Another Beginner Question (1 Viewer)

Dear Andy et al,

I have been working at digiscoping going on a year and as I read reports from most of the new digiscopers I have experienced many of the same problems and a few of the successes.

I have a Nikon CP 4500, a Nikon shutter release, a Pentax PF 80 spotting scope w/the 20/60 zoom. I also have a Williams 28mm eyepiece w/threads that allow it to be attached directly to the camera. To take pictures I perform the following drill: 1. I remove the zoom lens from the scope. 2. Insert the Williams eye piece in the scope and focus the scope, 3. Remove eye piece from the scope. 4. Attach the eye piece to camera. 5. Insert this package into the scope. I then get pretty good coverage of the tree limb on which the bird had been setting. Just kidding, I have been pretty lucky in that most of what I have been shooting don’t move that often, or will come back to where I was focused. Still this seems to me to be a bit busy at times.

However, my greatest problem is focus and the above steps. I do have a slide monitor that I use to help adjust the scope focus after the camera is mounted if this is required, but for me, this is a hit or miss operation. I can sometime focus spot on, but most of the time I am out of focus. If I want to change subjects, I have found that the safest way to get sharp pictures is to remove the package from the scope and follow steps 2. through 5. above.

Andy, I know that you have test driven the 2Plus Lens Adaptor. When you change locations or drastically change shooting directions, do you refocus using your camera, or is a simple task to remove the camera/adaptor, focus the scope and remount camera/adaptor? Had thought about a second Williams eye piece but the folks who sold the first one said they were not sure if two eye pieces would be exactly the same. So, this 2Plus Adaptor might be one way to reduce my focusing time and I could use the Pentax zoom.

A follow-up question, please. There are times after I focus the scope, mount the camera and then use the camera’s zoom, that the image goes totally out of focus. For the most part I do use the macro icon and Aperture Mode and autofocus. Once the scope is in focus, doesn’t the camera use that focused image, regardless of where you zoom the camera?

I apologize for the length of this question, and Thank You in advance for any help you can lend.

Dick.

Hi Dick,

I'm fairly new to digiscoping myself, since last august, still learning every outing, but this is how I solved my focussing problems (Coolpix 995, don't know if CP4500 is 100% identical)

I have function nr. 1 button, normally used for "mode", assigned to "focus".
When I press this button and turn the thumbweel one click, I get manual focus mode.
I have this always preset at manual focus distance 0,4m. (This is halfway the minimum focus distance of 0.2m at longer zoom settings, and infinity. You can check this on manual focus SLR lenses: the halfway position is always twice the minimum distance)

I also have the focus confirmation switched on, but only for manual focus. That's that ugly white outlining on the LCD of what is more or less in focus.
Camera is in aperture priority, always on the biggest f-stop (smallest number). Autofocussing is preset to single point focussing. Which point is used can be switched with the 4 way controller.

When I walk around digiscoping, I have the coolpix permanently fixed to the scope. Camera is switched on on M, lens of the coolpix zoomed out to have as much as possible field of view. Manual focus enabled as described above.
Scope is prefocussed to some distance close to what I suspect the next opportunity will be.

When I find a bird, put tripod down, light push on shutter button to get camera out of sleeping mode. Get bird in view on LCD screen, manual focus scope such that the bird get's ugly white outline, zoom in as needed, eventual focus correction on scope, push function 1 button to return camera to autofocus mode, align active AF zone (outlined in red) to usefull part of the bird, push shutter button, pull hands away from the scope and camera. Since I am now in AF when taking the picture, the camera will start searching for best focus for a second or two and then it takes the pic. I don't even really need a cable release, the vibrations usually have stopped by the time the camera has found focus.

Atleast 50% of my pics are in perfect focus (ofcourse lots of other things can go wrong too)

When the bird moves, you try to follow it on the LCD. When it has changed distance, a quick function 1+ thumb click, and you'r back at 0.4m for manual correction with the scopes focus.

I still have a bit of finetuning to do, but I have used this method all spring now, and I'm quite happy about it.

hope it was of help to you

Erwin

Hi Dick,
I'm afraid i have no experience with these Williams eyepieces but i wouldn't have thought the use of a separate adapter would make much difference to a focus issue. With the camera attached and using the camera's monitor (with the extend-a-view pro 2x shade/magnifier) You should be able to focus the scope on the subject at what-ever the distance.

But even if you take the camera off the scope and refocus the scope, when you put the camera back on you should be pretty close to a perfect focus, maybe with a slight tweak of the scope's focus to get it 100% sharp in the monitor. Remember the camera often see's things differently to the human eye, so getting the image sharp to the camera is priority when taking a shot. When you're holding the shutter-release on the first position (focus lock), slightly refocus again if things don't look quite right on the monitor.

Often when zooming around on the camera ( especially zooming up to near maximum), you'll need to tweak the scope focus again... in a perfect world you wouldn't (similar to many zoom eyepieces)

I'm not too sure if even the LE2+ is big enough to fit the massive pentax zoom e.p.

Regards,
Andy

Thanks Erwin and Andy

Gentlemen,

Really appreciate the information and the quick responses. I will let you know how I do. I will say that I am hooked on digiscoping and get enough good shots so that I am not frustrated w/the bad ones. Erwin, if I can get to your 50% rate, I’ll be one very happy camper.

Thanks again.

Dick