Cable shutter release

[chrisduval]

Is it necessary / advisable to use a cable shutter release for digiscoping? For the CP 4500, can a shutter release be easily applied to this unit?

[postcardcv]

It's certainly not vital to have one, but it might well help to reduce camera shake. You'll only gain from one if you are using a digiscoping adaptor to hold the camera in place. I have always digiscoped 'handheld' and got some reasonable results, so did not bother spending out on an adaptor and cable release.

Nikon do make a cable release for the coolpix 4500, but it is an expensive bit of kit (about £100 new). Lots of digiscopers use a standard cable release to activate the shutter release button - you can buy brackets to hold them in place - this is a much cheaper option that the Nikon cable release and should be just as effective.

[IanF]

I'm afraid no matter how much I try to digiscope hand held, the photos always come out fuzzy or at best soft. For me a cable release with bracket and as postcardcv says with an adapter is the only answer as everything needs to be kept as steady as possible.

I'd always say it costs nothing to hand hold the camera to the eyepiece or even hand hold the camera in place using an adapter to see if that works for you. If not then you can always explore the use of a cable release at a later time. Over here around £25.00 can buy a decent bracket for the CP4500.

I should add that the camera itself can't take a cable release on it's own, but there are several different brackets that can be used which simply screw into the tripod bush creating an arm to which the cable release itself is screwed in place.

[Nigel G]

I use a manual one and find it invaluable. The bracket is simply a piece of aluminium about 30mm wide with a hole in the bottom to mount it via the tripod screw and then carefully bent 90 degrees up the side and 90 degrees over the top. Drill another hole and glue in a nut with the right thread for the cable release. Job done - approx £12 including cable release.

[postcardcv]

I'm afraid no matter how much I try to digiscope hand held, the photos always come out fuzzy or at best soft. For me a cable release with bracket and as postcardcv says with an adapter is the only answer as everything needs to be kept as steady as possible.

That's probably why I end up deleting the vast majority of the pics I take digiscoping...
After a couple of years digiscoping hand held I have finally crack and ordered an adaptor earlier this week - will be getting a cable release set up too. If you're planning to do a lot of digiscoping then adaptor & cable release is probably a good plan. If your just starting out with it, then hand holding it may give you and idea of what it's like before you invest in the rest of the kit.

Here are links to three pics taken with a coolpix 4500 hand held through a Leica scope - not perfect, but not bad either.
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/40900/sort/1/cat/500/page/4
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/35735/sort/1/cat/500/page/4
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/35691/sort/1/cat/500/page/4

[Erwin Driessens]

Is it necessary / advisable to use a cable shutter release for digiscoping? For the CP 4500, can a shutter release be easily applied to this unit?

I use it all the time. It is the only way to get sharp photos using slow shutter speeds. In my gallery, I have some sharp pics taken with 1/10 to 1/20 second.
A sturdy tripod also helps.

Good luck,
Erwin.

[Yelvertoft]

If you're planning to do a lot of digiscoping then adaptor & cable release is probably a good plan. If your just starting out with it, then hand holding it may give you and idea of what it's like before you invest in the rest of the kit.

Sound advice. Wish more people would try hand holding before spending huge amounts of time, money and effort on all the extras. You can learn a lot without spending a fortune.

Duncan.