[kelly rich 007]

ok so i have the s90 now .. so now i need advice on what settings work for what ? for long distance in low medium and bright light conditions .. for cloudy or at dusk .. any and all advice would be very helpful. .i have the sw 20 -60 hd and a DCB ..also i head on one of the forums that the s90 has a memory setting but i cant seem to find it in the book ? .. i might be mistaken and im trying to find the info on the site and other sources ..

[RJM]

Sorry no Cliff Notes for this. Memorize the manual until you can operate the camera knowing what each setting does. Set the camera up on you scope and go outside and practice, practice, practice on static targets. Then find a perching bird and take few shots. If it stays still, change some settings, and take some more. Take "blanks" of the ground between major setting changes so you can recognize the shot sequence they apply too. Keep a note pad and write down what you've done. Then go home and analyze them on the computer. After a thousand or so pics you should have all your answers.

[Neil]

Kelly,
Have a look at the S90 thread
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=154061

If you look in your Menu in the camera you will see a SAVE SETTINGS function.
iso 100 and Aperture Priority and go from there.
Neil.

[kelly rich 007]

thank you for the advice .. tonight i did just that, i see that it will take some time for different scenes and distances and light conditions ..i love the new canon s90 .. i will try and get some photos together soon .. if anyone else has some advice id love to hear it .. thanks ..

[lmans66]

Just keep practicing...you will find that even if you have some settings you prefer for the camera, depending on how the bird is situated in the light will make a huge difference. I know I can take the same bird in the same tree with the same settings and just a tweak of the bird's stance/perch will make all the difference in the world.

So ...not just knowing what settings but also practicing being really fast at what you do. I also have the Swaro and the DCB and have learned how to either flip up the DCB and look thru the scope, focus, bring down the camera and take a shot or....leave the DCB and camera in place on the scope and manual focus via the camera screen in back. I like camera's that enlarge the area when half pressing the shutter so you can refine focus even more at that time. I think your camera has that.

Either way....don't expect tons of great shots right off the bat, they take time. Look at my digiscoping link on my zen page and you will see some great photos but those are taken with a lot of practice and tons of throw-aways, tons of them. With digiscoping I don't try to crop and with my cameras I can't select AF in any point other than center, so my birds are always centered in that case. But I sure love the closeness I get from digiscoping...love it! Best of luck....

[kelly rich 007]

thanks for the advice jim .. i looked thru your pics and you have some nice shots .. i live in b.c. and will be takeing pics of wildlife in landscape setting mostly at long distance .. there are eagles and hawks and im sure i will be takeing some pics of those too.. my biggest problem right now is that iv always just used auto and have no undestanding of any camera features ..but i am learning .. so i think my best option is to use low iso and start for there .. im assuming i should set it low for good light and a little higher at dusk .. with some light in open spaces ? and should i use the cloudy feature in this setting ? at long or medium distances ? if im zoomed out a way on my scope is there a setting that i should use ? shorter at say 20 power ? these are the questions that are going thru my mind at this time .. lol..

[Josef]

Kelly,

Excellent camera choice. I tried one for only a couple days and returned it feeling (since I make my adapters) it would be foolish since I like the results I'm getting with my present equipment. IMO this camera is getting some justly deserved hipe so I had to go to the main BF page, click on the gallery tab, scroll down to the bottom of the pics and enter the camera (again) into the search box. I was surprized to find only 3 users which was the same the last time I checked. Of the 3 users 2 use fixed eyepieces in about the 30X range. To make a long story short put your zoom in the wide angle and stick with it until you start getting results and a feel for it. The 20-60 is good for viewing but I think confusing for a beginner. I use a Kowa tsn-21we and with my cameras 3x get plenty of zoom, my combo and the s90 gives negligible vignetting which is also very nice.

Have at it and like we all say practice. practice. practice.

Joe

[lmans66]

Kelly...like joe said...stick with wide open around 20 for now. If you keep the camera at 3x and 20 zoom, at least you will begin getting used to finding the bird thru the scope which is difficult enough and a learning process.

From there...ISO ? Well, it all just depends. I find that what looks good thru you viewfinder is not what you get when you download to your software. Stick with birds fairly close and keep the ISO 400-800 although I think your camera has settings in between. Really, it is a matter of playing with it and since a camera is new to you, you really have to just play and arrive at conclusions based on what you see. Take pics, go back the computer and see what you come up with.

Use the zoombrowser software when reviewing your images (not to sharpen them). I like zoombrowser because you can look under properties of each foto and it will tell you your settings for each of the images you click on. That will help you determine many settings although again, you are going to find that what works today, with that sun and light and that bird, is not what you might find effective tomorrow, same conditions. Just keep shooting and practicing

[lmans66]

Originally Posted by Josef

Kelly,

Excellent camera choice. I tried one for only a couple days and returned it feeling (since I make my adapters) it would be foolish since I like the results I'm getting with my present equipment. IMO this camera is getting some justly deserved hipe so I had to go to the main BF page, click on the gallery tab, scroll down to the bottom of the pics and enter the camera (again) into the search box. I was surprized to find only 3 users which was the same the last time I checked.

