips that you might have.
bye for now
Andy
lockery@uwinnipeg.ca

Well I finaly got my digiscoping gear together. I gat a machinist to build me an adapter for my Kowa 824 and Canon A95.

Results are quite better that hand held. Was impressed with the feather detail of this Great Grey Owl... (see my gallery...closeupGGO).

Also was able to photograph the moon (see gallery).

If anyone wishes more details on my setup, pls indicate so on your replies.

This is a great set up! Having lot's of fun!

Marc[/QUOTE]

[blackburnian]

Hi All,

Finally found some time to take pics of my set up (A95 and Kowa 824 W/zoom ep).

The adapter connects the camera and camera adapter (bought from lensmate online) and the ep. The ring is machined in such a way that it leaves me complete freedom to move the ep from 20x60 w/o interuption while keeping the camera/ring/ep all snug together. I get a little a little vignetting but a quick pull of the camera zoom get's rid of that.

The set up takes no more than 2sec to take off/on. A slight turn of the screw ring holds everything snug with no chance of the camera falling off (unless you tug at it like a mad man. No arm is done to the ep optics thanks to Kowa's solid build (lots of aluminum arounf the optics).

Total cost= $150 Cdn (130 for the custom built ring and approx 15 for the camera adapter) as opposed to the $300 US that Kowa sells. Much quicker set up w/o the inconvenience of scewing all the elements in.

Marc

[Tannin]

Thanks for the pictures, Marc. Having nice clear picturs of the equipment really makes it much easier to work out what is going on with it.

[blackburnian]

Thanks for the pictures, Marc. Having nice clear picturs of the equipment really makes it much easier to work out what is going on with it.

Thanks!

Here's one of the first pics I took with my set up....


Marc

[dacol]

The set up takes no more than 2sec to take off/on. A slight turn of the screw ring holds everything snug with no chance of the camera falling off (unless you tug at it like a mad man. No arm is done to the ep optics thanks to Kowa's solid build (lots of aluminum arounf the optics).

Total cost= $150 Cdn (130 for the custom built ring and approx 15 for the camera adapter) as opposed to the $300 US that Kowa sells. Much quicker set up w/o the inconvenience of scewing all the elements in.

Marc

That looks like a sturdy and efficient adapter you have there. I see one advantage with the Kowa adapter though. It screws directly on the body of the scope so it puts no strain on the eyepiece. It also does not interfere with observation, I leave my adapter on the scope at all times when I am out birding. Also, you can get the Kowa adapter from Eagle Optics in the USA for US$ 192, plus shipping. This includes everything you need to use the zoom eyepiece with a camera like yours except for the Canon lens adapter which one has to purchase independently.

Dalcio

[blackburnian]

That looks like a sturdy and efficient adapter you have there. I see one advantage with the Kowa adapter though. It screws directly on the body of the scope so it puts no strain on the eyepiece. It also does not interfere with observation, I leave my adapter on the scope at all times when I am out birding. Also, you can get the Kowa adapter from Eagle Optics in the USA for US$ 192, plus shipping. This includes everything you need to use the zoom eyepiece with a camera like yours except for the Canon lens adapter which one has to purchase independently.

Dalcio

Hi Dalcio,

I thought about the strain issue, but it's not even an issue. The camera weighs nothing, thus very little strain if any. As for keeping my adapter on...I don't, I just loosen the screw and remove the camera/adapter and ring all at once...as I'm sure you remove your camera when not in use.

I am however dealing with balance issues...

Do you have a counter balance on your set up?

Marc

[dacol]

Hi Dalcio,

I thought about the strain issue, but it's not even an issue. The camera weighs nothing, thus very little strain if any. As for keeping my adapter on...I don't, I just loosen the screw and remove the camera/adapter and ring all at once...as I'm sure you remove your camera when not in use.

I am however dealing with balance issues...

Do you have a counter balance on your set up?

Marc

I have an old TSN-2 Kowa scope which is a rather heavy beast compared with the new Kowas. I use 2 different set-ups. I use Kowa's digital adapter with a Contax camera. Since this camera is very light I dont notice any difference in balance. This is the set-up I use when out birding first and taking pictures is a secondary priority... I also use an Oly c750, which is a heavier camera, with Kowa's low magnification, long eye-relief eyepiece, which also has an adapter built-in. In this case there is a balncing problem with the associated back-slide after tightening the tripod head in a shooting position. I have so far lived with it, have not taken any measures to counteract. I hope in the near future to upgrade my scope and tripod/head.

Dalcio

[pjberens]

I have a Canon A95, and a cheap Barska scope. I'm interested in having your machinist make me a setup like yours, is that possible? I would want at least the camera adaptor side, and I guess I'd have to measure the scope's 20-60x eyepiece to see how big the screwpiece diameter needs to be?

That said, some background... I prefer to go birding to watch the birds and enjoy the outdoors setting, and I don't like carrying a lot of gear. In conjunction with the Fountain Creek Nature Center here in Colorado Springs, I got the chance to carry a scope/tripod combo and fell in love with the magnification capability. I immediately bought a Barska 20-60x for US$89 and now carry it on all birding trips. (And if I drop it or lose it, I can buy another very cheaply. I cannot imagine having a Swarovski scope with me in the field, I'd be tense and concerned like I was carrying a newborn baby with me all the time.) For whatever reason, I tend to like shorebirds and raptors, so scopes are a good idea due to sheer distances involved in viewing opposite shores of small lakes and rivers.
Next step... I buy a Canon A95 because I really should have a camera, and I bought the underwater housing because I'm a scuba diver, and I love the camera and now clip it on my belt or on a waist-pouch when birding.
Yes, the obvious next step is to be able to use my scope as a telephoto lens for my A95. So, getting an adaptor that attaches to the camera is the first step, followed by getting an adaptor that attaches the first adaptor to the scope is the second step.
Since I don't think Canon makes such a device, nor it there a commercially-available after-market device, your machinist may have just created a new mousetrap, and now I'm beating a path to his door. Any possibility there? Or, am I wrong that there aren't commercial alternatives to satisfy my need?
Once I get this satisfied, I'll move on to camera settings and that area of detail. Looking forward to the discussions... Paul. paul.berens@afscn.com
P.S. I found the Lensmate 37mm adaptor, and have ordered it, so now I only need one of the screwpieces that clamps onto the scope eyepiece...