Pentax suitability.

[stumfelter]

Hi,I have a pentax Ist DL and an opticron piccolo telescope. Can anybody give me any advice about the suitability of this combinatiov for digiscoping?

[rka]

Hi,I have a pentax Ist DL and an opticron piccolo telescope. Can anybody give me any advice about the suitability of this combinatiov for digiscoping?

Don't know about the Opticron scope. But I have seeen good results with the later Pentax K100D with DA40mm/f2.8 lens. It is likely you will get decent results with the 40mm lens if the scope is very good optically.

[iporali]

Hi,I have a pentax Ist DL and an opticron piccolo telescope. Can anybody give me any advice about the suitability of this combinatiov for digiscoping?
I hope I don't sound too discouraging, but to be honest I wouldn't expect too much from them. A large DSLR sensor, small non-ED objective and high magnification usually mean dark viewfinders, difficult focusing, long exposure times, and visible colour aberrations. Actually a small, inexpensive point-and-shoot camera works better with a small scope.

Best regards,

Ilkka

[rka]

My understanding is the problem with most dslr setups is the dslr objective lens size is usually too large. There are very few lenses for DSLRs that have small front objectives and allow a lot of light to pass through. I'll try to find the link, but the DA40mm is one such lens (eq to 60mm due to 1.5 factor) and the test I saw with the K100d looked very promising.

When I find the link I will post it here.

[iporali]

My understanding is the problem with most dslr setups is the dslr objective lens size is usually too large. There are very few lenses for DSLRs that have small front objectives and allow a lot of light to pass through. I'll try to find the link, but the DA40mm is one such lens (eq to 60mm due to 1.5 factor) and the test I saw with the K100d looked very promising.

When I find the link I will post it here.
I agree completely. The flat 40mm prime is probably the best digiscoping lens of any DSLR optics. I meant the Opticron Piccolo having a small non-ED lens, which makes the scope the weakest link of the combination.

Ilkka

[stumfelter]

Many thanks for your answers- I'd probably be better off saving for a long lens for the pentax then!

[O Uzel]

My understanding is the problem with most dslr setups is the dslr objective lens size is usually too large. There are very few lenses for DSLRs that have small front objectives and allow a lot of light to pass through. I'll try to find the link, but the DA40mm is one such lens (eq to 60mm due to 1.5 factor) and the test I saw with the K100d looked very promising.

When I find the link I will post it here.

Any luck finding the link?

I have the smc-M version of this lens but no DSLR.
I will maybe buy a K100d this year and if digiscoping is posibile I have one more reason to buy it.

O

[ramiot]

I use a DSLR with a Pentax PF80ED and I am fairly satisfied. My DSLR is the Pentax K100D that I use with a A50mm(F:1.7) and a A28mm(F:2.8) and they work fine. My scope has the XW20X eyepiece and I use a step down ring between the lens and the eyepiece ( 49mm to 43mm). I like the idea of using a DSLR instead of a Point & Shoot because of the flexibility that camera offers for other photography such as Macro. One more thing because of miror movement and weight of the DSLR camera you will need to create a harness that changes the point of balance of the scope and at the same time ties the camera well to the scope, thus reducing any shake...

Robert