Joe

In regards to the Canon 90.....this is no doubt a good camera and I have looked at one but haven't purchased one. I think one reason why the lack of users is due to lack of a 'great difference' in quality. I purchased a F30 Fuji awhile back to replace my Canon SD1200 IS for digiscoping but recently I have returned to the SD1200 even though it is half the cost of even the Canon 90, P6000 etc...

I find that quality wise, they are about equal and part of that is due to the Fuji in my case is a few years old and point and shoot tech has caught up with itself so many cameras now have fairly good ISO / low light ability etc etc. If you notice my digiscoping page you will find about half are Fuji and the other half are Canon 1200. http://lmans66.zenfolio.com/p871544059

But the point I am getting at is not just my situation but all others. Is the Canon 90 any better in terms of quality than the P6000 or the latest Casio or Panny? I doubt it...in fact if you look at pictures side by side taken by the same photographer and their digiscoping skills, I think you will find little difference. Now I am basing that just upon my own experience but I imagine it runs true to all of us. The differences are almost Negligible.

The differences between the Point and Shoot camera IN digiscoping is not great but the skills behind the photographer, quality of scope and tripod etc....are what really make the difference. The same can be applied to DSLR
's...as the lens and skills of the photographer is more important than the model of DSLR....

Am I going in the right direction on my thinking?

[kelly rich 007]

since in not a camera expet to begin with things are going slow .. i have taken a few good shots with 30 zoom on my scope , wide open on the canon s90 at a eagle ..roughly 75 yards .. took about sixty pictures at different settings .first thing i found is that the shakeing is lot .. i did try and buy a shutter cable but the shop didnt thin there was one for the canon s 90 .. i wish there was and if anyone knows a way it love to here avbout what to buy and where in canada .. i did have the timer set for about 5 seconds and 3 shots .. and yes it seems that whats on the screen is not going to be what it looks like on computer when i get home . this is a little disapointing because im just starting out as it is .. anyway i did manage to get one photo which i toucked up a bit .. i am thinking about taking some raw shot and then trying to fix them at home .. see how that goes ..once again any advice would be helpful .. thx .

[Josef]

Kelly,

At the mags that we shoot at a cable release is mandatory. I wish I could tell you a good one but I use the old 35mm type, also mine dosn't have a name on it. I also like them long 18" because it frees one up working with the gear. I hope there is an electronic one available for the s90 which would make things easier.

75 yards is a pretty long way off, probably better to practice at a closer range to get accustomed. At half the distance any movement will be cut in half so you should get results quicker.

When i'm testing anything new I prefer a small fuzzy rabbit doll about the size of a warbler. Fuzzy so I can see the extent of detail on computer. I stick a couple big pins in it so I have multiple things to focus on. I focus on a pin that is about mid depth of the model so the complete model should be in focus. Beginners are told to focus on the legs or eye but with the newer autofocus systems, in the field and in panic on contrasting feathers the feathers also can work.

Digi-scoping is not for everyone but its flexibility in the field can be very rewarding. When I started I was happy with 20% keepers, with aquired technique and all the neat things now available I'm happy to say my keepers are over 80%. It seems I end up shooting between 30 - 50' but have had some neat results any where from 15 - 300' with my 20x EP and 3x camera. That is a pretty good size area in the field.

Joe

[kelly rich 007]

thanks for the reply joe ..where would i even plug it in ? ..lol. theres nothing in the book ..in the av/out ? .. do you think that work ? if i found a cable ?..there is a hdmi terminal but i dout that would work .. sound like i just have to use the timer ..i did put one picture in my gallery ..once again any advice is greatly apprecitated ..

[Josef]

If/when I get the s90 (or s100) I would experiment with remote release and the shared program that allows doing such things. Time consuming but well worth it IMO. Otherwise google www.photosolve.com, I know I've seen an arm that screws into the camera tripod socket and the top (adjustible) receives the standard manual 35mm cable release which you position right over the shutter release button. Phil at photosolve is a great guy to work with. While there check out their extend a view products (magnifying shading device covers the monitor - I'm on my second one and looking up the site just noticed they have a larger one now) I remember the s90 had one of the sharpest monitors I've ever seen so don't know if you would need it. My custom adapter has the shade device so a spring holds it either on or off the monitor. Always on when tracking and I focus the scope with it on as well.

[kelly rich 007]

well i was looking on the net and i found a site that tells about a download for more options for the camera..i wonder who i can talk to in canada about it .. have them do it . .and figure out the shutter cable .. the closest place is calgary alberta .. i have ask the shop were i got it , but they werent helpful. i guess i will just have to keep looking and phone around a bit .. maybe i will get lucky ..thanks again ..

[kelly rich 007]

is anyone familar with the CHDK ..and the USB remote cable ? .. shutter bug pro ? and info would be helpful ..