Equipment Advice ..... (1 Viewer)

I need to get a Spotting Scope (Angled) for observing birds and whales on my 3-4 week trip up the Pacific Coast from Fort Bragg, California to Astoria, Oregon, this summer ....

I'm hoping to spend around $1,000.00 total for a scope, head, tripod, digiscoping adaptor, and backpack to carry the tripod (and 35mm camera, film, batteris, water ...).

I would like to do some digiscoping, hopefully connect my old Pentax K1000, and also my Samsung Note 8 smartphone to the scope for good shots .....

I have no experience with this type of equipment ... so I would greatly appreciate your input and suggestions .... I will be spending lots of time in many spots up the coast observing birds and whales and other wildlife, and want to take lots of pictures and videos .....

I would like to get this equipment soon .... the sooner the better ... so I can go birding with our local Audubon Club to practice using the scope and digiscoping .....

vja4Him,
I am getting tired already by reading about all the stuff you are going to carry in your backpack. That bacpack in itself must already be of very good quality to carry all your stuff and that will not be cheap. I would go for a good binocular combined with a doubler or a tripler and if you want to take a telescope: a straight one (a draw tube telescope perhaps??)may be easier to use for photography and to carry around in a backpack. Meopta has some good draw tube telescopes also with exchangeable eyepieces and adapters for photography and digiscoping.
Or you have to look at used equipment considering the amount of money you want to pay.
Gijs van Ginkel

This is the equipment that I want to order .....

I want to make sure that I have the correct equipment before I place the order .... Any suggestions ... ?

>> Celestron Regal M2 100ED Spotting Scope
>> Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 Aluminum Tripod with 502HD Fluid Head Hybrid Video Kit (rated to hold 15.4 pounds)
>> Novagrade Digiscoping Phone Adapter
>> Celestron Universal T-Adapter for 1-1/4" Eyepiece Mounts
>> T-2 Adapter

vja4Him said:

This is the equipment that I want to order .....

I want to make sure that I have the correct equipment before I place the order .... Any suggestions ... ?

>> Celestron Regal M2 100ED Spotting Scope
>> Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 Aluminum Tripod with 502HD Fluid Head Hybrid Video Kit (rated to hold 15.4 pounds)
>> Novagrade Digiscoping Phone Adapter
>> Celestron Universal T-Adapter for 1-1/4" Eyepiece Mounts
>> T-2 Adapter

Click to expand...

Which eye piece are you getting?

This is a capable, but heavy and fairly bulky setup.
You might want to add something like a Scopac (https://www.scopac.co.uk) to carry it all. It is not compatible with a backpacking trek through the Rockies unless you're in the 0.01% physically and have exceptional outdoor skills.

Huge and heavy..not a hiking scope by any means,but a good scope in its price range..my advice would be to try something lighter..i was going to go with the classic Nikon ed50,but given the high price and complicated caracteristics of its zoom eyepiece,I would say to look at the opticron MM4 60mm with zoom..or perhaps a second hand pentax PF65ED..something like that....OR spend the grand in a pair of stabilized binocs..or a nice pair of 10x42 and a super zoom camera..