Fuji F30 good digiscoping camera?

[Feathered one]

Well I have been using one for the last 3 months, my first foray into Digiscoping.

My first trip out, I was quite suprised to get a few decent pictures. The weather since then has been decidedly iffy, so just a quick visit to the local marsh between the wind and rain had to suffice.

Today I took time off work (I work for myself so it won't matter if the boss reads this posting). My destination Pennington and Normandy sea wall, near Lymington Hants. about 3/4 hour from where I live. I had about 2 1/2 hours on the sea wall and the marsh behind, weather conditions sunny intervals and a rising wind.

Here are some pictures I took, all where at ISO 400 or 800.

Click here to access the page
http://lynandmholidays.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Birdpage.htm


See what you think

Malc

[christineredgate]

Malc,these shots are superb.So very sharp and clear,esp using high ISO.Very good.

[john-henry]

Well I have been using one for the last 3 months, my first foray into Digiscoping.

My first trip out, I was quite suprised to get a few decent pictures. The weather since then has been decidedly iffy, so just a quick visit to the local marsh between the wind and rain had to suffice.

Today I took time off work (I work for myself so it won't matter if the boss reads this posting). My destination Pennington and Normandy sea wall, near Lymington Hants. about 3/4 hour from where I live. I had about 2 1/2 hours on the sea wall and the marsh behind, weather conditions sunny intervals and a rising wind.

Here are some pictures I took, all where at ISO 400 or 800.

Click here to access the page
http://lynandmholidays.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Birdpage.htm


See what you think

Malc

Malc, I think they're great and you should be delighted with them.
If you can get good pics in poor weather, especially windy conditions, you've got it cracked.

Look forward to your Spanish ones next, that can't be far away now.

Best wishes

John

[assayer]

I'd say you are doing a pretty good job with the F30. You have some excellent pictures.

Dick

[phyllosc]

Excellent Photos, Malc. Can you give us an insight into your home made adaptor?

Dave Carr
Suffolk

[Feathered one]

Phyllosc

Link to first tube adaptor http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=72515

And to the swing up one I currently use http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=78031

Malc

[Andrew]

Got to take my hat off to you Malc, superb pictures you got there.

So good they have sort of reinforced my opinion that this may be the camera for me.

[Neil]

Malc,
Nice images. I particularly like the kestrel.Neil.

[border reiver]

:t: Malc great results you must be delighted.

Previous posts by yourself & John-Henry convinced me that this was a camera with excellent digiscoping capabilities.

Its good that you and other F30 users demonstrate what can be acheived with this camera. Something for photography novices like myself to aspire to.

Look forward to seeing more of your results.

Best regards
John

[Richard JSH]

Hello Malc,

As with the others here, I have to commend you on some fantastic shots. I too have an F30 which I use with a home made adapter on my Opticron scope. My pictures have been reasonable, some have been good, most have been a touch soft on the focus.

I have tried setting the camera to specific shutter speeds / aperture settings in line with my experience of the "old ways" but with little success. The camera does not seem to allow some combinations.

Perhaps I'm being a tad thick. Could you describe how you set the camera to achieve the shutter / aperture values you have described next to your pictures.

Cheers, Richard.

PS. That Kestrel is outstanding.

[Feathered one]

Hiya Richard

I don't have any magic settings for you sorry.
I normally use aperture priority, the pictures at Pennington were taken at ISO 400 which allowed me to set a high aperture, which then gave a high shutter speed. Nothing magical there then.
Had a look at your gallery, and the pictures taken with the F30 do look softer than the 401, I must take a look at the 401 as haven't heard of that camera.

The turnstone picture in your gallery with the f30, did you apply any sharpening to it after taking it?. It looks as though it could take some sharpening.
I do find that the F30 produces rather soft pictures, and pretty well all the pictures I take with it, I do have to sharpen.

The Kestrel was a lucky shot really, a good distance away, but it sat for about four minutes, so able to take quite a few shots, and even change eyepiece to the zoom, which produced inferior shots.

Sorry I can't give an easy answer to the problem

Malc

[Neil]

I damaged my Nikon 8400 yesterday so got out my backup Fuji F31fd. Had a nice session around the settling ponds on the edge of the local "green" housing estate that backs onto the local wetlands. These were all taken at iso 100, Aperture and 0 or -0.7 stop compensation. I used the 30x eyepiece as the 45x is a bit much for the F31 for birds as big as ducks and cormorants.
It's important to watch the little Green Light just under the zoom rocker switch. If shutter speeds are too low or contrast is too low for accurate focus it flashes. When it's steady there's a very good chance the image is sharp. I found that if I zoomed the lens out too far on the cormorant it flashed, so I backed it off a bit and re-focused the scope. Hope this helps, Neil

Fuji F31fd plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw 30x eyepiece and homemade adapter on the DCA.

[Richard JSH]

Hello Malc,

Don't go thinking you haven't helped. I try and glean as much as possible out of all advice given. I will hammer aperture priority for a bit as I usually stick with shutter. I didn't sharpen the turnstone, although I am sharpening more stuff these days, now I have worked out how to be subtle!

The Fuji 401, by the way, is a bit old hat nowadays. It was very restrictive on settings with nothing like the range on the F30.

Neil, I'll keep an eye on the green light as well. I really think I should sit down and read the book properly. Perhaps the Harz Mountains in May might give me the opportunity to sit, study and improve (as well as drinking lots of German beer).

Cheers, Richard.