Digiscoping with the Sony a6000. (1 Viewer)

I did some tests with digiscopy solutions and the TMB combo works fine with the 16-50mm zoom and the auto focus work well until 40mm - over that I must pass to manual focus but it's easy and fast using Fn fast menu. Noticed one detail: - some times the a6000 goes high on ISO without really needing and detail goes a bit away. See the example enclosed - the result was better with less zooming (more cropping) since the ISO stayed much lower. Both hand-held - I have to find an adapter to my solutions...
Remote shooting is possible using wireless and a smart mobile phone application - still have to manage to install the new version that allows also video recording...
Digital zooming is possible with the 16-50 zoom commands. It's also possible using other lens configuring a button for it - I have the C1 for that...
With the TMB combo and also with the Optolyth 100 is possible to digiscopy at 90x using the 50mm position, resulting on an equivalent 6750mm...:eek!:
On the Optolyth the autofocus works well at the 50mm zoom position!

Sony A6000 + 127 Mak

Hi,

I recently purchased a Sony A6000 after reading your comments about it for digiscoping. Yesterday I used the camera for the first time, attached to a catadioptric telescope with no eyepiece. The employed telescope was a 5" (127 mm) Maksutov-Cassegrain with a 1500 mm focal lenght (f/11.8), which produces strong vignetting with a full-frame camera, but a fully illuminated field with the APS-C sensor of the A6000. This EVIL camera seems really nice for digiscoping, although I had to fight with it because I didn't know how to congifure the time for the focus magnifier. A lacking depth of field is the main issue when we use an astro telescope as photo lens, therefore fine focusing is critical -- it was a hard task for me due to the 2 seconds default time of magnified view!

Here is a full size photo: couple of mallards with 127 Mak + Sony A6000.

Regards,

Leo

Hi Leo,

To configure the time for the focus magnifier; "Menu" to "Custom Settings" (The "gear" icon) to page 1 to "Focus Magnif. Time" press the "ok" button to open your choices and choose from 2 sec, 5 sec or no limit. I keep mine on no limit.

Hope it helps!

Kimmie

My traditional late winter photo season was bad so didn't took many photos.
In April I was in Finland and could take some photos. Besides the ones I took with a X95 (I posted a couple at http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=274270&page=2 I mention here again that the a6000 with the compact standard zoom works very well, with no vignetting over about 25mm), I enclose another pair that I did with the Optolyth 100 with a Pentax XW20, both hand-held...
For video, the digital zoom works well until 2x. Over that it starts to pixelate at full resolution.
For digiscopy and also for video, the VPR-1 remote release cable, that Gary mentioned, is a must have...:t: Expensive but excellent.
Now I must decide with what telescope I will digiscope more, in order I purchase the correct adapter...

Sony a6000-My Results

Here are some of my digiscoping results that I posted on Flickr. I use a Swaro STX-85 with remote and digi-dapter.

Kim

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53959117@N04/22027571796/in/dateposted/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53959117@N04/20931990893/in/dateposted/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53959117@N04/20328573843/in/dateposted/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53959117@N04/16349808672/in/dateposted/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53959117@N04/16115313479/in/dateposted/